The Importance of Buying Local

With the Alaskan State Fair getting ready to roll into town we’re all excited for fun rides, giant vegetables, overpriced blocks of french fries, and good times. But one less exciting thing that the fair brings into town is out-of-state vendors for- you guessed it- hot tubs.

Before you go pursuing their selection, we at Alaska Stove and Spa want to stress the importance of buying local because we’ve heard the same sad story time after time. Customers frequently come to us with broken spas from small brands that they purchased at the fair, asking if we have the part they need or know of someone who can work on their hot tub. And every time we have to tell them no, because unfortunately most small brands usually don’t ship to Alaska. 

Many vendors at the fair have brought their product from the lower 48, and oftentimes the companies that made those spa do NOT typically have dealings in Alaska. When you buy a hot tub from that vendor, you do so knowing that they’ll be gone in a few short weeks. And once they leave, there is no support or customer service when something inevitably goes wrong. You won’t be able to look forward to a replacement or return, or warranty and you’ll be stuck with an expensive purchase that you can’t enjoy.

That’s how vendors of this sort make their money; they sell as much high end product as they can, and once they have their money they go on to the next place with their spoils. They have no regard for building a reliable name or being fair to their customers. 

We, on the other hand, have been here for Alaskans for over 50 years. We have always prioritized customer satisfaction and quality products, and look out for those we serve. So go out and have fun at the fair, but remember that your best bet when buying stoves, saunas, or spas is to buy local.