Getting ‘In The Loop’ for Girdwood’s First Friday Art Walk

By Chase Berenson

TNews Contributor

On the first Friday of every month, six businesses on Girdwood’s Olympic Mountain Loop welcome the new month by opening their doors from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday evening for an art walk titled Girdwood’s First Friday in the Loop. 

Typical participants are Alpenglow Coffee House, Girdwood Center for the Visual Arts (GCVA), Jack Sprat, La Bodega, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, and Powder House Ski and Bike Shop.  The businesses are going to try to maintain these events on first Fridays through the summer, and we checked out the event on Friday, April 5, to see what the experience is like.

Friends gather at Alpenglow Coffee House to celebrate First Friday, including (from left to right) Chase Berenson, Jason Darvishzadeh, Helen Opper, and Charla Hughes. (Photo credits: Chase Berenson)

There is no wrong way to approach the Loop on a first Friday, but we planned on starting at GCVA since it is arguably the most arts-focused of the participants and it’s conveniently located on the top of the Olympic Mountain Loop.  We were surprised to see that GCVA was closed and wasn’t participating in this month’s event, and that feeling was shared by many people we ran into throughout the evening.

We moved on from GCVA to La Bodega, Girdwood’s premier libations shop.  La Bodega was packed with people who were there to check out Pepper’s Palate, the guest vendor for the evening.  Pepper’s Palate is an Anchorage-based gluten-free bakery operated by Raelynn Smith, and Raelynn’s reputation had preceded her by people raving about her pretzels before we arrived at the store.  She told us that this was her first time participating in First Friday, though she had sold in other Girdwood venues before and she was happy to be back.  She had customers lining up right when the event started at 5 p.m., and was doing a brisk business all evening long.  We jumped in line to grab some pretzels with homemade mustard, and they were delicious.  We also chatted with Pamela Hatzis, La Bodega’s owner, who told us that while Fridays and Saturdays are typically the shop’s busiest evenings, first Fridays not only have more people but they bring “a really different energy, which is very social and very local.”  She continued, “It’s also nice for tourists to see these local events, because tourists don’t want to just see tourists.”

A lull in the crowds at Alpenglow Coffee House after the live music but before the comedy show. (Photo credits: Chase Berenson)

We moved from La Bodega down the hill to Alpenglow Coffee House, which was hosting a fun evening.  Alpenglow started the evening with live music from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. followed by a comedy show starting at 7 p.m., and the event was also the debut for Cindy Shake’s art to be displayed in the coffeehouse for the next month.  The coffee shop was crowded with people enjoying the evening, and Alpenglow’s owner Justin Shoffner told us the evening was bringing in people with a great energy.  He said he enjoys first Fridays because, “We draw the community in.  It’s family-oriented, and you get to see all your friends.”  The social atmosphere of the evening was palpable as friends gathered and people met each other for the first time.  We could have happily spent the rest of the evening at Alpenglow, but we wanted to experience the rest of the participants before the event ended.

Our stop at Powder Hound was brief because they were also closed for the evening and apparently not participating.

Girdwood’s La Bodega store location. (Photo credits: Chase Berenson)

 We moved to Jack Sprat to put our name on the waiting list for dinner, and we used our waiting time to pop into Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard.  Mother Hubbard’s had a visiting jewelry vendor selling locally handmade jewelry, in addition to the store’s normal stock.  Sam Hondel, staff at Mother Hubbard’s, said that she enjoys First Fridays because it brings in a range of people and, “everyone is in a good mood.”  As the store’s visitors come through the evening, “we see familiar faces” and support unique artists from throughout Alaska.

Cindy Shake’s painting HyBEARnation, one of her pieces of art on display at Alpenglow Coffee House for the month of April. (Photo credit: Helen Opper)

Our final stop for the evening was dinner at Jack Sprat, who was offering a special banana custard dessert for the evening, including ice cream, streusel, and more bananas which was described as “art on the plate.”  The restaurant had a slow start to the evening, but as people were getting ready for dinner the waiting times grew as to be expected for a Friday at the popular eatery.

The evening was a fun time of bringing community together and running into friendly faces around town.  In addition to the recurring theme of community from the business participants, we spoke to Girdwood local Kevin Murphy who said he enjoys the art of the evening, “but the best part is getting to see neighbors and the community.”  Barbara Lydon, another Girdwood resident and local artist, emphasized that, “there are so many artists in Girdwood and it’s great for local businesses to support our local artists.”

Clear your calendar for Friday, May 3, to participate in next month’s First Friday in the Loop to check out local businesses, discover local art, and see your friends and neighbors enjoying the evening!

Cindy Shake’s painting Within the Garden, one of her pieces of art on display at Alpenglow Coffee House for the month of April. (Photo credit: Helen Opper)