Survival in Alaska: mom and pops doing just fine, thank you.

• Author: Stomierowski, Peg
• Position: SMALL BIZ

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Besides nerve and verve, what a mom-and-pop enterprise needs I to survive in harrowing economic times is hands-on care--at least that was a major common denominator in surveying a handful of privately owned operations in Anchorage and Homer two bookstores, a florist, a bakery and a pet boutique.

With more big retailers, box stores and franchises discovering Alaska's attractions, local entrepreneurs tend to survive by personal attention and the seat of their pants. While this might not be enough to save every deserving mom and pop, it's sure to make any sudden demise generate a collective community wince.

GONE TO THE DOGS

"If I had a shower here, I'd be set," Melissa Robokoff said of her store hours during the first year-and-a-half she and husband Mark have co-owned Paw Prince, a mid- to high-end pet boutique in Anchorage.

She's tried to be all things to customers. "It's almost become a mini-family over here," she said.

In a field marked with big-name retail chains and regional competitors--some Alaskan and some not--it was scary to leave behind the relative security of a military, then corporate career, with benefits. "There were definitely tears." Melissa vividly recalls, feeling she'd made a huge mistake.

The couple used their savings and took out a second mortgage on their house, even while Mark continued on weekdays in his advertising job. "We're still learning the whole-year cycle now," she says, and "Valentine's is not a big pet event."

Customers didn't seem to fulfill holiday predictions by cutting back spending, she says. By featuring on more practical treats and toys over frilly bandanas or fancy collars, they did a little better on sales last Christmas than the year before.

Passion led this enterprising couple, at mid-career, to start Paw Prince in the City Center Mall on Old Seward Highway after pedaling cat trees and dog treats they'd created at neighborhood markets, then experimenting with wholesaling pet merchandise. "We don't have skin kids--we just have fur kids," she explained. They've networked, attended trade shows and read pet industry magazines and have had a kiosk at the Fifth Avenue Mall.

What really makes a difference, she believes, is good customer service--that a first-time visitor gets enthusiastic help with brands and sizes, maybe learns something new, and regards them as experienced and knowledgeable about pet health and behavior, from allergies to separation anxiety. "One lady called me her pet's therapist."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

And while business savvy helps, you need to be concerned about something...