PRESS PICKS: The Pack Rat wins Best Antiques Store

Read the online reviews of The Pack Rat Antiques, located at 1068 W. Fireweed Lane in Spenard, and you will be hard-pressed to not buy in to why it was voted as our readers’ favorite in the “Best Antique Shop” category for 2018.

From Angie’s List to Manta to Yelp, consumer reviewers write the praises of The Pack Rat Antiques as the spot to go in Anchorage when one seeks unusual, hard-to-find items or simply wants to browse memory lane.

Don’t let the building’s meager exterior fool you into thinking The Pack Rat Antiques is just one shop. On the contrary, it is a collection of numerous stores each representing various consignor vendors offering their unique wares from yester years.

Google estimates you’ll spend 25 minutes to an hour here. That seems a bit too short of a time frame if you really want to spend an appreciable amount of time checking out the variety. Seems it would be darn easy to spend an entire afternoon browsing.

If you are looking for vinyl records – which have made quite a cultural comeback with music companies re-releasing a plethora of classics on new vinyl – but you want the authentic, old-school vinyl, the Pack Rat is a stop you should make.

I am told there are at least two booths with a significant amount of vinyl as well as vintage phonographs to play them on.

Of course, stock changes daily as purchases are made and vendors replace stock with their latest finds.

Your best bet to find what you are looking for if specifics are on your list is to get to know the knowledgeable staff. Not only are they well beyond being amateur curators with an expertise gained only through constant contact with the antique world, they also know from the store’s vendors what particular or perhaps even rare items are forthcoming.

You name it and it is either has been in the shop and another round of it is coming or it is there to be found amongst the consignor-vendor individual stores with the two-story antique mall.

From costume and vintage jewelry to Alaskan memorabilia including several items featuring Iditarod to rare books and photos from Alaska’s territorial years as well as the standard antique store fodder of lamp, pictures and milk bottles, one could describe The Pack Rat as an unofficial museum with the flair of an indoor flea market.

The owners accept no donation items; they only work with consignors in an effort to adhere to product quality standards of the antiques industry.

Find The Pack Rat Antiques at its namesake Facebook page.

Phone (907) 522-5272.

Operating hours are seven days per week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.