Business/Economy

Open & Shut: Another brewery in Anchorage, plus new restaurants

This is an installment of an occasional series in the Anchorage Daily News taking a quick look at the comings and goings of businesses in Southcentral Alaska. If you know of a business opening or closing in the area, send a note to reporter Annie Zak at azak@adn.com.

OPEN

Turnagain Brewing: This new brewery had its grand opening Saturday at 7920 and 7924 King St., where King Street Brewing Co. used to be. Turnagain Brewing makes a range of beers, with a focus on sours and Belgian-style ales, said co-owner Ted Rosenzweig. He's been brewing for decades.

"I love the art of it, the science of it," he said. "It's sort of like where cooking and science meet, and there's a lot of room to innovate."

He's not concerned about adding yet another brewery to a patch of the city where there are already a handful. Turnagain Brewing isn't far from Anchorage Brewing Co., the new King Street location and Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

"It's a blessing and a curse," he said. "In some respects, it'd be really nice to be in Midtown away from all the other breweries and kind of have a corner on that market. But in another way, it's sort of handy. It promotes beer tourism, it makes it convenient for people to hop breweries, go from one to the other."

You can get a free 12-ounce pour if you bring in 5 pounds of rhubarb for use in a future brew. Turnagain Brewing is open Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

King Street Brewing Co.: This brewery moved a few blocks south to 9050 King St., where it's been open since early June. The old spot just wasn't big enough anymore, said co-owner Dana Walukiewicz.

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"We were renting, and we'd been in there for seven years. As we kind of matured, we wanted to have a place of our own," he said. "Be able to brew and keep up with demand."

The new location was built specifically for King Street's move, and it's now near Anchorage Brewing Co. King Street now has about four times the space it had before, Walukiewicz said, and plenty more parking.

King Street is open Monday through Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.

[South Anchorage entrepreneurs team up for a trendy new destination]

League: This retail shop, which carries collectible consignment sneakers and other streetwear, opened a few days ago at the Dimond Center mall. Its owner, 17-year-old Deven Jackson, may be the youngest business owner that mall has ever had, ADN reported Tuesday.

Jackson's business partner, John Daet, will run the store when Jackson heads off to college in the fall. Read more about the shop and Jackson's story here.

Seoul Casa: This Mexican-Korean fusion restaurant at 601 E. Dimond Blvd. opened about a month ago. The eatery focuses on Mexican food like tacos and burritos, but using Korean-style meats.

The spot used to be occupied by Terra Bella Bistro. Co-owners Andrew Cho and his brother-in-law Ronald Tzou came up with the idea for the restaurant a few years ago, Cho said.

Seoul Casa is open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Mo's Deli and Catering: Co-owner Jason Ellis said he believes the spot he opened in June with his wife, Betty Sheldon, is the only Jewish deli in town.

Mo's, at 9220 Lake Otis Parkway, took over the space where Quiznos used to be. The deli tries to source its food locally, Ellis said.

"We're an authentic deli, something you might find back East," he said. "Not really kosher, so to speak, but more Jewish flavors."

Mo's, which is named after Ellis' grandfather, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Vine and Branches Christian Bookshoppe: This store recently closed its location at 1120 Huffman Road when the former owner, Tony Hooyer, retired. Then Shauna Howell came along and bought the business from him. She reopened it at 1108 E. Northern Lights Blvd.

The store also sells art and does consignment for used Christian books.

"We found quite a few gems in that," Howell said. "There's kind of a lot of treasures here in town. It's like pull tabs for Jesus."

The shop is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.

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SHUT

Quickie Burger: The Spenard burger spot at 1087 W. 27th Ave. has closed, according to its Facebook page.

"Quickie Burger is closed for business," according to a June 24 post. "We are working a deal to get into a building however until then we are shutting down and we do not know for how long."

A phone call from a reporter Tuesday went straight to a voice recording.

Blockbuster: The last two Blockbuster stores in Alaska have closed for rental business, ADN reported last week. Now the DeBarr Road store in Anchorage and the Fairbanks store will sell off inventory through July and August in preparation for closing for good.

Annie Zak

Annie Zak was a business reporter for the ADN between 2015 and 2019.

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