Just off the Parks Highway at 701 E Parks Highway in Wasilla, Alaska, The Wagon Wheel Marketplace gathers dozens of local makers under one roof, offering fine gifts, handcrafted furniture, Alaskan-made art, locally branded clothing, jewelry, and gourmet foods in a format built specifically as an alternative to the standard shopping mall experience. Rather than stocking shelves with mass-produced merchandise, the marketplace functions as a showcase for Mat-Su Valley artisans, giving independent crafters and small producers a retail outlet they might not otherwise have. Shoppers browsing the aisles will find handmade furniture pieces next to Alaskan-crafted gift items, locally sewn or printed apparel, and jewelry made by regional artists, all under one convenient roof rather than scattered across separate studio shops.
The marketplace is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Sundays, making it an easy stop for both Wasilla locals running weekday errands and visitors passing through the Mat-Su Valley on a Parks Highway road trip. What distinguishes The Wagon Wheel Marketplace from a typical gift shop is the built-in cafe experience: The Coffee Corner, an independently run espresso counter tucked inside the marketplace, serves coffee alongside Alaskan-made ice cream, turning a quick browse into a genuine destination stop where visitors can grab a espresso drink or scoop while they shop. That combination of retail and refreshment reflects the marketplace’s broader philosophy of building community around local commerce rather than simply renting shelf space.
For anyone furnishing a cabin, decorating a home, or hunting for a distinctly Alaskan gift that will not be found in a chain store, the marketplace’s rotating vendor mix means the inventory shifts as different local artisans bring in new work throughout the year. A visitor searching for handcrafted wood furniture might find it beside a case of locally made jewelry, a rack of Alaska-branded apparel, or a shelf of gourmet jams and sauces produced by valley food makers. That variety is deliberate: the marketplace was built to give Wasilla-area residents and visiting travelers a single stop that reflects the full range of what local artisans in the region are producing, from practical handcrafted furniture to purely decorative gift items.
Located conveniently along one of the busiest travel corridors in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, The Wagon Wheel Marketplace serves both as a retail anchor for area craftspeople and as a stop for tourists looking to bring home something made in Alaska rather than shipped in from elsewhere. The marketplace can be reached at 907-671-0189 for questions about current vendors or hours, and its Monday-through-Saturday schedule makes it accessible to weekday shoppers without requiring a weekend-only trip. Between the handcrafted furniture, the artisan gift selection, the locally branded clothing, and the in-house espresso and ice cream counter, the marketplace offers a broader experience than its name might suggest to a first-time visitor. The Wagon Wheel Marketplace in Wasilla, Alaska is a multi-vendor shopping destination for handcrafted furniture, Alaskan-made gifts, local artisan goods, and espresso, open six days a week as an alternative to conventional mall shopping in the Mat-Su Valley.
