Junior Towne Blog

Why does the most beautiful day of the summer always land on the first day of school?

For those unfamiliar with fireweed, it is the unofficial state flower. Just about everywhere you go in Alaska, you will see some form of fireweed. When the flowers “top out” or reach the end, legend has it that winter is six weeks away. The flowers have almost topped out here (sorry about that!) Please note that Junior Towne is located at 1017 West FIREWEED Lane. Our Sorels, Obermeyer, Columbia, Patagonia for fall are all in. Jupa is on its way!

We just received these pigtail headbands in from Bebedoos. It doesn’t get cuter than this!

We would be remiss if we did not comment on the passing of Alaska’s Senator Ted Stevens. He was truly a singular individual and we have many fond memories of his family. My Mother who started Junior Towne was a friend of Ann Stevens, Senator Stevens first wife who was killed in a plane crash at our Anchorage airport many years ago. Members of the Stevens family have been good customers through the years.

One of my personal recollections of the Senator was of sitting next to him at a luncheon. He had the common touch (but don’t ignite the temper!), conversed with me readily and put me at my ease. The subject of the conversation through the course of the meal I don’t remember but I do remember the warmth and amiability of a true Alaskan pioneer.

We have lost a great man who dedicated his life to Alaska.

That’s right, just in time for Back to School-all our shoes (Stride Rite, Saucony, Lelli Kelli, Patagonia, See Kai Run) are 20% off this Saturday (August 14)! If you mention this blog, we’ll even take 20% off on Friday, August 13th! See you soon!

A family emergency took me to Springfield, Missouri for the past two weeks. Our 50 and 60 degree weather is so nice compared to the 102 temperatures with 75% humidity we were enduring there. We have friends from Phoenix who got off the airplane in Anchorage and said “Free Air Conditioning!” But I guess that it is all in what you get used to.

The fireweed are blooming, the salmon are running and the feeling is that fall is just around the corner. We just put out our snowsuits (!) and immediately sold six of them the first day. Our back to school selection includes some new brands such as Hurley and Me, Me. It’s hard to think about but school starts the middle of next month.

Me, I’m just glad to be back.

We celebrate the birthday of our Country this weekend. Please remember all those who sacrificed so much to give us our many freedoms.

We will be open Saturday, July 3 until 5 PM and will reopen Tuesday, July 6 at 10 AM. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

More and more people are concerned about our huge landfills and impact on our environment. A recent article we read gave us the following statistics for the USA:
-9.5 million is the number of children under two years in diapers
-7.5% wear cloth diapers
-92.5% wear disposable diapers
-the average child uses 6,000 diapers in two years.

Wow! Think of the difference to the environment and the cost savings if even a small percentage of children were switched to cloth diapers! We know that disposable diapers are a little more work, but also think of the the cost savings.

We have noticed a real uptick in the number of cloth diapers that we sell. We carry the traditional Gerber diapers (both prefold and flat fold) as well as organic diapers by Under the Nile and the all-in-one diapers by Kushie. There are lots of alternative these days. Please consider the the eco-friendliness and thriftiness of using cloth diapers at least part of the time.

The Juvenile Product Safety Commission (JPMA) today announced the following: “In a coordinated effort to allay fears about drop side cribs, seven manufacturers issued a voluntary crib announcement in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC.) As part of this effort, the CPSC has acknowledged that issues with drop sides can occur due to misassembly or age-related wear and tear and are advising consumers to get new cribs if their cribs are older than 10 years of age.” Most manufacturers are offering a device to immobilize the drop sides of cribs. Please note that this is a voluntary action on behalf of a group of crib manufactures to provide immobilization hardware or other solutions to consumers who are concerned about drop sides on cribs. The JPMA release further says, “Parents can be confident that properly assembled fully functional cribs that are not part of a recall, and are in good condition are safe for use and provide the safest sleep environment for children. This recall highlights the importance of periodically checking the hardware on your crib for any loose or broken parts and to make sure all fasteners and screws are tight…Manufacturers offer replacement instructions and manufacturer authorized parts for their cribs. Makeshift hardware should never be used.” For additional information visit www.cribsafety.org.