An Oscarville woman’s Native foods store is the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) small business of the year.
The Anchorage-based Blackbull Native Store is owned and operated by Daphne Nicholai, who comes from Oscarville on the lower Kuskokwim River.
Nicholai said she owes her success to her family, including her late parents, Alexie and Eula Nicholai of Oscarville. And she said she’s working to grow the business as well.
“We're really working hard to try to find some resources to add more things into our store,” Nicholai said. “And we really love working for all of you, seeing your faces coming in, talking, laughing, telling stories, meeting new people. We love our job. Thank you very much.”
AFN board member Sheri Buretta announced the award on Oct. 18 at the annual AFN Convention at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.
According to a biography distributed by the Alaska Federation of Natives, Blackbull started as a mail-order store selling iqmik, a tobacco product popular in rural Alaska. Now the store sells many more products, including dry fish, assaliaqs (fry bread), akutaq, teas, uluaqs, berry pickers, qaspeqs, earrings, and traditional medicines.
Nicholai was nominated for the award by the Calista Corporation, which also honored her with its own small business award earlier this year.
Board Chair Willie Kasayulie spoke on behalf of the Native corporation and presented Nicholai with a pink-wrapped gift bag.
“I know that coming from a small village into a bigger village is sometimes a challenge, to look at the opportunities that are presented to us,” Kasayulie said. “But nevertheless, we are very proud of Daphne for the kind of entrepreneurship that she has shown to start a business here in Anchorage to provide services to all the customers that come to her store, and business to purchase items that they need.”
“So a little bit of advertising,” Kasayulie said with a laugh. “Come to her store.”
For Anchorage residents, or anyone passing through, Blackbull Native Store is open seven days a week during the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention. Its normal hours are noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday at its location near the Anchorage airport.
