With its Ferris Wheel made of K’nex and model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, the Ben Franklin store was a landmark in downtown Juneau, drawing attention from passersby, young and old. But in mid-December, it was almost empty as people came and went to see what’s left.
After more than 50 years, the family-run shop in downtown Juneau is closing its doors. The owner of Ben Franklin said the store has been a part of the town’s history — and his own — and closing is bittersweet.
Mike Wiley’s parents bought the building that houses the store in the 1970s. It was already called Ben Franklin, which was a nationwide general store franchise.
“We sold everything from tennis shoes to pencils to bras and lampshades, because there was no real store where you could get those kinds of things,” he said.
Wylie was in middle school when his family took over and he worked at the store every day after school.
“I went to Maria Drake Junior High, which is over by Harborview. Walked over after school,” he said. “Always was told, ‘You have to come here, go to work, stay out of trouble.’”
That tradition continued with his own kids.
“Our kids have worked here. We’ve had grandkids working here,” Wylie said. “We have no great-grandkids working here yet, but as of now, we still have like two grandkids working here and helping out.”
Juneau has changed a lot over the last 50 years, and Ben Franklin changed with it. Wylie said he thinks only people in their sixties and older remember the original chain these days.
Starting around the 1970s, the store adapted as tourism grew in Juneau.
“There was maybe two or three gift shops in town, and we started carrying Alaska souvenirs,” Wylie said. “And it was the old steamships — like Canadian cruise lines and that kind of thing – that came in here.”
Wylie said he always made a point to continue selling things useful to locals too — like housewares, frames and toiletries.
The nationwide Ben Franklin franchise was sold a few times, and declared bankruptcy in the 1990s. It folded about 10 years ago, and Juneau’s store became independent. Wylie said the last few years were tough on business, with the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions.
The store made it through, as it had for decades before. But now, he said it’s time to close the shop, of his own volition.
“Basically, it’s the end of an era here,” Wylie said. “Why we’re closing up – it’s just, it’s time for me to retire. I put 52 years in here.”
Wylie said the responsibility of running the store has been on his shoulders for so much of his life.
“When you own a business, you’re never away from it,” he said. “And I just want freedom to not have to worry about that.”
The Wylie family announced in September they were going to close the store. It stayed open for the holiday season. There isn’t much left now, some fabric and decorations and a swordfish on the wall.
As it empties, people have come in to share their memories of the store. Wylie said it’s bittersweet to hear them.
“Especially when everybody comes in and says, you know, ‘Hey, I hate to see you go’ and whatnot,” he said. “And, you know, ‘We brought our kids in here when they were little kids,’ and ‘My mom dad brought us in here’ when they were little kids to purchase stuff. So that, you know, that part kind of tugs at heartstrings.”
Wylie said he plans to have a “garage sale” style sell-off of whatever is left after the holidays. And he said he’s had a couple of people interested in buying the century-old building.
