Schaafsma's new business is dedicated to sales, service and support of Macintosh products.

"It's a sign of change," said shopper Kelly Blalock, a Butte resident and Anchorage high school counselor. "It's going to be a small business for a while, but it's going to grow and grow. It shows that (the Valley) is growing up."

Blalock, who in late December stopped in to purchase an accessory for his Macintosh, said he was "the database guy" for the counseling department of Anchorage West High School.

A few more customers wandered in that morning to upgrade the memory capacity of their Mac laptops, Sandi and Wayne Sturm of Wasilla ordered espresso drinks from iCafe manager Jordan Elson and seated themselves at one of six small hardwood tables with matching hardwood chairs.

"We come for the coffee, but we're PC people," Wayne Sturm said.

The Sturms, whose business instructs teachers on how to teach online, said they had heard of the Valley MacStore through the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce.

Schaafsma, who has joined the local chamber of commerce, said he hopes to see the shop become a gathering place where folks will stop to shop, eat, try out the iMac G5s and share tips and experiences at Mac user group meetings. He's also planning to offer live music by local entertainers.

"Every Saturday evening in January and February we will have live music," he said. "People can come in and hang out and have coffee."

Customers can hang out with their own laptops and buy some online time, or pay an hourly fee to go online with the shop's G5 Mac laptops.

They can also shop for computers, printers, iPods and hardware and software accessories from available stock on display.

The MacStore section of the 1,750-square-foot facility is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The iCafe has slightly longer hours, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.

Schaafsma said he leased the space in the Hunter Plaza on the Parks Highway in September because there was no Macintosh store in the area. "I saw the opportunity of growth in the valley," he said.

His wife, Jessica Schaafsma, helped paint the store, replacing the white walls with a new look. Earth-tone yellows, oranges and reds now create a warm feel, accented by the curtains she sewed for the front windows.

With help from his brother, Peter, who flew in from Texas, Schaafsma added the tables and chairs, and built hardwood counters.

Then he brought in a small inventory of Macintosh items and opened for business.

The game plan for the next year is to survive, said Schaafsma, whose last job was doing technical support work for the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Anchorage. Schaafsma is already an Apple-certified help desk specialist and soon will be certified for server essentials, he said. While he has no formal business training, he did get a lot of advice from his father, a professional real estate appraiser, he said.

Schaafsma said holiday sales for iPods and other Macintosh inventory items was brisk.

Location was a big help too, he said.

The new traffic light on the Parks Highway by the entrance to the Hunter Plaza is a big help. "People don't fear turning left into here or out of here," he said. In addition, Valley MacStore is attracting customers from the nearby new Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, who spotted the large sign over his shop. "They say, 'Gee, we didn't know you were here,'" he said. "The toughest part is spreading the word that we're here."

Schaafsma has advertised locally, including coupons for espresso and soup in a bread bowl, and is scheduled to make a presentation to the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce in February.

The Schaafsmas said they are considering a number of ideas to get people into the shop, from book clubs and after-hours crafting to an open-mic poetry reading night and computer classes.

Their vision is not unlike the old New York coffee houses of the 1950s and 1960s.

"We are open to ideas," said Jessica Schaafsma. "We want a community feeling and a place to hang out."

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