“Brand awareness” and “brand infringement” are marketing phrases that have a slightly different twist in the West. Brand awareness refers to the 15,000 different brands and earmarks identifying livestock on Utah’s ranches and open range.Brand infringement is also called cattle rustling. Utah has 62 full-time brand inspectors, a profession most career counselors overlook … [Read more...]
Utah’s Wild West
It's Utah Stories second annual Wild West issue. Read about Utah ghost towns hunters, a horse tamer, saddle maker, brand inspector. Journey along Highway 12 and discover the Kiva Koffeehouse, the Desert Doctor and learn how according to several Europeans and many bikers, Highway 12 is now a better motorcycle touring experience than even famous Route 66. In July … [Read more...]
Salt Lakers Get A Week Off From Dreaded Parking Meters
A good question for Mayor Becker: Did you get the receipt? Paying $15 million in tax payer money to Siemens Corporation for the new parking meters in downtown Salt Lake City— the past week the meters have been on the fritz. Deputy Director of Communications Art Raymond said that the parking meters were suffering from a combination of heat exhaustion and software … [Read more...]
Happiness is a garden in full bloom
If it was up to Gina Zivkovic all the empty lots and parking strips in the valley would be planted with herbs, tomatoes, fruit trees and flowers. Gina is passionate about gardening and makes her living as a landscaper. In 2004 she started a community garden on a lot that was empty except for weeds and a Reagan Outdoor Advertising billboard at 300 North and 900 West. Reagan … [Read more...]
Carriage Rides, a great way to see Salt Lake City
“This city’s history is written in hoofprints,” says Lisa Deon. She drives one of the elegant carriages that ply the streets of downtown Salt Lake and Memory Grove Park. She is correct. For decades, horses hauled the stuff of commerce that built this city. Now the gentle draft horses create the stuff of memories for their passengers. ”People take carriage rides for any … [Read more...]
Salt Lake City’s Parking Meters
They are blue hungry monsters, and they need to be fed.” said one Salt Lake City business owner describing the downtown parking meters, which cost an estimated $15 million of taxpayer money to collect $2 per hour from residents who want to visit downtown Salt Lake City. This long-time downtown business owner (who wished to remain anonymous) said these meters have caused her … [Read more...]
Trolley Square Utah’s local mall once again?
Trolley Square was facing demolition and irrelevance, when a man named Wally Wright had a vision for the space: to turn it into a place for local artists, boutiques, antiques and food. The character of the building matched the character of the tenants. Wright transformed the Trolley barns into a true community gathering place. At its height in the late eighties Trolley was … [Read more...]
City Creek Center Epitomizes Crony Capitalism
Part II of the Empire Strikes Back Brigham Young would be rolling in his grave from the lessons he learned: local economies are strong when residents support “home industry.” The malls are full of chain stores which send the profits to Wall Street and corporate headquarters. The former local businesses supported local newspapers, local farmers, local ad agencies, attorneys … [Read more...]
City Creek Center’s Impact on Gateway and Downtown
Gateway Mall now has 95,000 square feet available to lease. Gateway is a shell of its former self, as the cannibalization of its best tenants by the City Creek Center is now nearly complete. The fountains at City Creek rise in triumph much taller than the Gateway Olympic Legacy Fountain. The Gateway was the epicenter of the 2002 Games. The Olympics were considered a crowning … [Read more...]
The Mission Continues: Helping Veterans Make the Trek from Soldier to Civilian
Utah has some of the biggest Trekkies in America. In fact, Utah theaters ranked in the top of the nation for attendance for the latest Star Trek: Into Darkness. As Memorial Day approaches, Utah Stories would like to highlight a veterans-focused charity supported by Star Trek director J.J. Abrahms and his wife Kate McGrath. The Mission Continues is a national nonprofit … [Read more...]