Alaskans pitched in, saved Ammo-Can Coffee. Now, tonight is ‘open mic’

MUST READ ALASKA READERS RAISED $8,000 TO KEEP IT OPEN

Ammo-Can Coffee shop in Soldotna has been able able to weather the COVID-19 shut-down storm, thanks to hundreds of Alaskans who pitched in to help the Floyd family business.

Tonight, (Saturday, May 9), will be the first jam and open-mic session since the shutdown. It starts at 7 pm, and the business is now open regular hours, with regular table service 6 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, and 7:30 am to 11 pm on Saturdays. The coffee shop is located at 35559 Kenai Spur Hwy.

“We’re open, we’re having folks sign in at the door to comply with the ‘reservation required’ mandate, and we’ve got all the hand sanitizer that was sent to us from all over Alaska,” Jason Floyd said.

He added that Ammo-Can is following the state mandates and hopes people will turn out for music night because it’s summer on the Kenai Peninsula, and Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce has declared every business, large and small, open and “essential.” Businesses are ready to return to some semblance of normal, he said.

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Last month, Must Read Alaska readers pitched in during a GoFundMe.com campaign to help save the coffee shop from having to close after state mandates shuttered all restaurants, except for take out, and then said they could only open if they had hand sanitizer at the door.

That was when hand sanitizer could not be purchased in small communities in Alaska, leading Jason Floyd to wonder if he would be able to stay in business. For businesses like his on the Kenai Peninsula, summer is the season to make enough to stretch through the long, quiet winters.

Too much of a good thing? AmmoCan Coffee drenched in hand sanitizer donations

But with the $8,300 raised by the GoFundMe campaign, the Floyds were able to get caught up on their shop’s rent and other bills. They also welcomed the delivery of dozens of bottles of hand sanitizer from friends and well-wishers, including Ken McCarty of Chugiak, who flew a supply in for the coffee shop all the way from the Birchwood Airport north of Anchorage, shown in the story above.

Still, the state economy is on its knees, and business at the coffee shop is not exactly buzzing yet. It’s going to take a while for all businesses in Alaska to regain their footing, and it’s a process that might take years for some.

The Save Ammo-Can Coffee GoFundMe campaign will close in three days. All of the funds that have been sent for the Floyds have been remitted, except for $100, which will be mailed along with any final donations made between now and Tuesday.

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Jason Floyd said that people can also help by giving Ammo-Can Coffee and other small businesses by giving a favorable review on TripAdviser if they like the products and service they get. Every gesture, big and small, has made a difference to his family’s future, he said.