“As an adult, I try to take conscious steps to make people feel included. This is a fun way to do that because we’re also physically making something.” Those words capture the vision behind Needlepoint Shoppe, the welcoming studio Brittany Johnson and Brooke Adair opened on Midvale’s historic Main Street. Filled with colorful canvases, beautiful threads, and inviting places to gather, the shop brings together two things that have long mattered to Brittany - creativity and community. It is also the culmination of two women’s remarkably different journeys, a friendship of more than fifteen years, and a shared desire to create something of their own.

“Helping people reclaim their body, commemorate something meaningful, or leave feeling more empowered in themselves - it’s kind of a little magic spell that we get to cast.” At Echelon Tattoo in Midvale, that sense of transformation lives in every corner of the shop. It can be felt in the artwork covering the walls, in the velvet couches and antique curiosities scattered throughout the space, and most importantly in the partnership between co-owners Ashley Thomas and Desiree Keys. Though their journeys began thousands of miles apart, both women found their way to tattooing through art and a desire to connect with others. Together, they have built a studio that feels less like a tattoo shop and more like a creative community where artists and clients alike feel welcomed, respected, and inspired.

“You can’t fully exhale in a place where you feel like you don’t belong. I wanted to create a space where people feel safe the moment they walk through the door.” Opened in 2023, Maven STAY is not your typical hotel. It is not marked by grand lobbies or sterile hallways. Instead, it feels like a quiet invitation to slow down, to settle in. It does not aim for flash. Rather, it welcomes guests with softness, warmth, and a deep sense of care.

“Crone’s Hollow is a place that came from love, and we welcome everyone.” TaMara Sorensen never planned to open a witchcraft store when she arrived in Salt Lake City as a twenty-year-old on vacation in 1979. She simply never left. The mountains and adventure called her, and she built a long career in customer service, working with the Sundance Catalog for over thirty years and teaching customer service courses at Salt Lake Community College. But alongside her day job, she was quietly finding her path in a different world.

“I didn’t just want to open a studio. I wanted to change the way people feel about moving their bodies, and about themselves.” Tessa Arneson opened Maven STRONG with more than just fitness in mind. The sleek, light-filled Pilates studio was the first brick in what would become the Maven DISTRICT - a hub of women-owned, health-focused businesses in Salt Lake City’s Central City neighborhood. But in the beginning, it was simply about creating a space for strength and self-trust, built from Tessa’s own personal transformation.