“A bow tie guy is not like every guy. He is not afraid of being noticed.” -Shawn Wilson A buzzing hum comes from the corner of a well-used workshop. My eyes track over to the sound and I see a small bright light reflected off the surface of golden wood. The light is gently jutting about, leaving behind a toasted line on the wood’s surface. My brain starts to connect the dots. I … [Read more...]
Uintah Collection: Lifestyle Gear Beyond Yoga
Bringing Business Home Uintah Collection started in a showroom at New York City’s Garment Center. The business moved to California after a factory closure and, finally, made its way home to Salt Lake City at 209 East Broadway. “We like swim fabric because you can saturate it. Water or sweat, it works really well,” said mother of two, co-owner and Bikram Yogi, Heather Carlo … [Read more...]
Utah’s Salsa Queen
Most people don’t wear a crown to work, but Maharba Zapata is not most people. Though she is approaching the two-year anniversary of her wildly successful company, Salsa Queen, she hasn’t lost any enthusiasm for her brand, and frequently travels to local stores in her Salsa Queen-wrapped truck. Sporting not only her crown but also a matching apron, she offers samples of her sig … [Read more...]
Biking for Small Business
Can you start a business with nothing? Or do you need angel investors and big-shots like those found on Shark Tank to come in and offer their connections and big bucks? Utah State Professor Mike Glauser could be seen biking in five different states and 100 different cities last summer in his quest to better understand the changing nature of American small business and … [Read more...]
Shark Tank in Utah
If you are a local entrepreneur or inventor, odds are you have heard of the Emmy award- winning TV show “Shark Tank.” The show features self-made, wealthy business moguls such as Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban and QVC darling Lori Greiner, who are willing to give a budding entrepreneur a leg up, if you can deliver a good pitch and a great product, that is. Producers from th … [Read more...]
Moab’s Red Cliffs Lodge Owner Colin Fryer
A Man With A Plan Colin Fryer owns a ranch off Highway 128 in Moab, Utah. When you drive past just one word comes to mind, “Wow.” Red Cliffs Lodge rests on the bank of the Colorado River. In the summer horses graze on green grass. The cabins are built following the bend in the river. It’s just one of two lodges near Canyonlands National Park. So how did he acquire and build … [Read more...]
Epic Creation: Utah’s Epic Brewing Company is Expanding
Last year, Epic opened a brewery in Denver. The new space has four times the capacity of their Salt Lake facility and will help them distribute product to the Midwest and East Coast. Reassuringly however, they will not relocate from Salt Lake. “Our headquarters are still in Salt Lake and we plan on staying here,” says Matthew Allred, Epic’s Communications Director. In fact, they … [Read more...]
Cassandra’s Closet: Utah’s Longest Running Consignment Boutique
For 30 years now, Cassandra's Closet has been Utah's longest running “consignment-only” boutique. Located in the upper Millcreek township of Salt Lake, Cassandra's Closet offers a variety of high-end clothing, shoes, hats, scarves, and jewelry at affordable prices, and is now accepting décor and furniture items as well. Started in 1984, current owner, Sandi Woolley, purchased th … [Read more...]
Behind the Scenes at Red Rock Brewing
At Red Rock Brewing it’s all about quality rather than quantity. According to Kevin Templin, Red Rock brewmaster, the brewery doesn’t have a high output compared to some other craft beer establishments, but what they do offer is flavor achieved with top notch ingredients. “We’re not in a hurry to get big and we don’t want to just pump out a brew that is not up to our standards … [Read more...]
How Beer Saved Utah— Breweries that revitalized Utah Cities
Salt Lake City has been saved by beer. While some readers might scoff at this notion, or think the author is engaged in “drunk writing,” keep an open mind and keep reading. Thanks to beer, since the early 1980s, Utah cities have been revitalized by the local beerloving masses. First came Squatters. In 1989 owners Peter Cole and Jeff Polycronis decided to gamble by opening in … [Read more...]