Home Again

Midvale
7490 S. Holden Street
801-225-5457

Sugarhouse
1019 E. 2100 S.
801-487-4668

Mon.-Fri. 10-6
Sat. 10-5
Closed Sundays

Accepts consignment: Mon.-Fri. 11-4 Sat. 11-3


I can’t remember on which serendipitous occasion I came around the corner of Holden street and spotted Home Again…oh wait, yes I can. I’d just come back from a doctor’s appointment. Anyway, when I saw the green brick façade with “consignment” written on it; I did a 180˚ and pulled into the parking lot. I now own two leather pillows, a small cabinet, and small writing desk type thingey—all courtesy of Home Again.

I love the idea of buying old junk and re-finishing or painting it to create something marvelously quirky and unique. Check out Mandi Gubler’s Vintage Revivals blog for instructions for making genius Thrift Shop Glam projects. But my problem is actually getting around to doing the project. I have two kitchen chairs—one from D.I. and one from a junk sale—that have remained in their junky state for about two years now.
















Home Again provides finished projects. Much of the furniture is vintage or retro, but has been given the sanding and fresh paint needed to make it house-ready. My Home Again cabinet is the result of an emergency run to the store, hours before I had guests coming. I just couldn’t let them see my home stereo system balanced precariously on cardboard boxes.

Home Again carries items as small as a china tea cup and as large as an armoire. Home décor, home furnishings, and a lot of personality. The prices are excellent. Not as low as a thrift store—these are finished pieces—but much better than buying brand new.
















I like my furniture solid and real. I love texture. I like the feel of real wood. That’s not to say I don’t have pasteboard in my house. Unfortunately, I too own the “build-it-yourself” bookshelves. You know, the ones that don’t require tools for assembly and that shatter like a plate glass window in an action movie if you lean on it. But when I can afford it, I like to buy “real” furniture made in a day when furniture was meant to last. Home Again makes that possible.

Ten Thousand Ways to Say I Love You

Ten Thousand Villages
1941 S. 1100 E.
Suite 1945
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
801-485-8827

There are 10 days left until Valentine’s Day, February 14th, and for many, this is the trickiest gift-giving day of the year. Whether the message you’re trying to send is ‘I love you truly, madly, deeply’ or ‘I noticed you across the quad,’ the underlying sentiment is the same: you matter to me.

When I was a student at Brigham Young University, the BYU bookstore used to go nuts on Valentine’s Day. I expect it still does. One service they used to offer was encasing your gift inside of a helium balloon. I still have visions of helpless teddy bears trapped in airless prisons. Talk about a metaphor for a suffocating relationship!

But I’m not the hardened Valentine’s cynic that my previous observation might imply. My best Valentine’s Day memories consist of simple gestures: an unexpected rose delivered to my work place or a homemade breakfast.

So fear not Valentine’s Day shoppers. I’m here to tell you the best places in Utah and Salt Lake Valley to shop for unique, inventive and non-schmaltzy Valentine’s Day gifts. (Tip: my readers of the fairer sex may wish to subtly refer their masculine counterparts to this blog entry.)

I can’t think of a better place to start your Valentine’s Day shopping than in a city called Sugarhouse. Ten Thousand Villages is a fair-trade foreign import store located on 11th East 1941 South in Sugarhouse. You’ll find home décor, jewelry and accessories, textiles, chocolates, cards and books from India, Korea, the Philippines, Africa--38 countries in all. Everything is handcrafted and fair trade, which means the artisans in each country receive a fair price for their wares.













Jewelry, scarves and handbags are all unique and beautiful. The jewelry ranges from sweet simple pieces as low as $12 to intricately-crafted works of art created with semi-precious stones. Picture frames made from diverse materials like bone, fabric, wood and newspaper also make great Valentine’s Day gifts.

Some of the most delightful items in the store are in the children’s section. There are hand-sewn dolls and animals in brilliant fabrics, beautiful painted blocks, and books that tell about lives of children around the world. I was particularly taken with a CD of international Sesame Street songs.















Candles, tablecloths, pieces of art and sculpture, exotic chocolate, cards…you can’t by a cliché gift at Ten Thousand Villages. Every piece is a unique way to say “you matter to me.”

Not that I’m knocking the traditional approach. Flowers are never wrong.

EVER.

But do you really want to venture anywhere near a flower shop on Valentine’s Day?

What is the best/worst Valentine’s Day gift you’ve ever given or received? Share your V-day tragedies and triumphs in the comments section. The person with the most striking story will get a gift purchased at Ten Thousand Villages.

Central Book Exchange

Central Book Exchange
2017 S. 1100 E.
SLC, UT 84106
(in Sugarhouse)
801-485-3913
mail@central-bookexchange.com

Remember the 1998 movie “You’ve Got Mail” in which Tom Hanks plays the CEO of a large corporate book chain at war with Meg Ryan’s character who owns a historic, individually owned bookshop? Whether you sympathize more with Tom Hanks’ character or Meg Ryan’s, you’ll find what you need on 11th East in Sugarhouse. Since I identify more with Meg, I bypassed Barnes & Noble on 23rd south and walked down a block or two to Central Book Exchange, the original used book source in Sugarhouse since 1968.

When you walk into a well-tended used bookshop, you know you’re entering the inner sanctum of a true booklover. There’s no need to present your official bibliophile identification card; your initiation and acceptance is immediate.


Used bookstores always have the most unique titles on display, and Central Book Exchange is no exception. One of the first books I spotted had a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger on the front and was entitled “Terminator & Philosophy: I’ll Be Back, Therefore I Am.” I was also seriously tempted by a gorgeous coffee table book in the Foreign Language & Travel section, "This Spectered Isle: A Journey through Haunted England.”

Another great thing about used bookstores is that they cater to a local audience. In the Nature/Adventure/Outdoors section, I spotted “Best Hikes with Children in Utah” as well as the national bestseller “Into the Wild.”

In the children’s section I found a gorgeous illustrated version of the children’s classic “Wind in the Willows.” I couldn’t leave without it. It appeared to be brand new, but I got it for a steal at $9. I also treated myself to the first in a recent detective series entitled “Maisie Dobbs.” Original cover price: $15. I paid $8.

Lastly I chose two books on tape (both mysteries) to listen to while I paint my living room. One of the workers saw me squatted in the audio book section, sorting through their piles, and offered to bring out still more audio books they had in the back. This is one more thing I love about used bookstores…the owners are always glad to assist and offer personal recommendations.

At Central Book Exchange, I found books in almost every category to satisfy anyone’s literary appetite. Avoid the madness of holiday lines and pseudo sales. Make your shopping experience a satisfying one; visit your cozy Central Book Exchange in the historic Sugarhouse shopping district.