Jake Olson, owner of Arctic Duchess Adventures, is calling all crafters and artists.
Olson is a longtime Yellowknifer who started a tour operating company. The headquarters and main facility are beside the boat, and he called himself a captain when he had a chat with Yellowknifer.
Olson is looking for artists from the North to join an event like a marketplace but in a more casual way. He wants to work with Northern craftmakers to host a weekly arts/gift sale using the wall tent he set up on the ice around his boat to provide a risk-free environment for the people who are willing to participate and showcase their products. The reason why he said that will be risk-free is because that, even though there’s a fee for a slot, for vendors who don’t make up expenses during the day, the fee will be waived. He believes he can encourage more people to fight for their dream and to help them in making another step towards success.
Jake Olson bought the Arctic Duchess in 2020. He says Yellowknife Bay is one of the most unique places in the city. Kaicheng Xin/NNSL photo
Olson bought the ship, Arctic Duchess, in 2020. At the beginning, he planned to buy a houseboat and live in it. There aren’t many places this lifestyle is possible, especially the unique culture of the houseboat community in Yellowknife Bay, which had grown on him.
During three years of modifying the boat, his idea became clearer, that he wants this to be a tour operating company.
“I do believe that the bay on Great Slave Lake is one of the most unique places in Yellowknife,” Olson said. “(To) be able to have people that are not from Yellowknife to experience this amazing slice that I got to live here on the bay, I think that is the cool part of this.”
He added that to show people what he gets to do during the day and how he lives on the boat is pretty unique.
Olson also told Yellowknifer that he’s not only looking to grow this ship as a tour operator, he plans to host some events and even rent the place as a venue for people who are looking to hold a wedding or a birthday party.