Dalton City gained a new storefront in late June, with The Magpie reopening after two years of closure. The store, owned by Laura Rogers, sells original stationary, Alaska-inspired stickers and postcards, and other items made by the owner. “It all started because I wanted a venue to do graphic design,” she said.
Rogers is a Haines-based multimedia artist who designed the bottle labels for Port Chilkoot Distillery that can be found all over town, among her other work.
Rogers started the Magpie on a small scale in 2017, in the building where the credit union currently resides. Two years later, the Magpie expanded to Skagway. Business was “really great until 2020 happened,” said Rogers.
The pandemic brought tourism to a halt and decimated earnings for businesses. The unpredictability of the arrival of cruise ships created risks for many owners. On top of that, Rogers had a family to take care of. “I was running the store with three kids at home, and decided to shut it,” said Rogers.
Even though the Magpie was no longer a physical store, Rogers was still able to sell her work on Etsy. Quarantine and social distancing meant people were eager to find connection by any possible means. “On the stationary side of things, I had 20 times the business I had [in the store]…everyone was writing each other.”
By chance, Rogers heard of a space becoming available in Dalton City, and sent in her application. “I think it’s a very affordable place. It gives me room to be more creative,” she said.
The stores in Dalton City are only open certain days when there’s a lot of traffic from cruise ships or when there are special events going on, like the farmer’s market or state fair. The Magpie is open every Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We always have a good amount of applications, around six to fifteen per rental space,” said Amanda Painter, who works for the Southeast Alaska State Fair, the nonprofit that owns the buildings in Dalton City. The spaces are rented out for around $350 a month.
Painter says that there are plans for Dalton City to “become more of a lively business retail space” next summer, with more Friday events like live music and food. While Dalton City has a lot of potential, Painter said “it is up to the community to step up, help out, be present, and make things happen.”