Life Without National Chain Stores

We lived in Anchorage before moving full time to Homer. Anchorage is far larger with numerous chain stores that many folks would think of as necessary for daily life. Some larger chains in Anchorage are Costco, Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Fred Meyer, Safeway, and REI.

So do we miss any of these places? Not just no, but hell no! Homer believes in buying local which is one of the reasons we found this town so attractive. The farms on the outskirts of town supply the Farmers Market, restaurants, and our favorite local grocery, Save-U-More.

Save-U-More is an eclectic grocery that carries a wide variety of local vegetables, meats, and fish. They have a selection of Trader Joe’s goods as well. Their real draw is their high quality items even outside of the local fresh products. This great store has set a high standard that we never encountered even in the lower U.S.

Our favorite fish processor is Homer Fish Processing that is down near the Spit. You can bring in your own catch for processing or pick from their supply of local Salmon, Halibut, Scallops, King Crab and Ling Cod. Either way you can’t go wrong.

Meat lovers can get their fill of locally sourced animals from McNeil Canyon Meats. Hunters can get their kills processed here as well.

Spenard Builders, Ulmers Hardware, and the Kachemak Gear Shed finish off the list. Ulmers in particular is another hardware rendition of Save-U-More. Great variety and quality items are the mainstay of this store.

Here’s some pics from our daily jaunts down on the Spit.

Be well & green dreams!