May 17, 2020 |
CNN – Now that’s one helluva Costco run.
A grocer in a remote Alaskan region that’s only accessible by boat or plane is going above and beyond to keep his small city fed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Toshua Parker, owner of Icy Strait Wholesale in Gustavus, has been making a weekly boat trip with his staff to Juneau, the state’s capital 50 miles away, to restock on essential food and supplies at Costco.
It takes them about 14 hours to complete the journey on a 96 feet long converted military landing craft.
Toshua Parker and his wife, Cassia Parker, who run Icy Strait Wholesale in Gustavus, Alaska.
Gustavus is a coastal community that borders Glacier Bay National Park. For the city’s 450 residents, the only place to buy groceries is ToshCo, the locals’ nickname for Parker’s store.
Parker usually has food and supplies shipped from Costco to his store aboard the state’s ferry system, but it’s no longer running to Gustavus because of the pandemic, as well as damage caused to the city’s dock by severe storms.
Without an alternative delivery method and his city quickly running short on food and supplies, Parker decided to take the matter into his own hands.
“It’s funny because for us, this doesn’t seem like a big deal,” the small business owner told CNN … Read more.
