Palmer Alaska

Side Kicks Gifts
642 S Alaska St #104 – In the Koslosky Building
(907) 746-4438

“Ooo, pretty!” is constantly on the tip of your tongue as you walk through Sidekicks, a locally owned gift store in Downtown Palmer. Its new owner, Tiffany Moffitt Rye, is revamping the store and bringing in new merchandise. It’s a family effort; her husband and daughters are usually there to help as well!

What’s so great about Sidekicks? Well, it’s pretty much the ultimate gift store! You can find a gift for anyone; young and young at heart. From heavenly-smelling Colonial Candles, to bright platters declaring “When my Dad cooks, burnt is just another flavor!”, Sidekicks’ selections are one-of-a-kind. Humorous and sweet cards, lavish floral arrangements and photo frames are also found throughout the shop, depending on the themes or colors. An entire room is dedicated to baby gifts, Webkinz, and other gifts for younger children.

You can find many local artists’ creations here. Most of the jewelry in the shop is locally made, as well as pins, soaps, cards and fancy handbags. This is the only store in the Valley where you can find Hatley clothing. And, this is also the only store in the Valley that is licensed with Sanrio. If you have a Hello Kitty fan in your family, you better check this store out. An entire wall of the store is covered in Hello Kitty items.

“We sell bicycles, not groceries!” declared Tony Berberich when asked why I should buy a bicycle here instead of from a department store. Backcountry Bicycles is located on the NW corner of the intersection of S Alaska St and W Arctic Ave (Old Glenn). Tony fits bicycles to people. If the bike isn’t comfortable, he works to make it so or finds a different one.

“We want people to ride bikes.” People go out and buy fancy uncomfortable bikes, use them for a couple weeks and then hang them in the garage like a trophy. The bike shop is here to make sure people get out and ride; maintain a healthier lifestyle. Sometimes Tony even gives bikes away for a good cause. Check out the article in the Frontiersman about this.

Backcountry Bicycles offers road, BMX, mountain, comfort, and commuter bikes. There are even unicycles and tricycles.  The store also has a repair shop in the back, where you can bring your bike in for adjustments and tune-ups.

All in all, Backcountry Bicycles gives great deals on great bikes, and offers a 12 month service plan free with each new bike.

Summer Hours:
(April 1 – October 31)
Tuesday – Saturday: 10AM – 6PM
Sunday: 12PM – 5PM
For more information, check out their website, www.BackcountryBikeandSki.com.

This post is sponsored by Valley Market Real Estate.