Stocking Up on Staff
TO U RI SM
Finding employees to sell the Alaska experience By Isaac Stone Simonelli
Lena Lee
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32 | J u l y 2 0 2 2
Alaska Business
ast year was a record sales year for Forests, Tides & Treasures, a general store in Seward. With strong sales continuing through the off -season, co-owners Cliff Krug and Linda Chichester project a double-digit increase in sales in 2022. “We survived the pandemic despite the big cut in hours because we were able to maintain an elastic business model and adapt to the challenges before us,” Krug says. “We continuously adapted our merchandise selection to reflect what the visitors who came to Seward wanted.” That merchandise ranges from underwear and sleeping bags to jams, soaps, candles, jewelry, and art prints. Krug and Chichester say they were surprised at how well the business managed to do despite cutting back on the number of hours they were open. “Locals and our guests adapted to our hours seamlessly, and we were still able to be profitable in the end,” Chichester says. Krug adds, “We were also able to overcome many of the logistical challenges in our industry by bringing in merchandise as soon as we could… For the 2022 season, we started taking w w w .a k b iz m a g .c o m
