Jennifer and Randy Wells opened The Tufted Puffin’s flagship on Seward’s 4th Avenue in February 2019 — taking a suite in the downtown DLK Building after their first-choice harborside location got knocked out by a building-code snag. For its first five years it ran as a boutique deli-style dispensary. In January 2024 the Alaska Marijuana Control Board approved a new retail marijuana store license with an Onsite Consumption Endorsement (license #36580) for Tufted Puffin LLC, and the 4th Avenue store became Seward’s first legal cannabis cafe.
The setup is Amsterdam by way of Alaska. A retail counter for the flower, edibles, and vape carts allowed under the state’s per-patron consumption caps; a full coffee and tea program for the non-infused side of the menu; and a lounge area with couches, board games, LED product displays, and local art and jewelry (a partnership with Resurrection Bae). Randy is often behind the counter, knows his growers by name, and leans hard on sustainable and locally-made packaging.
The location matters. Seward is the terminus of the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage and a Princess/Holland America cruise port, so summer traffic here runs heavy with visitors coming off ships or off a Kenai Fjords day trip — and 4th Avenue is an easy walk from the small-boat harbor. Off-season it’s a locals room.