Taco truck opens
A new food truck in town is serving up authentic Mexican food. Mario and Natalie Benassi opened “Julian’s Todos Tacos” food truck earlier this month, named after their late son who drowned last year.
“We just wanted to give tribute to our son somehow,” Natalie Benassi said. “He spent a lot of time in Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica. He even taught himself Spanish.”
Natalie Benassi, born to Mexican parents, called the business a family adventure. Her husband Mario is “the grill master,” their daughter Lily Benassi helps out, and Natalie brings a refined Mexican pallet and “the brains of the operation” to the table.
On the menu is carne asada tacos (steak), carnita tacos (pork), deep fried chicken tacos, and rice and beans. Tacos cost about $6 each. Outdoor seating is available.
The truck is parked beside Moose Horn Laundry. It’s open from 11 a.m. through 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and is expected to remain open through September.
Bookstore shifts to used
Haines’ bookstore, the Moosterious Emporium, is making a shift from selling new books to used copies and will dedicate space to sell instruments.
Starting this month, owner Jo Goerner is filling her shelves with second-hand books and musical instruments. She’s accepting gently used books in exchange for store credit (50 cents per paperback, $1 for hardcover, rare books price depending), and consigning instruments for sale where sellers keep 85 percent of profits.
“In Haines, we already have a lot of stuff here,” Goerner said. “In lieu of bringing in more stuff, it would be nice to start passing along what we have in the true Alaskan way.”
But the shift won’t be immediate. Goerner said she’ll still order books upon request for her customers, and re-stock certain local books as needed.
In May, the national bookseller that stocked the Moosterious Emporium ceased selling to retailers, leaving a monopoly in the industry. Instead of a flat rate shipping cost of $2.50 per box of 20 books, Goerner now pays 1 percent of every order, or roughly $25 per box.
Goerner doesn’t attribute the retail change as a reason for the switch, though. She said the business plan is a style of consumerism she’d like to see shift in Haines.
No moldy books, encyclopedias or books more than 10 years old will be accepted.
The bookstore has changed hands twice in the past two years. Goerner purchased it from Darcee Messano last winter. Messano bought it from long-time owners Tom and Liz Heywood in 2017.
Sockeye Cycle changes hands
Local bike shop and tour operation, Sockeye Cycle, has changed hands for the first time since its founding in 1988. Founder Thom Ely finalized the sale to husband and wife team Dustin and Katie Craney on July 1.
“I wanted to sell to someone with similar values who knew the business and would be successful with it,” Ely said. “Dustin has worked for me for ten years, five years as general manager and I thought it was a good time to hand it off.”
Dustin Craney said bicycles are what brought him to Alaska.
In 2009, he came to Haines for a summer job at Sockeye Cycle. He met his future wife Katie, who was working as a park ranger in Gustavus, on the ferry from Juneau to Haines.
The two say the company won’t change much, except to add a few multi-tour day offerings.
“We’re bringing up a couple dozen people for Golden Circle tour from Haines to Skagway, and weekend trips for a couple of days in Haines and a couple of days in Skagway,” Craney said.
In May, the company added a new tour to their offerings, a five-mile ride that takes visitors to hike battery point, then for a tasting at the Haines Brewing Company.
The Craney’s will continue the conservation donation program as part of their sale agreement with Ely. In the past 20 years, Sockeye Cycle has donated between $15,000 to $20,000 matched fundraising dollars it collects from clients to conservation groups in Alaska. Sustainable tourism has always been a core company belief, Ely said.
“I think my legacy has been running a business with high standards, good moral values and belief in the Alaska environment and what it means to people,” he said. “Also, showing people a fun time on a bicycle.”
Ely will remain in Haines, “adventuring in the Alaska wilderness and advocating for our environment.”