My name is Paula Weisel and I own the Arctic Bar in Ketchikan, Alaska. I have worked here for 35 years and owned it for 28. When I bought the bar, I didn’t want it to just be a place to drink. I wanted it to give back. I wanted to help people. I wanted to be a plus, not a minus.
When somebody in Ketchikan needs help, they usually find their way here. They might not have my home number, but they know where to find me. People come down, we talk it through, and if I can make it work, I will. I can’t print money, but I can create a space where the community shows up. And they do. On this island, we only have each other.
Over the years I’ve helped raise money for cancer treatments, for kids who needed seeing-eye dogs, for families after accidents. I’ll throw a carnival, an auction, or a drag show if that’s what it takes. One of the biggest fundraisers we did raised sixty-nine thousand dollars, and yes, sixty-nine is my favorite number. Around here we like to laugh while we help.
People ask me why I keep doing it. The answer’s easy. I love helping people. It pumps me up. It’s what I’m about and what the Arctic’s about. There are a lot of minuses in the world, so I try to make some pluses. When you walk through the door and feel the energy of people coming together for someone else, there’s nothing like it.
Alaskans are a different breed. If you were hungry, they’d feed you. If you were cold, they’d give you their coat. That’s why I’ve stayed all these years. I don’t think of it as a bar anymore. It’s a place that reminds people they’re not alone.
When somebody in Ketchikan needs help, they usually find their way here. They might not have my home number, but they know where to find me. People come down, we talk it through, and if I can make it work, I will. I can’t print money, but I can create a space where the community shows up. And they do. On this island, we only have each other.
Over the years I’ve helped raise money for cancer treatments, for kids who needed seeing-eye dogs, for families after accidents. I’ll throw a carnival, an auction, or a drag show if that’s what it takes. One of the biggest fundraisers we did raised sixty-nine thousand dollars, and yes, sixty-nine is my favorite number. Around here we like to laugh while we help.
People ask me why I keep doing it. The answer’s easy. I love helping people. It pumps me up. It’s what I’m about and what the Arctic’s about. There are a lot of minuses in the world, so I try to make some pluses. When you walk through the door and feel the energy of people coming together for someone else, there’s nothing like it.
Alaskans are a different breed. If you were hungry, they’d feed you. If you were cold, they’d give you their coat. That’s why I’ve stayed all these years. I don’t think of it as a bar anymore. It’s a place that reminds people they’re not alone.