September 06, 2007
Thursday PM

I will vote "NO" on limiting jewelry stores. Here are some of my reasons:

Jewelry stores are beautiful and like the hanging flower baskets that historically adorned our streets, they bloom in the spring and fade in the fall. That they be shuttered in the winter is better than they be shuttered permanently like the pulp mill and the spruce mill. To me they are better than the good old days of strip joints and the drunk seducing, drunk inducing and drunk producing bars of Ketchikan's "golden age".

The only LOGICAL argument that I have heard or read predicts that a bad reputation of Ketchikan having too many jewelry stores will cause tourists to convince their friends and neighbors to never go to Alaska because of the horrible experience of encountering jewelry stores. Well, when I attend ATIA (Alaska Travel Industry Association) meetings and read reports produced by the McDowell Group out of Juneau, the statistics show that Ketchikan is noted foremost for "SHOPPING". These reports don't distinguish "jewelry stores" but I'm sure the McDowell Group could formulate a questionnaire to determine the "damage" caused by "too many jewelry stores." Would it actually be more desirable if we had half the jewelry stores and twice the "t-shirt, hat & mug shops?"

I do have two suggested requirements for the city father's consideration after the vote either passes or fails:

#1. All businesses with store fronts within the city limits shall have one hanging flower basket per store front or per each 50' of store frontage....and

#2. All businesses selling tourist related items shall provide 10% of their display areas for exhibiting; artifacts, photos, sculptors, carvings, artwork, etc representing historic Ketchikan &/or the wild life or scenery surrounding our lovely town.

For every tourist that is disgruntled over the abundance of jewelry stores, I am betting that you will find 100 who are enthralled with Ketchikan because they chose to enjoy one of these fine Ketchikan excursion activities or attractions: flight seeing to Misty Fjords, flight seeing to view bears, Misty Fjords cruise, Misty Fjords cruise/fly, Misty Fjords kayaking, kayaking Tatoosh, Whiskey Cove Kayaking, Guard Island Lighthouse, Ketchikan UnderSea Adventure, Lumberjack Show, Saxman Native Village, Cape Fox Tours, Rainforest Expedition, bicycle tours, Snorkel Alaska, Crab Feed, Wilderness Fish & Feed, zip line adventure, jeep safari, Hummer tours, Limo Tours, charter fishing for salmon, charter fishing for halibut, West Rock Tours, fly fishing, motorcycle tour, hike, Totem Bight State Park, Ketchikan Walking Tour, Duck Tour, '57 Chevy Classic Tours, Horse Drawn Trolley, Canoe Safari, Alaska Boat Racing Tours, Canopy Adventures, Lighthouse, Totems & Eagles Excursion, Northern Tours, Rainbird Tours, Snow's Cove Tours, Allen Maine Tours, Ak. Specialty Tours, Bearing Sea Crab Boat, rent a cab, rent a bike, rent a scooter, Discovery Center, Ketchikan Museum, Creek Street, Orca Beach Nature Walk, Back Country Jet Boat, George Inlet Cannery, Adventure Kart Expedition, Totem Heritage Center, many fine restaurants, pop-corn or coffee shops, art and clothing stores or just watch kids catching fish from the Ketchikan Creek Bridge. Every tourist has a choice.

Thanks for reading this letter of my opinion.

Rob Holston
Ketchikan, AK

Received September 06, 2007 - Published September 06, 2007

About: "Owner of Guard Island Lighthouse Excursion Tour"

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