Sports shop robbed at gunpoint

WASILLA -- Outdoors and More Sporting Goods was robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash Friday evening by a man wearing a mask and brandishing a gun.

No shots were fired during the incident, which occurred at 6:15 p.m. as the store was closing. The robber fled on foot from the shop at 455 W. Parks Highway.

The suspect is described as a white adult, 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds. He wore a dark sweatshirt, dark jeans and black leather gloves, Wasilla police said.

Store manager Jerry Holbrook said no customers were in the store at the time. The robbery is a first for Outdoors and More.

"We've been here 19 years and this is the first time anything like this has happened," Holbrook said. "We hope it's another 19 years before it happens again."

The store was burglarized recently. In that incident, someone hid in the store until it was closed before committing the crime.

Holbrook doesn't believe it's related to the robbery.

"It's totally different," he said. "One's sneaking around and the other one is just right up front."

The business has been "unbelievably supported" by the community, he said, even with the opening of Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart.

"People vote with their dollars and they have voted us into business," Holbrook said.

He said he hopes that same customer support will prompt people to report any possible tips about the robbery to Wasilla police or the Alaska State Troopers.

Meanwhile, it was business as usual Monday.

"We are not going to allow the bad 1 or 2 percent of people to stop us," Holbrook said.