Meet the Owners
Sometimes it works to go into business with your family.
Michael, Nina and Deborah Bonito grew up in an army family. Nothing like moving to a new assignment every two years to make for a tight sibling bond! So it was natural that they decided to invest together in their favorite downtown shop. Each with their own specialty; Mike a baker, Nina a very organized teacher and Deborah an entrepreneur, the Bonitos have worked hard to preserve the historic flavor of The Kobuk while bringing in trendy and fun product lines. Mike has since retired to the Kenai to fish the mighty King Salmon, but Deborah and Nina carry on the Kobuk tradition of friendly customer service and Alaska hospitality.
Kobuk’s roots in Historic Kimball Building
From Hard Nails to Hard Candy
Housed in The Kimball Building, one of the first commercial buildings in Anchorage, The Kobuk has become a “must“ stop for four generations of Alaskans. Built in 1915 as home to Irvin Kimball’s family and a general store supplying the necessities of frontier life, the wood frame building survived the Great Quake of 1964 [and, more recently, the 7.2 Novem,ber 2018 shaker.] By 1965, Irvin’s daughter, Decema Kimball, was running the store and sublet a third of the building to her good friend Patsy James. James started Goldpan Gifts and later [,when she turned her specialty to fresh roasted coffee beans, tea and porcelain,] added the name “Kobuk Coffee Co” when she turned her specialty to fresh roasted coffee beans, tea and porcelain. The Bonito family purchased the Kobuk business in 1993 and began an 18-year business relationship with Mrs. Kimball, eventually purchasing the building from her heirs in 2002.
