ABOUT US
The Cellar is located in the heart of downtown Sitka, Alaska. The business, established in 1974 as a children’s store, has grown into a unique selection offering all the best stuff in clothing, housewares, gifts, shoes, toys and Alaskan merchandise.
Vickie & Troy Denkinger purchased The Cellar in 1995 from Dan & Betty Keck. The Cellar was created through the Keck’s dedication and quickly became Vickie’s passion as well. Vickie understood that The Cellar is essential to the vitality of downtown Sitka. She knew it was important to maintain the integrity of what the Keck’s had created by keeping the name and focusing on local customer’s year around.
In 2000 it became apparent that if the store were to survive with the surging internet business, they would need to appeal to a larger customer base. Vickie’s obsession for finding exciting merchandise and her interest in exploring how small stores thrive was the driving factor in transforming The Cellar from a children’s store into her version of a mini department store. Vickie built a team of dedicated employees with a passion for shopping that matches her own. Together they have become the heartbeat of the business.
Today, The Cellar is an unexpected delight, a shopaholics dream, bursting with an impressive selection of merchandise, with new inventory coming in daily. With so many out of town customer requests, we have decided to create our online site to take our business beyond Sitka, as we strive to continue growing.
MEET OUR TEAM
VICKIE DENKINGER
OWNER
Vickie loved fashion and shopping so much, that in 1991 after graduating from the University of Puget Sound, she moved home to Klawock, Alaska and purchased her favorite store Carolyn’s of Craig. She renamed it Savvy Wear and restructured it after a mini Nordstrom, her other favorite place to shop. Vickie moved to Sitka with her husband Troy in 1994. Owner of The Cellar since 1995, Vickie considers herself a professional gift supplier. She gets excited when her customers find more than what they are looking for. She strives to make sure there is always an excess of options, or as she likes to say, all the best stuff.
Family and friends come first for Vickie. She aspires to be a good mom to her daughters, Adriana & Hailey, as well as provide the best “life lessons” advice to all her loved ones. Vickie is a sucker for all animals, a coffee addict, loves sports and finds time for travel in her busy schedule. She makes it her mission to do better today than yesterday, to continue learning and improving. Vickie loves what she does and is always her own toughest critic! Most importantly, she always wants what is best for her family, employees and customers.
VALERIE PHIPPEN
BUYER & MANAGER
Valerie has been working in retail on and off for her sister Vickie since the age of 14, first at Savvy Wear in Craig, Alaska and today at The Cellar. In 2006 when Vickie had her second daughter, Adriana, Valerie stepped in to help out. Without her loyalty The Cellar would not be the success it is today. Not only is she a buyer and store manager, she runs the point of sale system and is the go to person for all technology issues. Valerie works late into the night getting the newest selection of clothing on our floor and keeps the department looking fresh and new.
Raised in Klawock, Alaska, Valerie moved to Sitka with her husband and daughters in 2003. Outside of work, you will find her spending time with her favorite people… her family, friends, and of course her crazy pups and cat. She loves fashion, travel, working out, playing softball and reality TV shows. Valerie works overtime to help make sure The Cellar is current and competitive in the retail world by problem solving daily issues and keeping Vickie on task when needed. Valerie is a shoplifter’s worst nightmare. Nothing gets by her. Seriously, between her and April, they could open a detective agency!
TERRI POULIOT
BUYER
Terri has a unique background with The Cellar. She has owned several businesses and spent over 30 years in the home industry. She first came to work at The Cellar as a favor 17 years ago and discovered that she really enjoyed it. Before Terri knew it, she was immersed in helping with the creation of the housewares and gift department, what is now lovingly known as Terri’s Department. Today she is the master merchandiser and buyer. She is responsible for completely transforming housewares into a magical delight each season. Terri can always be found on the floor, merchandising or helping customers. She is often mistaken for the owner because of her gift with people and the pride she takes in her work.
Terri has lived in Alaska for most of her life and is married with three children and three grandchildren. In addition to interior design, she is passionate about health and fitness, animal rights and the Miami Dolphins. Terri is kind, genuine, and a great listener. Because of this, people often indulge her with their life stories. She is always a customer’s favorite Cellar girl. If you’re a co-worker, you know to save the country music for her days off. You also know never to ask her to work during the Super bowl!
APRIL POULIOT
BUYER
April was always destined for the fashion industry. Her talent was first recognized in middle school when she received the “Fashion Plate” award. In December of 2009, she was hired as temporary help wrapping gifts during the holiday season. Her passion for fashion, hard work ethic and amazingly dependable qualities were exactly what The Cellar needed. She offered a fresh buying perspective, and a natural ability to understand what our customers want. Vickie took her to one buying show and realized she no longer needed to attend the apparel show because of her confidence in April and Valerie and their talent as buyers. Today, April has many responsibilities. She is a buyer for numerous accounts, takes care of office work and data entry and is currently becoming our savvy social media director.
A southern girl, April was raised in Eastern North Carolina on the Crystal Coast. She moved to Sitka for true love and in 2017 married Terri’s oldest son, Larry. The entire Cellar team flew east for the wedding. It should be noted that this is the only event The Cellar has ever closed for! April’s interests beyond fashion include travel, food and being a dog mom to Elway and Oliver, the cutest pups ever. April is the party planner of The Cellar team. She arranges the fun employee dinners and helps organize exciting store events. She also helps train all our new Cellar girls. April has a great attitude, however, she hates to dress up for Moonlight Madness if it’s not a cute costume.
ALL THE BEST STUFF
We carry all the best stuff. Everyday is an exciting day filled with new unique arrivals. Stop by our store and see all that we have to offer!
