Staking retail claims in Juneau; increasing business activity and building consumer confidence are attracting new retail business to Juneau.

• Author: Miller, Dirk
• Position: Juneau, Alaska

Bill Doss is keeping a promise he made to Juneau residents two and a half years ago when J.C. Penney Co. first opened a catalog store in the Capital City. Back then, Doss, who manages J.C. Penney's Anchorage store, said the company would be back with a retail store if there was enough support. In November, the giant retailing firm announced it would open a 38,000-square-foot store in a local shopping center.

J.C. Penney is the latest of several national chain stores to try the Juneau market. The past decade has seen the entry of Fred Meyer, Lamonts Apparel and Pay-n-save. Franchise restaurants, such as Mcdonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell and Domino's Pizza, also have gained a foothold here.

It's not surprising. Juneau's business climate is strong, stable and healthy, according to recent statistics from the Juneau Economic Development Council. The Capital City is recovering well from the economic downturn of the mid-1980s.

A "bellwether" selection of 39 businesses reported that sales in 1990 generally were up, according to the council's Economic Benchmark Report. Other findings included a rise in wages and increasing optimism among households about the local economy.

An even better sign for business was more spending locally by Juneau households. The analysis found 82 percent of those polled estimated they did a majority of their spending locally. That's up from 73 percent last year.

The study was conducted by the McDowell Group and Lloyd Robinson and Associates Inc. This is the fourth such survey of the Juneau area by the council. Callers reached 260 randomly selected households for questions during the months of May and June.

Most Juneau households said they were doing as well or better than a year ago. Unemployment went down and fewer main wage earners lost jobs in 1990, according to the poll.

People feel pretty comfortable," says Patrick Anderson, director of the University of Alaska Southeast's Alaska Economic Development Center. State spending levels have picked up, he notes.

Also, mining activity has boosted area employment and spending by mining firms. One new mine, the Greens Creek gold and silver mine on Admiralty Island, opened up, and others are being explored. Tourism is another important Juneau industry making gains.

Such positive economic indicators entice retailers. Anderson says, "Juneau has a high per capita income. There's a lot of disposable income. My guess is (companies) want to take advantage of that. There's little...