fourth avenue got a grocery store

Pacific Corner Market held its grand opening in Sunshine Plaza at Fourth Avenue and D Street in downtown Anchorage. The store is co-owned by Richard Watkins and his mother, with Lisa Walker serving as store manager. It carries Asian and Pacific Islander specialty items, including manapua pork buns, musubi Spam rolls, lumpia, kimchi-flavored chips, Zippy's chili, canned corned beef and Hawaiian Sun drinks, along with everyday household goods.

Across the plaza, Midnight Market relocated into a larger Sunshine Plaza space this summer after five years at its original location. The store stays open until 3 a.m. under manager Nader Qasem, a schedule that matters to anyone working a late shift downtown.

Lucky Grocery and Deli has operated on Fourth Avenue for twenty years, selling dry goods, fresh fruit, cheese and milk.

More change is planned for the corridor. Phase 2 of the Post Office Mall redevelopment is expected by the end of 2027 and includes residential condos, an indoor market, and a supermarket in the basement.

Together, the three stores give downtown Anchorage residents and workers three separate places to buy groceries on a stretch of Fourth Avenue that had long lacked them.