We've found during our week-long escapade to Alaska an interestingretail climate.Some popular local chains in the area aren't allthat interested in expanding, but they probably could do so andsucceed. And on the other hand, national chains that seem to dowell here, haven't over-stored the area like they have other partsof the country when this area seems to have substantial demand.We found two local chains especially intriguing, the13-unit Kaladi BrothersCoffee chain (a company we'll further discuss onGlobeSt.com next week)and Moose's Toothbrewery and pizzeria, which also operates a restaurant-movietheater combo venue.By all accounts Moose's Tooth is a widelypopular restaurant-bar operation, and when we were there on arecent Thursday afternoon, the place was packed with drinkers anddiners. We think that the owners could easily open more locations,and Rod Hancock, one of the founders, says they are regularlyapproached by potential franchise operators from around thecountry, but he always declines.However, Hancock acknowledges thatsome of his 350 employees - to whom he offers 401(k) packages,health insurance and profit-sharing benefits - are pushing him toopen a new location, and he might do so in efforts not to losetheir talent.Meanwhile, Hancock is also first to admit thatAnchorage has a strong demand for more retail and restaurantofferings. "I've seen 20 businesses that could do a better jobservicing our needs," he says.Chris Stephens is a real estatebroker in the area with Bond, Stephens & Johnson CommercialReal Estate Services who has tried to get many national retailchains to come into the area. He says the there was a wave ofretailers like Wal-Mart, Petco and Bed Bath & Beyond thatentered the market in the 1990s and then the movement largelystopped. Target and Kohl's are just now coming, but it is still oneof the few places in the US without a major presence by nationaldrugstore chains.Besides the roughly 280,000 people in the market,there are 70,000 to 100,000 people who live in rural areas ofAlaska that come to Anchorage to shop, Stephens says. Additionally,the few chains with stores in the area have some of the largestsales psf totals in their portfolios."Retailers miss the mark," hesays of chains not adding more stores to the area. "They don'trealize that Anchorage is bigger than Anchorage."For our part, wewere surprised when we saw the parking lot of the only Barnes &Noble in the city packed during the early part of a weekdayafternoon. Chain restaurants we saw had full lots betweentraditional mealtimes as well.But we also visited a mall of theeast side of town that was almost dead. The place did have onething going for it, though - a store that sells swords side by sidewith one of the larger wig operations we'd ever seen. On secondthought, maybe the last frontier should never change.