The former owner of a grocery store that used to occupy this building was said to have been murdered, and his ghost lingers here, perhaps upset because his killer was never found. Furniture is said to break by itself, and unexplained noises come from the back office.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- 35618 Kenai Spur Hwy
Soldotna, AK 99669
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 60.497348, -151.06685600000003
- County:
- Kenai Peninsula County
- Nearest Towns:
- Soldotna, AK (0.7 mi.)
Ridgeway, AK (2.5 mi.)
Kenai, AK (7.6 mi.)
Kalifornsky, AK (9.4 mi.)
Funny River, AK (10.4 mi.)
Sterling, AK (10.6 mi.)
Salamatof, AK (11.8 mi.)
Cohoe, AK (12.1 mi.)
Kasilof, AK (13.1 mi.)
Nikiski, AK (15.3 mi.)
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Furniture breaks on it’s own because it’s cheap a$$ garbage from Bailey’s..
Bailey’s furniture used to be a grocery store in Soldotna called Big K. James O. Spence was an employee there and was shot in the back during a night shift of stocking shelves. He was a nice guy from an incredible family. His shooter was identified, arrested & charged. James died shortly after being shot but certainly knew what occurred. It was a sad loss & frightening thing for our community at that time. It makes me sad to think this is written about him.
Meanwhile I don’t doubt haunting, I’m too knowledgeable for that. Maybe Bailey’s is haunted, not likely by him though.
Soldotna does posses an older building which is documentedly haunted. If the owner of that business what to be listed here I’ll have her contact you:-)
Jessica-Thank you for your kind words.James Owen Spence is/was my Father.It’s crazy the things you will find on the internet.I will say this if there are such things as ghost my Dad wouldn’t be the evil type anyway.I hear that when people pass their temper typically stays the same however I had moved when my Dad was killed.He was suppose to get up the money to come with unfortunately that didn’t happen due to his death.
No It was not Big K. D&A was in the same location where Bailey’s is now. This is not a haunted location. Just a very sad thing happened to a nice young man (who was not the owner).
Yes, James was a very sweet man. He was always trying to help the customer out to make them happy. He did a wonderful job. I would see him helping older people. It was nice.
He couldn’t out run the shooter because if I recall right, he limped as one leg was longer than the other. I thought it was D&A where he worked, not Big K. But it happened so many years ago.
A tall, dark haired man always smiling. That is what I remember of James.
Soldotna and Kenai I felt always had a dark shadow over it. What and who lived there before? Or maybe the devil itself keeps close to thone cities.
Haven’t been there since 2006. Lived there from 1977-2003. When I first visited down there in 1975, the road Hwy. 1 wasn’t paved all the way to Homer, or even Kasilof.
I wonder is Sourdough Sal’s still there? Now in the old days that was a weird place to work, that and the bowling alley. Seems like there’s more stories, but I’d have to think on it.
Sal’s changed I believe last year. But the same owners. Just a different name 🙂
Sal’s Klondike Diner closed a while back and is now PJ’s.
If I recall correctly, Bailey’s used to be Country Foods. It’s somewhat well known that it’s haunted.
I was working the night that James was shot. He and i closed the store and he sent me home i insisted on staying but because i would have got to much overtime he sent me home.when i heard the news the next day i was crushed. I have felt guilty since that day and still do because i didn’t stay and i have nightmares still of that night. I hope it is true that they finally caught the person who did this. His father came in the store all the time and at the funeral i got up and spoke because i saw James as a brother and that i told his dad i would do everything i could to help find who did it. Kelly your dad was an amazing person and manager and i miss working with him. I couldn’t see working for anyone else better than him
Veronica, I dont recall them ever finding His murder! Do you know who it was? I started in Soldotna at Country Foods and worked with James Also. I had went over to Kenai to fill in and was just asked to stay. What was the date that this Happened? I was very sad to hear it had happened to suvh a sweet guy. I would really like to know who they arrested in it.
Rest In Peace James.
Hey James is an was my uncle and me and my father would like to hear from u my dad wanted me to message you u can find me on Facebook Tim spence or text or call me at 9104671306 thank you hope u get this thank you
Hi Tim I just saw this. I am on Facebook under Veronica Butler. There are a few times Spence’s on there so don’t know which one. You can send me a friend request.
could it be the ghost from the young teenager killed on the roof at the Bailey’s furniture in Anchorage back in the early 1990s…???… By the owner who thought was a burglar????
What? I know the owner. Never heard about this…
The murder was not in the Big K building, it was in another grocery building, which became Country Foods, it was not the owner who was killed, but rather a very kind young man named James. His case, to the best of my knowledge, has never been solved. At the time, there were a rash of other crimes that happened. Opal Fairchild was slain in her home on Poppy Lane, a safeway employee was assaulted and robbed in the stores parking lot, and a local man’s parents were murdered in Anchorage. Gary Newcomb, who was evading capture by State Troopers and was on the run at the time, locals speculated he may have been involved, but nothing became of it after he was apprehended br police at gunpoint in Anchorage, I believe he shot a cop? Baileys is not haunted, that’s fake drama!!