In Salcha you’ll find a sweet little shop that is a local favorite with children and adults alike. For those with a sweet tooth, their ice-cream is renowned far and wide as the creamiest, sweetest and most delicious. Once you’re there for the ice-cream, there is so much to see. The work of Alaskan artists can be seen all through the shop from gift items for sale to the sculpture garden of knotty animal to the carved antlers, this shop is totally unique. Check out the Knotty Shop, a one of a kind roadside shop in Alaska.
The Knotty Shop is a combination ice cream shop and gift store that features Alaskan trees with knots (or burls) in them and sinful sweets that make you feel naughty.
Burls in wood are caused by stress to the tree either from mold, insect infestation or injury. The resulting rounded wood form is prized for it's beauty and rarity.
Of course, ice cream is really the main draw of this location for Salcha residents and those traveling the highway. They have a wide selection of delicious varieties and homemade waffle cones.
The gift shop features all manner of Alaskan gift products, many of then hand made items. The shop has clothing, bags, homemade jams and jellies from Alaskan favourites like blueberries and raspberries and lots homemade pottery for your personal or gift giving needs.
Artisans make items for your home like these stained glass snowshoes. There are paintings, wall hangings and photographs to take home as decor.
During the summer the grounds are covered in beautiful flowers. In 2015, they had to bring them inside because it snowed in June! You never know what Alaskan weather will bring, but it's usually snow.
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Not really strange in rural Alaska, but antlers are for sale here for decoration and carving. Hunting season in the fall will have them at low prices as the hooks on the walls fill up with caribou and moose antlers.