Welcome to Dos Manos, a gallery + gift shop located in the funky and historic Spenard neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska.
If you’ve never been to Dos Manos, you should know that there’s a tower.
Yes, a tower.
It may be the only architectural feature like it in Anchorage, with it's winding spiral staircase. There are landings every now and then for you to stop and look at specific collections of art, and the light coming through the windows on all sides is pure magic.
Dos Manos was opened in 2006 by Kara Kirkpatrick and Stephanie Johnson, two energetic 20-somethings who traveled a lot, and knew that they could create something really special in Anchorage.
They met like a lot of people here do, by working at Moose’s Tooth (Kara was a cashier) and Bear Tooth (Steph was a server). Steph wanted a place like the funky, full-of-handcrafted-goods shops that Portland had, and Kara was getting tired of Saturday market life–lugging everything around, set-up, take-down, and all the sitting in between, while trying to sell her art. After finding the shop space and spending almost a year renovating it, they finally opened.
“We had four paintings on the wall and a handful of jewelry and were like, ‘We're doing it.’ We were so excited. It's laughable, but we were so excited. And we just had so much hope that it was going to be exactly what we had envisioned.”
a rising tide lifts all boats
a rising tide lifts all boats
In the beginning, they heard a lot of artists saying that they couldn’t get into any galleries because they hadn’t yet made a name for themselves. Kara and Steph wanted to change this; they wanted to be the gallery that gives artists a shot. With this in mind, “a rising tide lifts all boats” has become a core value for the duo. Beyond just being a cool spot to shop, they really wanted to create a space for artists who are just starting out.
“One of our favorite things is to have brand new artists because they're just so excited. And if I can teach them–if Steph and I and everybody here can teach them–the ins and outs of what gallery life is, I think it really helps a lot of artists kind of get some more confidence,” says Kara. And that’s what they’ve done all of these years—provided new artists with a soft place to land.
When we think of a gallery, we tend to think of a quiet, minimalistic place where you can’t touch anything. Dos Manos is decidedly not that, and they are very intentional about their colorful, vibrant, approachable style.
And, every time you visit, it’ll look a bit different. It’s ever-evolving–new displays going up, shelves moving, the decor outside changing to match the seasons. Kara says she is often looking for a feeling that is hard to pin down, but she knows it’s a big reason people spend so much time there.
“When I put art up on the wall or I rearrange something, the best compliment that I can hear is, ‘This feels good.’ Yeah, it looks good, but I also want it to feel good. I want you to walk into our space and feel a sense of calm and home, not where you got to get in and get out.”
