Readers of the ADN must think every woman from Ketchikan to Nome is suffering a case of the vapors with the closing of Nordstrom. This isn’t so. Oh, the tears over professional clothes. For some of us, professional clothing is a sweet pair of Gore-Tex chest waders with booties. We love us some Carhartts and Xtra-Tufs. We have gloves, lots of them. Gloves for biking, lifting weights in the gym, hiking, kayaking, skiing, staying warm and dry down to 10 degrees, and colder than that we wear mittens. This is how we accessorize.
In my 30 years in Anchorage, I never bought anything from Nordstrom. They just never had anything I needed. If I had gone in there asking for a set of Pogies, they would have sent me to the kitchen gadgets. All those different perfumes I caught wind of when walking thought that place about turned my stomach. At our best, the Alaska women I hang with in the morning smell of bacon, oatmeal and brown sugar, coffee and campfire. In the evening, it’s corn on the cob with salmon baking, campfire and a hint of an Alaskan IPA.
For those that must wear those dresses, heels and makeup, you have my sympathy. Those heels are messing with your ankles, knees and back; dump them! For clothing, try for those small shops that do exist, owned and operated by local women. There is the wonderful internet if you have to. “You can’t try it on!” No you can’t, but you can send it back. Or take it to a tailor/ alterations shop, also owned by local women. I’m sure they would love your business and make you feel like the most important person they’ve seen all day.
— Angela Ramirez
Anchorage
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