Best of Utah 2012: Goods & Services 

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Best Organic T-Shirts
The Green Element
Every year, more and more Americans look for more ways to reduce their global footprint, from what they eat to how much they drive—and, of course, what they wear. The Green Element offers clothing items—notably T-shirts, hoodies and hats—made exclusively with organically grown cotton and printed with water-based inks (special washing is required). A portion of the proceeds are directed to like-minded environmentally conscious nonprofit organizations.
GreenElementClothing.com

Best Rainbow of Ribbons
The Lace Place
Ribbons and bows: That’s pretty much all you’ll see when you walk in the door. Racks and racks of spools and spools of ribbons in every imaginable color, texture, width and style. Satin, silk and velvet. Pre-made specialty bows. Plain or patterned, simple or fancy, for packages, crafts or just to tie up a ponytail—it’s hard to imagine not finding exactly what you need somewhere in the very specialized aisles of The Lace Place.
2682 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, 801-474-2697, TheLacePlaceRibbons.blogspot.com

Best Old-School Fixtures
Retrospect Water & Light
Home design and remodeling often seem to be about current trends: marble-countertop this, stainless-steel that. Or you could find something with more style and personality. This downtown shop specializes in vintage and reproduction light fixtures and plumbing fixtures—stuff that looks like it might have been pulled from an old house, and that has an artistic flair. Check out beautiful chandeliers and glass shades, plus decorative art glass and pottery.
68 E. 700 South, Salt Lake City, 801-517-3876, RetrospectWaterAndLight.com

Best Bedside Manner
Dr. Ted Burningham, Tanner Clinic
If you visit Layton’s Tanner Clinic with a medical issue, you’ll feel like the luckiest patient around if you’re looked after by general practitioner Dr. Ted Burningham. In a time when physicians seem completely disengaged from their “clients,” Dr. Ted is a doc who actually listens. And he never rushes folks through the door. If you have a story to share about your health problems, he wants to hear it. And he’ll speak to you in plain, unvarnished English about diagnoses, treatment options and so on, often using his computer to visually help patients understand their conditions. Plus, since he’s banned drug-company salespeople from his office, you won’t have to fight drug reps for his attention or worry that he’s been bought by a pharmaceutical company.
2121 N. 1700 West, Layton, 801-773-4865, TannerClinic.com

Best Footwear Fixer
Ray’s Shoe Repair
Located next to the Kaysville Theater on Main Street, Ray’s is a throwback to the day when cobblers knew their clients and folks hung on to shoes and boots forever. Randy, son of original owner Ray, handles all the repairs, whether it be a broken high heel, a worn-out sole or serious scuff. Best of all, he won’t B.S. you. Bring in a new pair of Clark’s boots and, rather than sell you something you don’t need, he says, “With these, you just wear ’em until they’re all broken in, like Indiana Jones; they’re not supposed to be polished.” That sort of honesty is priceless.
15 N. Main, Kaysville, 801-546-1804

Best Hem & Haw
D’Antii
There aren’t too many places where you can have a skilled hand alter your clothes and receive a snarky comment while your measurements are being taken. Additionally, owner Diana Antii is on her game when it comes to what’s hot and what’s not, and doesn’t hold her opinion back when she wonders if you really want to get those baggy pants altered, or just donate them to charity instead. But Antii’s skillful tailoring lasts longer than whatever fashion fad might be making waves, so maybe those MC Hammer-esque pants might have a second life after all.
327 Pierpont Ave. (250 South), Salt Lake City, 801-883-9283, AlterationsSaltLakeCity.com

Best Body Work
Higgins Body & Paint
Forget the torn and lumpy plastic couch most shops provide. Higgins offers an elegant waiting room furnished with new upholstered recliners, pristine magazines and a flat-screen TV with a remote on an antique-looking table. An employee will always come in and offer you water or a soft drink. Classy. But it’s the excellence of the work and extra service that make Higgins the best place to have your crumpled bumper repaired. They not only wash and wax your entire car, they detail the interior. Repairman Mark Maxfield, who has been there 14 years, says, “We try to give a little extra to the customer to make them more satisfied.”
745 W. 200 North, North Salt Lake, 801-936-1780; 4014 W. Nike Drive (8250 South), West Jordan, 801-280-7800, HigginsBodyAndPaint.com

Best Computer Repair
Geekbox
The Geekbox crew began as two friends runnng a PC-repair business out of their basement. After years of seeing firsthand the common problems computers present to their users, they started building customized machines, fit for hard-core gaming or office drudgery. Even though Geekbox now ships its machines internationally, the “computer artisans” still care just as much about ridding your laptop of those viruses and malware.
8912 S. 700 East, Sandy, 801-233-9333, Geekbox.com

Best Ugly Sweaters for a Cause
Sweater Boys Calendar
Tacky Christmas sweaters have started becoming a sign of the season just as much as carols and Black Friday. That’s why freelance filmmaker Miaken Christensen decided to parlay her ever-popular ugly-sweater party into a commemorative calendar filled with 12 months of hilariously grotesque and awkward sweater-clad models. Her Sweater Boys 2012 calendar not only has some of the worst in sweater fashion, but calendar sales proceeds go to help the charitable organization Project Renew, which seeks to help remove cluster bombs in Vietnam left over from the Vietnam War.
SweaterBoys.com

Best Northern Boutique
Persian Peacock
According to Persian Peacock’s Facebook page, they are “fornication specialists” and “know absolutely everything about good sex ... and a whole lot about everything else.” Got your attention? Well, this Logan women’s boutique specializes in sexy stuff like corsets, lingerie and the like. But you can also find a sassy little red (or black) dress; accessories like handbags, wallets and purses; and sensual specialty items like naughty foreplay dice and pheromone massage candles. It’s the best way to spice up your love life in Logan.
47 N. Main, Logan, 435-752-7181