Since 2006, Slowtrain has been a fixture on Broadway (300 S.). Through a blog, Twitter, newsletter and Facebook, they keep their customers in constant contact, which may be the key to their success. Apart from their social networking, Slowtrain has also put on some really good shows (the majority of them free) that undoubtedly inspired loyalty amongst local audiophiles. Slowtrain’s ncredible level of involvement with local music has made it an indispensible local feature. … read more
Adding a little plaid and pizzazz to the yuppy Ninth and Ninth district, Helen Wade-Joice and her brother, Ian Wade, are the proud owners of Salt Lake City lifestyle-inspired clothing boutique, Fresh. Having opened up shop in July 2009, Fresh offers a perfect blend of your favorite modern apparel brands with a sprinkling of local flavor. Fresh defines Salt Lake City style—bet you didn’t even know there was such a thing. … read more
Casey Staker purchased the W Lounge in April 2004, mostly out of boredom and the opportunity to fulfill a long-time dream of owning a dance club. Since that time, Staker has transformed the small space into one of the hottest indie dance clubs in the city. Rye Rye, Chromeo, Million $ Mano, The Hood Internet and many other notable electro acts have packed the venue and provided club-goers with an intimate live experience, killer sound, low ticket prices and nightly drink specials. … read more
Part of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective’s mission is to create good memories for every child. Jonathan Morrison, the Collective’s Executive Director, is dedicated to this cause and sees his role as a dot connector in the process. Though the Collective’s pedal pushing programs and volunteer-based bike shop have become integral to the local community, Morrison attributes the community’s influence as the driving force behind its creation and development. … read more
Roxan Morin and Sunyin Marci, owners of The Jackalope, are two of the most ever-present and semi-omnipotent bar owners/tenders in Salt Lake City. The whole “It’s better to be feared than loved” approach to service is thrown completely out the window. You can find them behind the bar on any given night serving your favorite firewater, killing you with kindness all the while. … read more
When a kitchen fire tore through Este Pizzeria’s Sugarhouse location, founder Dave Heiblim had few options. In order to finance the rebirth and continuation of his New York-style establishment, he sold a franchise to then-manager Brook Lund, who had worked in pizza since he was 16 and at Este since 2005. Lund quickly set up shop downtown on 200 S. and since then, he’s been using his decade-plus of pizza experience and slinging huge slices of thin, topping-laden pie with gusto. … read more
Mo Collet, owner of the Blindside in Sugarhouse, has built a reputable shop by giving back to the community of skateboarders and snowboarders that frequent the area. Blindside is a staple of the skateboard and snowboard scene and has been for quite some time, without any plans to stop anytime soon. I sat down with Mo and banged out some hard-hitting questions about SLUG and the 22nd birthday of the magazine. … read more
Hondo is a young entrepreneur who set up shop in the heart of Salt Lake with a dream and a promise to the skaters here to stay true to a skateboard-only skateshop. Hailing from Massachusetts, Hondo came out to Utah to finish a degree in English at the University of Utah and soon found himself immersed in the local skate and snow culture. The only thing that was lacking in the scene was a downtown skateshop, and he took it upon himself to make that become a reality. … read more
Jon Parkin, Tino Lucero, Mike Mason and Casey Hanson are four of the nicest guys you’ll meet in an anti-Jesus setting. Gaza is one of the most notorious bands to come out of Utah in years. While Gaza hoodies are keeping people all over the world warm, their albums are keeping parents all over the world scared. They are a band with a message, and they’ve stepped onto a platform in the Utah music scene which had been empty for years. … read more
Raunch Records first opened its doors in 1984. Over the last decade, the yuppies have seemingly said, “Jump,” to which Sugarhouse has said, “How high?” So Brad Collins and company couldn’t have picked a better time to re-launch—or, re-Raunch. Look no further for punk/hardcore CDs, vinyl, apparel and skateboards. No Top 40, no Entertainment Weekly subscription offers at checkout, and no phonies—that’s Raunch, “a fucked up place to get some shit.” … read more
Blue Boutique is one of the oldest and best lingerie/adult novelty shops in Utah. Walking into any of their four locations is like stepping into a casino in Vegas minus the drunk smokers, and with some extra sexy thrown in the mix. Longtime buyer Dionn Nielsen has been working with the shop since 1989, as long as SLUG has been around, and she still loves her job.Despite a move that hurt the business, and the initial protests over their new location, Blue Boutique has continued to thrive. … read more
Darin Piccoli and Chris Mautz moved to Utah in the late ‘90s and both quickly fell into the roles of local concert promoters, booking for events like the Red Butte and Snowbird concert series as well as the Utah Arts Festival. Both were “avid concert-goers” when they moved to Utah and turned their growing expertise into a physical reality with The State Room’s grand opening on April 1, 2009. … read more
