AC will operate the Point Hope Native Store starting this spring, promising to bring more fresh food, renovate the building and improve store services.
Tikigaq Corporation partnered with Alaska Commercial Company in January and leased the Point Hope Native Store to the retail chain beginning April 17. AC officials are not publicly disclosing the length of the lease.
“AC plans to expand the produce department to have more fresh fruits and vegetables and the chilled food department to have more fresh milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and other perishable items,” said AC President Kyle Hill. “We will continue to maintain a frozen meat assortment in Point Hope. If customers are looking for fresh meat, this can be ordered from AC’s Kotzebue store using our online shopping app.”
Expanded fresh food availability is great news for Point Hope residents, said one of the board directors of the Tikigaq Corporation Steve Oomittuk.
“It’s something that the community members have been wanting better access to,” he said.
To safely store fresh produce, AC plans to add six self-contained refrigeration cases to the current store that will “replace existing refrigeration and will be more reliable and energy-efficient than the current equipment,” Hill said.
The retailer will also focus on achieving a high in-stock rate with other products, Hill said, as well as offering ATVs, snow machines, boat motors, furniture, appliances “and other hard goods that are not always offered in Point Hope.”
The Point Hope Native Store was built in the ‘70s and transported from the old village site to the new one, Oomittuk said. Since then, the building’s heating system and other elements need renovation, which would be costly, considering Point Hope’s remote location, he said.
“We will be doing short-term upgrades on the roof, doors, flooring and ceiling, as well as a general patch-and-paint throughout the interior and exterior of the store,” Hill said. “We will also install our own point-of-sale systems, security systems and internet servers.”
The store is one of the largest assets of the Tikigaq Corporation, and they did not want to sell it to AC, Oomittuk said.
“They are not selling it; they are leasing it ... to bring it back up,” he said. “Hopefully, there will be a better service to the community, and a remodel.”
High turnover and a lack of effective management are some of the issues the store is currently experiencing, Oomittuk said. He said he hopes AC will help improve management, stabilize employment and train people to maintain the store in the long term.
“We’ve been going through some bad times with employees, and we are gonna try to get steady employment there and have a better service and a better management,” Oomittuk said. “It’s something that we felt we ought to the people.”
AC has conducted similar store transitions in Skagway, Galena, Metlakatla and Toksook Bay, Hill said.
In addition to renovating the existing store, AC plans to construct a new retail grocery store in Point Hope from the ground up in the next five years, Hill said. The construction plans are not yet finalized, but the company wants the building to be energy efficient and include LED lighting and modern refrigeration.
“The new store will feature even larger fresh food departments, including a hot deli/bakery with breakfast, lunch and dinner options. We also plan to expand the chilled and frozen food departments with new refrigeration and increase the assortment of club pack items,” Hill said. “We will have additional space for flooring and merchandising of ATVs, snow machines, boat motors, furniture, appliances, bicycles, and more.
“We will also prioritize products that support the whaling activities in the community,” Hill said.