Red Flower Studios
"My mom was a hippie. We just moved around,” Daniel Bell recalled with a laugh. Growing up, the owner of Red Flower Studios lived in numerous states, spending much of his childhood between Minnesota and Mississippi. His mother encouraged his independence and curiosity, while Daniel discovered early on that he loved working with his hands. Instead of conventional toys, he preferred pieces of wood and whatever materials he could find to build something.
Han’s Kombucha
Growing up in Boise, Idaho, Hannah Banick, owner of the eponymous Han’s Kombucha, was already showing signs of the entrepreneur she would become. There were lemonade stands and little pieces of artwork she and her friends tried to sell, along with plenty of sports that were played. “I was always pretty driven,” she remembered.
Bicycle Collective
“We work at the intersection of transportation equity and environmental sustainability.” For Donna Matturro McAleer, executive director of Bicycle Collective, those are not simply words describing a nonprofit organization. They are evident throughout a building where donated bicycles arrive every day, professional mechanics work alongside longtime volunteers, and customers search for everything from a vintage part to a one-dollar inner tube. Somewhere in the midst of it all, another bicycle is being prepared for someone for whom two wheels may mean an entirely different level of independence.
Cozy Coffee Lounge
“Cozy Coffee Lounge was built to create a safe space - a community space for gatherings, different ideas to put together.” Before the name existed, before the patio filled on Saturday mornings, before the coffee parties and yoga mats and music nights, there was a young man in Salt Lake City who had been thinking for years about what a coffee shop could be. Dzenef Beganovic does not tell his story for sympathy. He tells it because it explains why he chose to build something that feels like more than a place to grab a drink.
Orchid Dynasty
“We were young and confident. In one year, we opened Orchid Dynasty, got married, and I was pregnant.” Shelly Huynh smiled when she said it, remembering a time when everything seemed possible. Born in Vietnam, she arrived in the United States as a toddler in 1979, one of the “boat people” whose families risked everything to flee.
MOZZ
“I ask myself this a thousand times a day - am I acting in good faith? Am I being honest, empathetic, forthright, grateful? That’s the rudder I steer my life with now, and it’s how we run our business too.” Jared Neiswender, owner of MOZZ, grew up in the suburbs outside Philadelphia. It is an area where New York commuters met hometown tradition, and where, at fourteen, he got his first job in a restaurant. “I’ve worked in restaurants my whole life,” he said, “but I never imagined they would become my path forward.”
Marcato Kitchen
“I didn’t just get into cooking, I chose it. And then, somehow, I feel like it chose me.” Kyle Williams’s journey to opening Marcato Kitchen has been anything but conventional. Raised in Southern California in a family that loved to cook, Kyle never felt drawn to the kitchen himself. “I liked to eat, that’s for sure, but cooking felt like work, and I didn’t want to work.”
Templin Family Brewing
“Everything has to be world-class: the beer, the service, the space.” That simple yet powerful statement from owner Kevin Templin captures the essence of Templin Family Brewing. From the moment one steps through the doors, there is a sense of passion and precision that define everything they do. The warm, welcoming atmosphere, the finely crafted beers, the sense of community - none of it is by accident. It is the result of years of dedication and hard work.
Zion Furniture and Upholstery
“I’ve spent my whole life in the business, one way or another —since I was a little kid running around on the cutting tables,” Joe Starks, the current owner of Zion Furniture and Upholstery, shares. Originally founded in 1937 by Barney Barnhill, the shop has seen several owners and moved locations before settling in its current spot in the early 1980s. "Barney ran it until he was too old," and then his son took it over. John Harper purchased the shop next. When he became ill, his daughter took over, and then Joe's uncle bought Zion's in 2002, but not before asking Joe if he wanted Zion's.