A successful trio: three unique businesses thrive and provide tourism opportunities at a small complex in Anchorage.

• Author: Pielli, Brooke

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In addition to a sound business plan, adequate capital and hard work, innovative ideas can make the difference between good and great. Three Anchorage businesses, the recipients of such ideas, are reinventing themselves and thriving.

Alaska Wild Berry Products, Sourdough Mining Co. and the Peanut Farm Sports Bar and Grill are located in a small complex along International Airport Road in Anchorage. All three are Alaska-owned companies that have prospered and expanded over the past few years due to some astute changes made by the business owners, and some welcomed changes made in Anchorage.

Over the past 20 years, Anchorage, home base for these three businesses, has seen a number of improvements to the city that have made life there more attractive. These include a new library, civic center, sports arena and performing arts center. The subsequent increase in recreational activities has resulted in an increase in tourism and visitors, all of whom are potential customers of the three businesses. And the customers have found those businesses.

"You can get to us from downtown in seven minutes by car," said Peter Eden, owner of Alaska Wild Berry Products Inc. "With traffic," he added, "it may take 10 minutes."

ALASKA WILD BERRY PRODUCTS

According to Eden, Alaska Wild Berry Products was founded in the 1950s by a husband and wife team. Eden is the third owner of Wild Berry, having purchased it in 1975.

"The business was up for sale," explained Eden. "It was mail order, unique and different. We believed that a lot could be done with it, growing it, and its mail order and retail sales."

In 1975, Wild Berry was a small, retail shop with a catalog that advertised homemade jams, jellies and some syrup. There were gift packs, too.

"We added three partners. It was a rough start," added Eden. "We didn't know what we were doing and there were internal problems with the partnership. We got rid of the partners, one by one."

Changes also were made to the catalog. It was expanded to include cheeses, was more diverse, with additional gift packs and some meats. The chocolates came about in the 1980s.

"We imported raw chocolate for Wild Berry Coated Chocolate. The berries included salmon berries from Kodiak," said Eden. "In 1994, we moved to Anchorage and into the 5th Avenue Mall downtown, as well as the International Airport Road site."

With the move to the International Airport Road site came the larger kitchen in the '90s, the development...