Category Archives: Business

Utah State Fairpark Brings the Heat (and the BBQ) for Summer

The Utah State Fairpark and the Fairpark Community Council are very excited to announce that “Best of Utah” BBQ winner, Pat’s BBQ, is opening a location directly on the fairgrounds! Pat’s has also been featured on Food Network’s
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives! This location is currently renovating what is now known as the food court, and will be open regular hours starting July 12, 2017.

Pat Barber, the owner, is thrilled about this new space. He is looking forward to getting to know his new neighbors, incorporating what this incredible community has to offer, and taking advantage of the amazing space and opportunities available at the fairgrounds. He hopes to create a lively and thriving gathering place for the neighborhood and the state by offering frequent live music and many special planned
events (and possible expansion!). Keep your eyes peeled on their website to see what’s in the works at www.patsbbq.com.
Or, Pat would love it if you just asked him! Access to this new location is a breeze, as you will be able to drive right into the Utah State Fairpark and park directly
next to the building. So please stop by and give our new neighbor a hearty welcome this summer while enjoying the best BBQ in the city, live blues music and sunshine, or the covered patio! Pat and his crew can’t wait to meet you. This location is also hiring for all staff positions. If interested, please visit their website (listed above) and give them a call.

In addition to welcoming Pat’s BBQ as a permanent resident to the fairgrounds, the Utah State Fairpark has some awesome events planned for summer 2017. For additional details about events listed, please visit the accompanying
websites.

July 1 – Bubble Run: http://bubblerun.com
July 13-16 – BMW MOA International Rally (set up starts the7th): http://www.bmwmoa.org/page/rally2017
July 19: Grand opening of new the arena with special performances planned. Reserved seats only, and seats are still available: http://www.daysof47.com
July 19-24 – Days of ’47. Frontier Zone open every day from
noon until 10pm, and open 11am on weekends and the holiday. Rodeo starts at 8pm every night except Sundays. Visit their website for full details and of additional events: http:// www.daysof47.com/#events
August: Two separate musical acts planned to perform in the
new arena this month. Stay tuned for more details!
September 7-17 – Utah State Fair
The Utah State Fairpark also wishes to announce that UTA will no longer be using a lot on the fairgrounds for parking purposes. For news and updates
on the Utah State Fairpark, visit http://www.utahstatefairpark.com.

Red Iguana, A Community Cornerstone

The name speaks for itself. It’s a respected restaurant with strong community roots with over 30 years serving west side residents. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Lucy Cardenas and Bill Coker of Red Iguana this month and learned a little more about this family owned restaurant — a gem along the North Temple corridor.

Red Iguana has been involved in the Fairpark Community Fairpark for decades.

“I try to do what I can by taking care of our properties, and bringing people in. I also love helping our neighboring schools. I really just want to support what we have here,” said Lucy.

“There’s a lot of potential to see North Temple turn into a Grand Boulevard. We want to invite people to come check us out!”

If she could fix one thing about the neighborhood, it would be the trash. “My biggest thing that drives me crazy is the trash. I live here in Fairpark and I walk a lot. I walk between the restaurants. We walk downtown and to the dog park. I want this to be a walkable neighborhood and I want it to be safe and
clean.” We couldn’t agree more!

Also, Red Iguana is growing! The Red Iguana 2 restaurant expansion is now open. “A lot of people thought it was counter intuitive to open a restaurant nearby. But really, I didn’t want to leave the neighborhood. It will be fantastic thing – funky and cool. So I said, you know what, we are going to open up right here in this neighborhood! It’s in operation and it’s going beautifully. Really, really nice. We are so appreciative that the community supports us.” They are open 363 days a year, and closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

When asked about growth in the neighborhood Lucy said, “I love the idea of more restaurants coming into our neighborhood. People have a real perception of this neighborhood and we need to fix that. I’d love to see a floral shop, or a specialty food store. Just bring it on in! If another restaurant opened up nearby, we would love that. Having grown up here, North Temple used to have all kinds of things happening, a movie theater, a bowling alley, a Dees and a lot of stuff going on. I’d love to see that come back.” For more information, hours and menu, go to rediguana.com.

