When the cruise ships leave and the summer chatter fades, Juneau shifts back into the rhythm locals know best.
The pace slows, familiar faces return to their favorite tables and the town’s year-round cafés and restaurants take on an even more important role as remaining gathering places, employers and small economic engines.
Across Alaska, 99 percent of businesses are small and employ more than half the state’s workforce – making each local purchase part of something much larger. Meaning each breakfast, each weeknight dinner, each spur-of-the-moment coffee run makes a difference in a community where many businesses operate well beyond the tourist season.
Local support isn’t abstract here; it shows up in jobs, wages and the ability for our favorite local haunts to keep their doors open all winter.
The Rookery Cafe is a great example of a locally owned and operated eatery that can help brighten even the darkest winter day. Its scratch-made breakfasts and low-key, familiar atmosphere draw a steady stream of regulars long after the last visitors have left.
Whether it’s baking their own bread,or grilling a hand-crafted burger topped with house-made pickles, their pride and attention to detail shines through in every bite.
Sandpiper Café – A Juneau favorite breakfast since 2006 for oversized breakfasts and an early morning dose of much-needed caffeine! Located in Downtown Juneau’s Aak’w Village District, they’ve recently started offering online reservations, making it easy to plan a family breakfast over the holiday season.
Between their famous stuffed French toast, half-pound game burger and their award-winning maple bacon milkshakes, it’s not hard to see that they’ve been voted the best breakfast in town time and again.
Their recent food drive for the Southeast Alaska Food Bank and their warm inviting atmosphere make this one win, win for everyone.
Further down Marine Way, Hangar on the Wharf – celebrating over two decades of service – carries its own weight in Juneau’s cold-season economy.
With waterfront views, a long history in Juneau and one of the most extensive menus in town – everything from hearty lunches to Alaska-rooted dinner plates – it’s been a favourite for 26 years. A bustling night at the Hangar means more than a busy dining room; it supports local cooks, servers, local breweries and suppliers whose livelihoods stretch well beyond the summer months.
The impact of catching up at a cafe or savouring a dinner in town trickles outward. Money spent at locally owned eateries stays close to home — in payroll for neighbours, maintenance performed by local trades and ingredients sourced from regional producers and suppliers.
For diners, these stops are casual and familiar; for the businesses, they’re lifelines that keep the lights on through the shoulder season.
As the holiday season unfolds, watch for other installments of this Shop Local series, highlighting more ways to support small businesses across Alaska and celebrate the community spirit that keeps the state’s heart strong through every season.