Al's Alaskan Inn

About me:

Al's has been around since 1961. Following the ’64 earthquake, Al Sr. took advantage of government financing to expand his motel by adding a bar and barbershop. The Candle Inn Motel and Cocktail Lounge was born. Al Sr. married Clara in 1965 and she brought great marketing and promotional abilities to his natural entrepreneurial and diplomatic skills. This, combined with hard work and 20 hour days, brought great success to their venture. By 1972, Al Sr. was ready to expand, and built Al’s Alaskan Inn next to his motel. At the time, it was the largest nightclub in Anchorage, featuring live show bands from the lower ‘48. Three years later, Al Sr. sold the building, and rechristened the Candle Inn as Al’s Alaskan Inn. Al Sr. has a legacy of charity in the community. Many old sourdoughs that have since struck it rich fondly remember getting a free sandwich, piece of pie or chili at Al’s Alaska Inn long before it was common to provide free snacks in drinking establishments. Many also remember having to check their weapons with Al before renting one of his rooms! Al Jr. was born in 1966; one of eight children, all of whom inherited their father’s entrepreneurial spirit. Al grew up in Al’s Alaskan Inn, working side by side with his parents from the time he could walk. He graduated from Dimond High in 1984, and just two years later, while attending ACC and mentoring at a local financial planning firm, had passed his Real Estate Broker’s Exam and opened his own real estate firm! In 1990, Al quit the real estate business and opened Anchorage’s first indoor shooting range, called The Firing Line. Shortly after, Al’s mother was stricken with breast cancer, and Al returned to Al’s Alaskan Inn full-time to help out his parents. Al’s mother died the following year, and he stayed on to run the business with his father. Naturally, it was time to get out the hammers again, and they began remodeling, adding karaoke, live country and hard rock bands. It became a showcase for local bands, providing them with a much needed place to perform for their friends and to practice. They also sponsored dart, pool and shuffleboard teams. In 1999 Al Sr. ‘retired’ and Al Jr. bought Al’s Alaskan Inn from his father. Although he’d been raised on the motto "our customers are our family", Al Jr. made the difficult decision to leave the comfort zone of customers he had inherited from his father, and pursue a younger, trendier crowd and tourists. And out came the hammers, this time following Al Jr.’s vision of a larger, high-tech environment filled with "eye candy" and top of the line sound systems. When asked what his father thought of these plans, Al Jr. seemed surprised by the question. "My father approved totally. I would never do anything without his support and approval. That’s just common respect." By 2002, Al’s Alaskan Inn had already reached capacity, and the remodeling began again! Today the establishment has 5 theme bars and 24 hotel rooms. The main floor features a large horseshoe bar, a cozy bar, a karaoke club boasting 36,000 songs, and pocket spaces for playing darts or pool and watching sports. The upstairs features a Hollywood bar filled with memorabilia. Al Jr. claims this is a great place to bring a first date, as there is always something to look at and talk about. There is also an Area 51 bar and dance club with an alien theme and a Plexiglas dance floor overlooking the main floor. Area 51 features hip-hop, R&B, techno and top 40s. To the east of Area 51 is the Voodoo Lounge filled with New Orleans paintings, life-sized voodoo dolls, feathered masks, beads and lavish multi-colored leather couches and chairs with decorative low-lighting throughout. The Sugar Shack is an offshoot of the Voodoo Lounge. It's an extremely comfortable and intimate place to relax with a lower sound level while still being part of the club. And there’s an exterior patio area. Al’s Alaskan Inn is easily packed with 400-500 people on a weekend night. During the weekday, Al can close off the upstairs and serve a steady and regular clientele. In the old days, Al and his father were the only staff. He claims his father was such a diplomat, they never needed a bouncer. Today Al brags that he has 30 of the most loyal, honest, hard-working and best trained staff in Alaska. "They’re family," he says with pride.