‘Welcoming space’: New Anchorage cafe aims to bring people together
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A new coffee and bagel shop opened its doors in downtown Anchorage just ahead of the Fourth of July weekend — and sold out of bagels by noon on its first day.
Little Rituals, located off 2nd Avenue in downtown Anchorage, opened to the public last Friday after a friends-and-family preview Thursday night that included live music and karaoke.
“It’s been really, really great so far,” said Little Rituals co-owner Sam Lilly. “Really great community connections and just really happy to be here.”
A long time coming
Lilly said the shop had originally hoped to open in May but faced construction setbacks. The space, which Lilly said previously housed Cafe Clash, was gutted and renovated before the opening.
“If you walked in here a year ago, it did not look like it looks like right now, and that was probably a huge challenge. Not only were they gutting the floor entirely, but ... they had to open up this space entirely and they didn’t know what they were going to find when they did.” Lilly said.
Lilly previously operated the 907 Bagel food truck, which ran for about nine months before closing in 2024. She said customers continued reaching out after the truck closed, asking when bagels would return to Anchorage.
The opportunity for a new location came in November, when Lilly and her business partner, Nicole Smith, connected with the owners of Salted Roots Basecamp, where Little Rituals is now located.
Community and local sourcing
Lilly said supporting local vendors is a priority for the shop.
“One thing we would want to focus on is not just giving back to the community, supporting the community, creating community, but also supporting local,” Lilly said. “We want to bring that back into this space here and create just a welcoming, open space for people to feel invited, feel welcome and to also eat good food.”
Lilly said the bagels at Little Rituals are fresh-baked from Wooden Spoons and their coffee is from Chugach Coffee Roasters.
She added the shop takes pride in being a woman-owned business and encourages others hoping to start a business to lean on their peers and community networks.
What’s next
Little Rituals is currently open only during the day. Lilly said plans include expanding to evening hours with beer and wine, live music, paint nights and karaoke. A patio is also planned for the exterior of the building.
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