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Fashion-seekers flock to Arctic Closet

"People want to come in with $10 and go home
with something"

SARA MINOGUE

Abby Aiyout holds up a hand-stitched amautik in the Arctic Closet.
(PHOTO BY SARA MINOGUE)

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CAMBRIDGE BAY - "You've got new stuff," says Abby Aiyout, walking into the tidy little shop packed with arts, crafts, souvenirs and gifts.

At noon on a Friday, the Arctic Closet is technically closed, but owner Vicki Aitoak is here, and so she welcomes a repeat customer.

Abby isn't ready to buy, but she's going away tomorrow. Vicki agrees to open the shop up this evening at 6 p.m.

Cambridge Bay's newest retail venture opened last Dec. 3, when Aitoak converted the dome-shaped Quonset Chalet, a tiny bed and breakfast she ran for six years.

Out went the muskox rug and the maps and northern books geared at southern tourists. Aitoak painted the curved walls light pink, with blue trim, and got help making shelving.

Next she started buying local arts and crafts to fill the shelves. In January, she traveled to the International Gift Show in Toronto, where she made contacts among crafts-makers all over Canada.

Now, her shelves are filled with items, from chain-link bracelets and studded belts for teens to clocks with Jesus on them. There are souvenirs for tourists, and things for local people.

Prices are more than reasonable. A colorful hand-knit children's sweater costs $50, and a slightly thinner one just $15. An Ulu, made by Luke Kudlak, is $60. A pair of wolf-fur mitts hanging near the door cost $250, while a ceramic pot costs $5.

"I have low end, I have high end," Aitoak says. "People want to come in with $10 and go home with something, and they do."

For now the shop is open only on Tuesday evenings, Saturday afternoons, and one lunch hour. Aitoak has plans to expand the hours, but her husband works full time and so does she, as the manager of the Cambridge Bay Housing Association two blocks away.

But business is growing. Monthly sales tripled during the first three months, and Aitoak says she gets about 30 to 40 customers every time she opens. She advertises regularly on the local radio station and with flyers she delivers to mailboxes and the local hotel.

The store is also boosting the local arts and crafts industry. Aitoak estimates she has about $5,000 worth of handmade clothing in her shop.

Arctic Closet aims to fill a gap in the local market. To do that, Aitoak caters to local tastes. Orange County Choppers wallets, CD cases and wrist bands are a huge hit.

"I didn't even advertise, and the first day I opened it was gone," Aitoak says. "I can't keep up with the demand."

Now that she knows what people want, she has 20 OCC doo-rags on the way. She also has several black studded belts on order, which she also sold out of during a recent soccer tournament. Coming next are Fox racing products, something Aitoak said she'd never even heard of until she opened the shop.

A lot of people in Cambridge Bay travel - and do their shopping elsewhere - but local support has been strong. While teenagers love the novelties, elders like having a place where local crafts are on display.

Inside the door, Aitoak keeps a small stool where elders can come in and sit down. It's right next to the free box, filled with used clothing or other items Aitoak wouldn't charge money for, so they can rummage while they rest, before perusing the rest of the store.

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