Polar Bear Gifts is probably the largest gift store and souvenir shop in Anchorage, Alaska. They say so loudly and proudly. I do admit that they have a lot of stuff that says Alaska on it. Stuff tourists love.
Not sure why I checked into this business on yelp. Maybe I was bored and need to file a review here on Yelp after making my purchase. Who knows? Since I was here in Anchorage, Alaska, I figured I would look around the largest gift store in Alaska and buy some souvenirs for the co-workers back home. They were not lying when they said they had the largest assortment of tourist related items. Everything that is related to the state of Alaska to moose, bear, and everything in between - they mostly have it here. They even sell smoked salmon here by the box and it's basically real fish you find in a supermarket that's sealed up for freshness. To y'all who buy smoked salmon here in Alaska, you would want to take it out of your luggage and declare it to TSA, since the smoked salmon contains liquid in the pouch. I got flagged for it and needed extra screening because of it. With that said, Polar Bear Gifts reminds me of a miniature Walmart that sells definitive Alaska trinkets and souvenirs for anyone and everyone who wants a memento for their trip to Alaska. I eventually looked around the store and bought a couple of magnets that have bears on them and a couple of boxes of smoked salmon. The prices here are relatively inexpensive, depending on what you buy and many of the t-shirts sport goofy designs.
The overall experience here at the Polar Bear Gift mega souvenir store here in Anchorage Alaska was decidedly good, casual, friendly, and average all at the same time. I must have spent a good hour trying to decide on what to buy and ended up with a few things before heading out for more fun. They accept major credit cards, which is always a good thing for those of us who are here from out of town. I found myself here at this location, but there was another Polar Bear Gifts location nearby. I guess that downtown Anchorage is the hotbed for tourist souvenirs. The store that I have visited is located at 600 W 4th Avenue in the heart of downtown Anchorage. For the most part though, I wasn't sure that there is parking in the downtown area, since I walked it here from my hotel on 13th Avenue. I bet that there is Uber / lyft that operates around here, as well as the local public transportation too. I would say that this is your typical souvenir stores that can mimic Waikiki and Las Vegas. While Anchorage isn't as flashy as other cities, it makes up for it by selling its natural beauty and the fact that they have bears and moose's that wander anywhere they want!
The service here was staffed by high school / college kids and it was good. Friendly bunch of people. I asked one of them to see if the canned smoked salmon was allowed through TSA. They claim that they don't really know. I don't blame them though. If nothing else, it is a good place to kill time and look through what people like to buy for Alaskan souvenirs. The store itself seemed like an endless maze of product until you reach the back of the store. The main stuff like magnets and keychains usually are in the front of the store. The t-shirts gravitate towards the back end of the store. They sell inexpensive jewelry too, if I am not mistaken. For my experience here at the Polar Bear Gift mega store in Anchorage AK, I was pleased with my purchase and hope to come again soon. While magnets and keychains are usually my jam, I'll look forward to buying souvenir t-shirts in the near future on another trip to Anchorage, Alaska. While there's not much options to shop for souvenirs in Alaska - in general, you'd figure that the main cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks would have something like Polar Bear Gifts. I'm glad I have found it here versus trying to look for it in Fairbanks too. While it can be tacky, it does have a great assortment of Alaskan souvenirs you can buy for yourself and loved ones back home. I'd recommend coming here on your next trip to Alaska. Bring home a momento and you'll be smiling.
4.0 stars for the overall experience. 3.0 stars for the service and the ambiance was nice and casual. Very quiet like a library in some ways. The store is clean and organized really well.
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