Show Local shops keep I I you independent Sarah Nielson Arts Editor Jake OConner Arts Reporter Boutiques are popping up all over Salt Lake as aswell aswell aswell well as an entire buy local movement Local First Utah is a profit non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening communities by preserving the local independently owned businesses With many to choose from here are a few to get you started Q Clothing Sisters Sisters- Jan Esplin a and d dAnnie Annie Quan own and operate Q Clothing located at 1305 S. S East in Sugarhouse This jean ori oriented boutique opened in November 2006 Buying local is extremely ely important in allowing people to continue to be creative and unique We dont don't need any more G GAPs GAP's Ps P's arid and f Many of the local boutiques carry an amazing range of small independent designers to highly accredited brands that actually illustrates creative design said Quan Quan who worked as a merchandiser in the fashion industry comes with years of retail experience When she no longer wanted to work for a corpor corporation tion she recruited her sister and they started a new venture together When opening Q Clothing they knew they wanted to bring brands that weren't previously available in the Utah market With this idea they introduced brands such as Kasil Jeans Kitson Denim and 7 Diamonds 7 Diamonds mens men's line is available at and recently picked up by Black Chandelier but Q Clothing carries their Women's ex exclusively I encourage everyone to break free from the mundane box big-box retailer mentality of looking like everyone else You dont don't have to have the same shirt as 50 other people in the school said Quan The sisters hope to teach art artin artin artin in clothing g. g Frosty Darling Frosty Darling is just as as s darling as it promises to tobe tobe tobe be filled with bright and andl 1 l colorful items Blackburn is the owner of this new boutique located on Broadway Street in Downtown Salt Lake E. E South This particular boutique sells many of Blackburns Blackburn's own creations as well as other kitschy items such as candy finger puppets shoes soaps painting jewelry and clothing Its It's the perfect place to pick pickup pickup pickup up a few small gifts gills for friends When naming the store Blackburn said I wanted a name t that at was and had a alot lot of feeling to to it t. t I had been looking at names of paint colors and listing words I liked and Frosty Darling floated to the top Its It's a mix of Candy Darling and a brand of sugar called Frosty Acres With a background in painting she found herself spending more and more time knitting making stuffed animals and hand- hand painted pillows I decided that I l' l wanted a studio storefront where I could make something and then go put it right out on the shelf Last January the Kayo gallery was reopening in a space that basically had two storefronts So o we went for it with Kayo Gallery on one side and Frosty Darling on the theother other said Blackburn Mechanized Records Mechanized Records has been located in Salt Lake since 1992 providing the community with a diverse selection of Dance and Hip- Hip hop music Currently the store is located downtown on W. W 2 O South Owners Ron and Merryl Martenson who purchased the store from original owner Jodi Nelson in 2002 have expanded the product selection immensely since then Aside from records they also carry arry a wide variety of exclusive clothing and designer toys Mechanized is the only place in Utah that has an account with the premier source for urban vinyl toys It is also one of the only places where you youcan youcan youcan can find Toki-Doki Toki clothing and accessories The sto store e has a really cool vibe to it ill High ceiling urban art on the walls DJs playing and practicing during all hours- hours it is more than just a store You could spend a couple hours in there just looking at everything g and talking g about art or music with on one of the employees They heY are very knowledgeable l land and most of them are DJs and artists themselves Mechanized is also a large supporter of the local music scene You can purchase tickets to most local events at the store or get information about about almost anything that has to todo todo todo do with local music If you are looking for a different type of decoration for your living space or or I want to expand your you i art artand and musical knowledge Mechanized Records is the place to do so Technique Skate Snow When it comes to to skate shops they dont don't get much better than Technique TechniqueS Skate S ae Snow especially in Utah Technique is only one out of a handful of similar shops in the state but it somehow stands out Maybe its it's the fact that they have a really cool staff that will offer you genuine r I service instead of just I. I trying to make sales Or maybe mayb because b cause their main goal is to just give back to the culture and sport Technique was created by Kenny Payne and first opened in April of 2001 Payne wanted to open a store that carried products pr ducts that actually meant something to him Everything in the store is hand If there is a brand out there that isn't giving back to the sport and just wants to tomake tomake tomake make money Im I'm not going to carry it said Payne I 1 wanted something that was smooth and clean lean but still skater Not too I rocker not too gangster i somewhere in the middle a that meshes really well I Techniques Technique's newest location recently opened in Draper E. E South in March of this year and the store looks fantastic It has a timeless urban design to it and is really easy on the eyes The whole store took over six months to design and it definitely stands out The thing tiling that stands out the most about the new store is the shoe wall According Accord ng to Payne the shoe wall was yas more expensive than a new car 4 |