At a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, the Kenai Chamber of Commerce recognized the peninsula’s newest small business. Located just behind Arby’s in the heart of Kenai is Madly Krafty, a one-stop gift shop specializing in hand-crafted goods.
Custom-made coffee cups, ornaments, woodworking and t-shirts are just some of what the new store has to offer. Melissa Kompkoff co-owns the business with her husband.
“I am all about customizing what you want, don’t come in and just grab some generic ornament," she said. "You want your name on it? We’ll put your name on it. You want your dog on it? We’ll put your dog on it. I want people to be satisfied with what they spend their money on.”
The creative couple has been serving the peninsula for more than a decade, selling at local craft bazaars and on Facebook while operating out of their home. Although both tied to other jobs, they began to talk about opening a storefront about three years ago after purchasing a woodworking laser.
“The employment field isn’t very fun a lot of times, it’s something you’ve got to do from a certain age until you’re done," Kompkoff said. "There’s no sense in being miserable. I think one thing I want people to take away from it is that we had nothing, and now we have a store, and they can all do it too.”
The couple began crafting as a hobby after participating in a card-making class in Seward. With the help of other local art vendors, they’ve perfected their craft, both on the creative and business side of things.
Madly Krafty also dedicates a section of the store to selling the work of other local artists. Creatives can sell their work at the shop for up to 30 days, free of charge.
“There are tons of people that have so much talent and are making products for people to have," Kompkoff said. "If one good thing came out of Covid it was people learning that they had talent, and they’re sharing it, but where can they share it?”
Kompkoff says the space can provide an alternative to artists who can’t afford craft fair vendor fees or are just dipping their toes into the market. Given the store’s location, she says it’s walkable from many other popular spots in the city.
“Kenai needs more foot traffic, it needs more friendly stores, more small people stores, and independence," Kompkoff said. "That’s what we want to do for Kenai, is just be here.”
“I’d like to see more people at least exploring the town," said Keddie Johnson, Kompkoff’s husband and Madly Krafty co-owner. "Also, shopping local, keep the money here where we are, versus going online and buying something when you can get it right here in town.”
Kenai city mayor Brian Gabriel attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and was enthusiastic about the city’s new addition.
“My wife is a crafty person, I’m not so much, but let me tell you, they have some pretty cool stuff in there,” he said.
The owners of Madly Krafty say it’s their mission is to make handcrafted items the way the customer desires. Johnson says he wants to run a store that his son and grandson can one day take over.
“That person you have a hard time buying for, you can come here and we’ll figure something out," Johnson said. "That’s the goal.”
Madly Krafty is open 10:30 am to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
