At the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik last weekend, vendor tents lined the festival grounds as musicians played their instruments and crowds danced to the music. The annual music festival, known as Salmonfest, advocates for the protection of healthy salmon populations through music and education.
It also serves as a prime opportunity for Alaska-based artisans to sell their goods and bring their brand to the masses.
As attendees bounced from stage to stage, many stopped to peruse clothing, jewelry, ceramics and more from vendors. For many of these small businesses, customers at Salmonfest are crucial to their bottom line.
“I grew up in Ninilchik, and I’ve always wanted to be an artist but I never thought it was a realistic goal,” said Amy Kruse, owner of Love From Alaska. Her shop sells flamboyant, Alaska-themed clothing based on paintings she’s created.
“Salmonfest has given me an opportunity to really realize that I can be super successful, even in my tiny little home town that I didn’t really think I could be an artist in,” she said.
Kruse has sold her work at Salmonfest for years, and says she sells to people from all over. Her clothing is flashy and catches the eye. When customers wear it at Salmonfest, others take notice, and it leads them to her shop.
“It really gives me a large opportunity to get a large amount of my artwork into the world," Kruse said. "It’s almost viral in how it spreads, and Salmonfest is definitely a huge part of that.”
A stone’s throw away from of one of the venue’s four stages is another local art vendor, Beyond Ocean. They’re based in Homer and sell wild salmon skin jewelry, like rings and necklaces. Morgan Edminster runs the business.
“We sell salmon skin jewelry, so this is the best event in the world for us," Edminster said. "It feels pretty crucial to our business at this point, it’s definitely our biggest festival of the year.”
Like Kruse, Edminster’s business attracts a wide range of customers. She estimates a third of Beyond Ocean’s yearly profits come just from Salmonfest.
“The pride Alaskans have in salmon, it’s certainly the place for us to be,” she said.
The festival is a prime spot for local artisans to sell their work. For some, it's also the source of inspiration
Jamie Janko is a multimedia artist who creates psychedelic, Alaska-themed wall hangings and prints. Janko says her first Salmonfest several years ago reversed a spell of artistic burnout.
“What I like the most about being a vendor at Salmonfest is not only the really high vibes that come with the event, but the coordinators of the event are really on top of their game when it comes to a really smooth outcome to create a really dynamic weekend for everybody," Janko said. "I’ve always been inspired by the organization and by the effort by everyone at Salmonfest. It’s inspiring to want to put a lot of effort in myself.”
Between musical acts near the festival’s main stage, Brian Odermatt carves jellyfish, sea stars and other low tide creatures into a seven foot tall spruce log with a chisel and hammer. He’s the owner of Homer-based BPO Woodcarcing, which is no stranger to carving wood live. He wasn't selling any of his pieces at Salmonfest, but said the opportunity is still good for business because it puts his name out there.
“I’m hoping to get in front of the right eyes," Odermatt said. "I’d certainly love to beautify some public places, and I’m very versatile and skilled. I just need the right people to know that, so I suspect this will probably be promising, and at the very least, lovely to share my passion with the greater public.”
This year, Salmonfest saw over 8,000 attendees and hosted over 100 vendors.
