Mt Juneau Trading Post — Art Gallery in Juneau

ALL reviews about Mt Juneau Trading Post

• Tyler

  Added 2014.02.19

  Skip the tourist traps and come straight here - genuine local arts and crafts, second floor is almost like an art gallery! Decorative sculpture, jewelry, drums, quality t-shirt designs, rugs, wall art, knifes etc they even have local artists working at the shop so you might even see how some of it is made. Well recommended to visit, even if you don't plan buying anything. This is hands-down the best Alaska Native art shop in Juneau! It's a MUST SEE!! They have lots of beautiful, authentic Native art, made in Alaska! So many other shops have trinkets made by the "Hong Kong Tribe." In other words, many of the other stores carry cheap knock-offs instead of the real thing. I always find lots of pieces I want, and the customer service is excellent! I highly recommend Mt Juneau Trading Post! ***EDIT: Mt. Juneau has contacted me to explain what happened behind the scenes and has made amends with me. I feel encouraged that they listened and have raised my rating. Thank you for restoring my faith! I hope to visit again someday.*** My husband and I visited in early May. We asked the manager, Jack, if we could order a custom piece. I asked for a hair stick with a scrimshaw carving of a wolf. He suggested a totemic wolf in the native style and also told me he had a piece of red wood that would match the ink in the carving. I asked him to make the base a blade shape rather than a post. I put down a deposit of $65 and was told 7 to 10 business days with an additional payment between $120 and $140 plus S&H. I returned home and waited three weeks. After no package or calls, I called and spoke with Jackie. She apologized and said she would give Jack my message and ask him to call me. A few days later, with no calls or package, I called and spoke with Erin. I was told again they weren’t sure but would remind Jack to give me a call. This repeated for weeks. Every 7 to 10 days, I would call, speak with Jackie or Erin, receive an apology, and be told they would pass my message to Jack. Once I was told that Jack “is pretty bad for forgetting messages.” After my first call, they told me they would be happy to give me a refund. This should have been a red flag. Eventually I told Jackie I would appreciate someone calling me back. I was frustrated with the lack of communication and the fact I had waited a month-and-a-half for a simple order. Jackie apologized and told me she would ask. On 07/05, I called again and was told they were busy but would pass along my message to Jack and call me with an update. After two hours, I called again to cancel my order that was now two months late. Jack answered. He told me my order was ready and he would send me a picture for my approval. My original order was for a hair stick with a blade-shaped base of red wood and a carved scrimshaw piece with a totemic wolf in black and red. The picture I received was of a thin piece of bone, barely the width of a pencil, jammed into a piece of scrimshaw with a plain carved wolf head. I called Jack and told him the picture did not match what I had ordered at all. His response was, “Okay, we’ll just get you a refund on that. I’ll have one of my girls call you back since we’re pretty busy right now.” I called back and spoke with Jackie. They first quoted me around $115, and I told them my slip said $65. I heard her check with Jack, and she told me I had actually paid $55. I didn’t argue because I wanted the experience to be over. While Jackie processed my refund, I told her I did not hold her at fault but that to say I was disappointed and disgusted was an understatement. To have waited two months and to have called numerous times only to be sent a picture of such a slapshod piece was heartbreaking. A child could have done a better job. It didn’t match my order, most of which Jack had proposed. I told her their level of customer service was inexcusable. I then said I was just a tourist they would never see again, and I knew my opinion would mean nothing to them. It wouldn’t lose them any business, and it wouldn’t matter to the staff. Jackie apologized, telling me she didn’t blame me. I told her I wanted Jack to know my feelings, and she said she would tell him. I am currently waiting for my reduced refund to come through. I am disgusted with the total lack of communication and caring and the laughable caricature of my order with which I was presented. When someone gives me a timeframe, I expect them to honor it. I don’t expect them to offer me a refund every time I check in. I don’t expect them to never reach out to me. I don’t expect them to deliver an inferior product that does not match my order at all. I was impressed with the wares on their shelves, and I bought many gifts that I really liked. They can produce great pieces. However, I would stay away from custom orders. I expected better of people than this.