Ketchikan Dry Goods

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007
KETCHIKAN DAILY NEWS
"Newlyweds open gift shop with character in mind"
by Andrew Damstedt

A newly married couple recently opened a gift shop on Stedman Street, hoping to add a lively spot for downtown shopping.

"We wanted to open a place that we would enjoy shopping, add some character and a little flavor, and keep it open year round, " said Chris Ruecker, co-owner of the store.

He and his wife, Janine Gibbons, were married earlier this year, and since have worked during the summer readying their new shop, Ketchikan Dry Goods.

The store opened Sept. 5 and Gibbons hopes to attract more locals to shop in the Stedman Street area.

While Gibbons has had some experience in supervising a gift shop, this is her first time operating her own store. Also, she has her own line of jewelry called J. Jewelry Designs.

"I make jewelry and I also needed a place for a workshop and it morphed into a gift shop," Gibbons said of how the shop came about.

The couple picked the Stedman Street location because it was close to their friends who operate the New York Cafe.

"It's a beautiful view. The size was right," Ruecker said. "A little jewel that hadn't been fully utilized."

The store sells jewelry, gift cards, magnets, photo albums, candles, lotions, jewelry boxes, etc. Gibbons said she constantly updates the inventory with new items.

"Everything in here I love," Gibbons said. "That's why I have chosen the things I have in my first shop. It's an expression of myself and it will continue to grow."

Unique to the store are the vintage coat hooks, frames and other woodworking items. Ruecker said he installed the store's hardwood floors from wood cut in Thorne Bay and milled at Tongass Forest Products.

Gibbons said they enjoy traveling, and look at the architecture and design of different shops, which helped inspire some of the look inside their store.

"I enjoy talking to locals, getting to know people and to chitchat," Gibbons said. "That's the beauty of being a shopkeeper; you get to talk to everyone and find out what's going on in town."

The store also has an assortment of baby goods. Gibbons, who is pregnant, said most of those items are organic, as well as the other bath products. She said the items are geared toward expectant mothers.

"I think my wife is beautiful and I am excited for our new baby," Ruecker said.