Alaska Commercial Company facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail / Grocery |
| Predecessor | Russian-American Company |
| Founded | 1867 |
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Number of locations
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33 |
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Area served
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| Services | Supermarket |
| Parent | The North West Company (1992–present) |
The Alaska Commercial Company (often called ACC) is a company that runs grocery and other retail stores. It has stores in many small, faraway towns in Alaska. This company started way back when the United States first bought Alaska, and it's still around today! For a long time, from 1901 to 1992, it was known as the Northern Commercial Company (NCC). But in 1992, it went back to being called the Alaska Commercial Company. Now, it's owned by a company called The North West Company.
History
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After the United States bought Alaska in 1867, a company called Hutchison, Kohl & Company bought the old Russian-American Company. This was a big step for business in the new U.S. territory. In 1868, some of the same owners, like Louis Sloss, Lewis Gerstle, and August Wassermann, formed a new company. They called it the Alaska Commercial Company. This new company kept the business going until 1901.
Around 1901, there was a lot more competition in trading sealskins. Because of this, the Alaska Commercial Company joined with two other companies. They formed two new businesses: the Northern Navigation Company and the Northern Commercial Company. The original owners of the Alaska Commercial Company continued their work under the name Northern Commercial Company.
The Northern Commercial Company (NCC) ran village stores in Alaska for many years, from 1868 to 1922. This included the time of the Klondike Gold Rush (1897–1899), when many people rushed to Alaska to find gold. These stores were very important to the small communities. They often served as the village courthouse and even the post office.
Many people didn't have cash back then. So, much of the trade in these stores was done by barter. This means people traded items like gold, fish, and furs for the goods they needed. The stores were often the main gathering place in small towns. Because of these stores, many communities in Alaska grew bigger.
In 1922, a group of employees bought the Northern Commercial Company. They moved the main office to Seattle. The company then started opening different kinds of stores in Alaska's cities. They had department stores, places to buy cars, and tire stores. They also became a major supplier of big machines and equipment in Alaska.
By 1975, the Northern Commercial Company started selling off parts of its business. They sold their department stores to a company called Nordstrom. Their Goodyear tire stores were sold to another company. In 1977, the old name, the Alaska Commercial Company (ACC), was brought back for the rural stores. These stores were then sold to a group called the Community Enterprise Development Corporation (CEDC) of Alaska.
In November 1992, the CEDC sold these stores to The North West Company. This is a Canadian company that mostly serves communities in northern areas. Today, the Alaska Commercial Company (ACC) has 33 stores in 30 small, remote villages across Alaska. The part of the company that dealt with heavy equipment still operates. It is now known as NC Machinery.
See also