West Side Spotlight: Angela Brown, SLUG Magazine, Craft Lake City

“I feel like Fairpark is the Sugarhouse of tomorrow. It really reminds me of Sugarhouse from 10 years ago! There’s so much potential and so much passion, and it’s a great time to be a part of that growth. There really is momentum building on the west side. It’s so close to downtown, and I love it!” ~ Angela Brown, SLUG Magazine

Spring is almost here and as one of our favorite local alternative magazines SLUG (Salt Lake Underground) celebrates 27 years, we felt that it was fitting to sit down with artist, writer and uber-creative businesswoman Angela Brown.

A four year resident of Fairpark with 20 years of experience working on the west side, Angela is also throwing a fabulous summer event, Craft Lake City. If you’ve never been, this event (August 12-14) celebrates local crafters and artists and is a wonderful festival for families, local crafters, and shoppers alike. Angela is expecting to see 60,000 visitors from both in and out of state. Angela had this to say about Fairpark:

“I feel like Fairpark is the Sugarhouse of tomorrow. It really reminds me of Sugarhouse from 10 years ago! There’s so much potential and so much passion, and it’s a great time to be a part of that growth. There really is momentum building on the west side. It’s so close to downtown, and I love it!”

Angela has been with SLUG magazine for 17 years with the last 15 at the helm.

“SLUG magazine has become a pillar of the alternative community, and it’s important that we keep that independent spirit alive. We have a great team, and it is very important to us that we maintain our local voice, writing about local events, and local music.”

She also sits on the Business Advisory Board representing District 1, which advises the Mayor and City Council on issues affecting Salt Lake City’s business community.

“We get together once a month and talk about problems small businesses face. Mayor Jackie Biskupski is really paying attention to that. When we meet, we think, ‘How can we make it easier for small business to get the process started?’”

A true original, Angela’s goal is to empower our community to share our voice through our art.

“I think creation is a form of meditation. It’s a way for us to express ourselves, relieve stress, connect with others and show something beautiful, or maybe not so beautiful,”

she laughs,

“but art helps build our community culture.”

Let’s use this inspiration to make Fairpark beautiful again! Submit your applications to be a vendor in Craft Lake City by April 15th.

West Side Spotlight: Jorge Fierro, owner of Frida Bistro and Rico Brands

“We all have a story, and America loves stories — stories of success, humbleness, working hard. I am the epitome of the American dream. It doesn’t mean I’m a rich guy, on the contrary, it means that the more I have, the more humble I become.”

As a 30 year resident of Utah, Jorge Fierro has become a respected leader in both the Latino and business communities and is a proud homeowner in Fairpark. We were able to sit down with him for our February edition of West Side Spotlight. Jorge serves our community on several non-profit boards including Locals First, the River District Business Alliance, and the Burrito Project. He is very proud of the fact that volunteer members of the Burrito Project have been delivering hand rolled burritos to the homeless for over four years. Jorge is also on the board of the Lowell Bennion Community Center for the University of Utah, the Utah Microenterprise Note Fund, and American Heart Association Go Red Por Tu Corazón. “This is a cause that I’m very concerned about. Latinas are dying and we need to do something to raise awareness,” he said.

“One of the things I love about living on the Westside is the diversity. I LOVE how diverse it is. It makes me feel comfortable, like home,” he said. Jorge is very passionate about ensuring that the Latino population on the west side is involved.

“I would like to specifically tell the Latino community that the main reason why I’m so involved in non-profit organizations and volunteering projects is because we Latinos need to be MORE involved in our community. This is OUR community. Even though we may not have been born here, this is where we live; this is where our kids go to school. We NEED to take care of our community. In the morning when we wake up, we wake up here; and at night when we go home, we come home here. This is our home and we need to take care of it. I’m always looking for a place where I, Jorge Fierro, can make a difference. There is always more to be done. America has offered and given me so much. What I do, I do it because I have to share the success and I feel very strongly about making sure there are no injustices that happen and that everyone has a fair shot to a good life and a good education.”

We couldn’t agree more!
Continue reading →