Small businesses

 During this pandemic, I have tried to make a conscious effort to support small, local businesses. It has saddened me to see many of them close down. Not only is it the right thing to do to support small businesses, it's actually fun! I love a good Target run or the convenience of Amazon, but small businesses just have a special feeling.

So, I'm going to tell you about many of my favorite small businesses!

Now, what exactly is a small local business? I'm not really sure, because some local businesses have done really well even in other parts of the country, and some major chains have local franchises. For my purposes, I'm going to focus on Utah-based businesses with a relatively small number of locations in the region (potentially including other states). 

You'll notice that a great majority of them are food businesses, because I'm a glutton like that. When they are dessert businesses, you can guarantee that they have interesting seasonal offerings, or I wouldn't even bother with them.

Book Garden. I hadn't paid much attention to this Bountiful business until this year, but it has an impressive collection of both used and new books. They have a convenient website where you can see what books they have, and they have carried many of the books I have needed for class. They even have a section called "Old Cool," which consists of vintage books. I've bought some mid-twentieth-century Halloween and Easter children's books there. I went this week to buy a book for class (I can read it online, but they had it for only six dollars), and I almost bought another "old cool" book, but then I realized it would just take up space and I would never use it.

Goodly Cookies. The current fad in Utah is cookies, and it's a fad I hope lasts a long time. Of all the cookie businesses, Goodly is the best. Their large cookies have amazing texture, and they come up with creative flavors. I'm sad the only location is in Salt Lake, which is no longer part of my regular commute.

Chip Cookies. Chip might be tied with Goodly for best cookies (though I think Goodly has a slight edge), and they also offer wonderful cookies of the month. There are a few locations.

RubySnap Cookies. While Goodly and Chip taste better, RubySnap wins for creative flavors. For example, one of their February cookies is rose, with actual rosebuds on it! In April, they have coconut carrot curry. In October, they have butternut squash. Their cookies taste great, but they have a distinctive tang. It's not bad, just a little weird. I think they have a terrible location, with awkward parking. 

Brownies! Brownies! Brownies! Two years ago, when I would help with weekly tutoring, the location for tutoring changed, and when I looked on Google Maps for the new church, I saw Brownies! Brownies! Brownies! (It is a cumbersome name to type.) They offer little brownie sandwiches with unique flavors. The brownies themselves are average (which means they are great), but it's the fillings and toppings that make them stand out. It is a little expensive, though.

Taste Off. Formerly known as Utah Taste Off, this isn't a business you can visit. Every week, they choose a food theme, and they feature six local businesses. You buy a box with (usually) two of each item from six different places. Then you pick it up from a location that varies each week. So not only are you supporting Taste Off, you're supporting the businesses that they support. You vote for your favorites online. It's pricey, but it's fun (and not unreasonable).

Twisted Sugar. This is one of many soda/cookie places where the cookies are served cold rather than warm (like the ones above). Of those cold-cookie places, Twisted Sugar has the most creative flavors. They have a few locations in Davis County.

Cutler's Cookies and Sandwiches. I think there are three locations, but the Centerville one is best because they have monthly cookies. The sandwiches are homey, and the cookies are simple but wonderful.

Atlantis Burgers, Apollo Burger, Crown Burger, etc. These restaurants are all separate, yet they're basically the same. The signs out front have similar fonts, and inside, you can expect the fries to be the same, and they will sell baklava and pastrami burgers. They are operated by Greek immigrants or their families. I think it's the most random genre of restaurants! I like Apollo Burger for its veggie burgers, but Atlantis Burger is closer to my house and offers eggnog shakes at Christmas.

Pizza Pie Cafe. I am still sad that the Bountiful location closed down, but I have still gone to the Layton location. They have monthly dessert pizzas. Their regular pizzas aren't exactly gourmet, but they're still better than, say, Little Caesars. They are a great deal for all-you-can-eat pizza and salad. But I do wish they had more veggie options.

Blacksmith Ice Cream. Bountiful has an adorable Main Street, and Blacksmith is suitably adorable. It's not the best ice cream I've ever had, but it's perfectly enjoyable.

Parsons' Bakery. I must admit, I like the idea of Parsons' better than the bakery itself. The owners lived just above us when I was a kid. I remember going to their old location in Five Points Mall (torn down long ago), and my mom would buy me a sickly-sweet alligator donut with frosting inside it. Many friends worked there when I was in high school. But really it's a mediocre bakery. I often find the cookies to be overcooked, and they're not really better than what you could make at home. But they do custom orders, which might be where they really shine. 

Normal Ice Cream. I'm not sure why they picked the name Normal, because they are anything but normal. They are the RubySnap equivalent of ice cream (and I think the two businesses have even teamed up). They have super weird, creative flavors, and their two locations (Trolley Square and 900 South) offer different monthly menus. They sell composed cones, which are ice cream cones with random toppings thrown on. Again, I would say their creativity is better than their flavor, but it still tastes good.

Sugar Fix. I don't think there's a storefront you can visit. These are cookies sold in gas stations. A year ago, they drastically reduced their distribution, and I was worried they had gone out of business. But they still sell them at Holiday Oil and select Chevron stations. They have the best sugar cookies I have ever had.

This year, I have decided to count heart-shaped sugar cookies as category 1 for Valentine's Day, which means they are iconic to the holiday.

Penguin Bros. Ice Cream. Can't decide between cookies or ice cream? At Penguin Bros., you get both. They give you ice cream between their own cookies. I must say, they are a little hard to eat if you have sensitive teeth, and the cookies are crunchier than I generally like, but they can't be too soft or they wouldn't work for ice cream sandwiches. I've been to the Sugar House location, but apparently they started in Provo.

Pace's Dairy Ann. Anyone who grew up in southern Davis County remembers getting Pace Bars at school, which are seriously the best ice pops ever made, especially when they're fresh from the restaurant. (Now they sell them in plastic wrappers instead of paper, which probably keeps them fresher, but it's worse for the environment.) I go there most in summer and in March, when I have their mint shakes. They can be slow, however.

Neighbors Market. Somewhere between a grocery store and a convenience store, Neighbors Market is kind of gross. But if I'm cooking and suddenly realize I'm missing an ingredient, it's the closest place that has the most common ingredients. They also sell a surprising amount of random stuff, such as Caramel Apple Sugar Babies, my favorite Halloween candy.

Nacho House. Just a nice mom-and-pop Mexican place.

Chile Amor. Their location and parking are awkward, but they're another valuable local Mexican spot.

Benchmark Books. If you are looking for any kind of book in Mormon or Utah studies, Benchmark probably has it. Their small staff is very knowledgeable. 

Let's keep shopping at these places so they don't close down!