Open & Shut: Cannabis retailer opens shop No. 2, plus restaurant closures

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, with "Open & Shut" in the subject line.

OPEN

Great Northern Cannabis: The second location of this cannabis retailer recently opened in South Anchorage.

Great Northern Cannabis opened its store at 1901 W. Dimond Blvd. on Oct. 31. Its other location, downtown at 541 W. Fourth Ave., opened in August of 2017.

Anita Bradbury, the store manager for the Dimond location, said the business has long planned on expanding.

"There's no cannabis store over quite in that area," she said. "You have those surrounding on the outskirts but we were able to get a really great location."

The new 2,200-square-foot store also marks the first Anchorage marijuana business to have two retail locations operating under the same storefront name in the city.

"I think you'll see more and more retailers opening up because there's an explosive amount of product that will be on the market soon," Bradbury said. "And that's not a bad thing."

SubZero Bistro and Microlounge: A bar in downtown Anchorage has returned to its former identity.

SubZero, at 612 F St., had shut its doors abruptly in May of 2016 and later a bar called Bootleggers 8 Star Saloon filled that space. SubZero reopened "probably a little over a month ago," said Dylan Buchholdt, a shareholder in the corporation that owns the business.

"I think it (SubZero) had a lot of fan base," he said. "I think Bootleggers had its fan base too, but I think they were hearing from a lot of the old SubZero clients."

Clay Art Space: This space, where customers can throw pottery, paint pottery and buy pottery supplies, opened in early September at 5861 Arctic Blvd.

Owner Jenny Ditto has long had a business called Midnight Potter Studios in warehouse spaces at the same location. She decided to open Clay Art Space — which is in a spot more visible from Arctic Boulevard — to get more customers in the door. It was hard for people to find her on the back side of the building, she said.

"Where I was was too static and not doing anything for me," she said. "So it was either move forward or cut it out and go home."

Now, she's hired on new staff and also has an art gallery area.

"I'm trying to develop a community space for people," Ditto said.

SHUT

Aladdin's: The Mediterranean restaurant that's been open for more than two decades at 4240 Old Seward Highway will have its last day of operations on Dec. 15.

In a Facebook post, the owners said they have been contemplating retirement for some time now, and thanked their customers.

"My wife and I felt that it is time to retire," Aladdin's owner Rabah Chettfour said. "I've been doing it for over 40 years here and in this restaurant alone for 25 years."

The post also said a new fine dining bistro called Altura will be opening in the Aladdin's space early next year.

You can read the whole Facebook post below.

Doriola's: This restaurant at 510 W. Tudor Road has "permanently closed," according to a sign posted on its door.

"Thank you for your loyalty these past 13 years — we have truly enjoyed feeding and serving you all," the sign reads. The closure was effective as of Sept. 21, it says. There were "for lease" signs in the windows Friday.

The restaurant, located in a strip mall, was a longtime lunch spot. Last year, it started serving dinner.