The best place to see the northern lights on a regular basis is in Fairbanks, at that time of the year they are very prolific. Used to stand on my porch when I lived in North Pole and turn circles with them dancing all the way around me.
There is a book that lists a lot of the quilt stores in Alaska that is a Northwest Quilters directory, or there is also a national one.
If you give me some info on where you are planning to go I will try to give you information for those areas. There are quilt stores in just about every area of Alaska and each one has their own specialty.
You can pm me with the info if you like.