• BY NIKI CHAN
• ALL ABOUT SOCKS

Best Hosiery Specialists
All About Socks
You know it’s true: Your socks are boring, just something you stick between your feet and your shoes. But there’s no reason they can’t be more. Ken and Hillary Ong launched their first All About Socks store in Logan in 2010, and have already expanded to four additional locations. Grab lively specialty socks for holidays, to represent your favorite team or just for something colorful and fun. Fashionable tights and leggings are always a hit, and if you have special foot-care needs, you’ll also find compression and diabetic socks.
Multiple locations, AllAboutSocks.com

Best “Real Women Have Curves” Swimwear
Persona Swimwear
Salt Lake City’s Emily Sanders wants every woman to know that it’s possible to find a bathing suit that works for her body—not just the bodies of swimsuit models. Sanders brings her fine-arts background to bear on Persona, a line of beach attire, sold online and through various boutiques, that isn’t designed to show the most skin possible, but to show a sense of flair and fun that isn’t always found in “mom” bathing suits. The results are colorful, unique creations for every size, shape and sensibility.
PersonaSwimwear.com

Best Way to Smooth Things Out
Blender Bottle
No matter how fervently you shake your post-workout protein powder in a bottle of water or milk, there always seems to be gooey balls of whey that don’t dissolve. Blender Bottle makes functional, stylish, BPA-free bottles that stand out from the rest thanks to the Pleasant Grove company’s patented BlenderBall technology. Set the little Slinky-esque stainless-steel sphere inside the bottle to pulverize clumps of supplement powder into a smooth concoction every time.
BlenderBottle.com

Best Bouquet
The Art Floral
Anyone can pick up a slightly wilted plastic-wrapped bouquet from the grocery store on the way home, or get a pre-packaged order over the phone or online. But going to The Art Floral can turn a simple gesture into a meaningful event. The shop’s crew puts thought, care and painstaking effort into every arrangement to make it stand out as a work of art. Whether the flowers end up next to a hospital bed wishing someone well, on a business counter as a thank-you, or showing an important person in your life that you truly love them, the green thumbs at The Art Floral will make the sentiment count.
580 E. Broadway, Salt Lake City,  801-363-0565, TheArtFloral.com

Best Artsy Décor
The Old Flamingo
Don’t make the mistake of thinking The Old Flamingo is just another consignment shop. It’s actually an artists collective, featuring 17 local artists (owner Missy Coombs is pictured) who specialize in furniture and home accessories—meaning you’ll get top-quality vintage furniture and decorative items that you won’t have to blast with a sander when you get home. Or, if you’ve got a gorgeous old dresser with a hideous coat of paint, you can commission one of the Old Flamingo artists to give it new life with a different color and painting style.
3474 S. 2300 East, Salt Lake City, 801-274-3474, TheOldFlamingo.com

Best Eye for Design
Grassroots Modern
When browsing through the categories within this local design blog, it’s obvious where editor Creede Fitch’s loyalties lie: affordable design. Fitch, a Utah native, fell in love with minimalist and mid-century modern design more than a decade ago and couldn’t resist sharing. He mostly posts photos mostly of eye-catching furniture, but he doesn’t shy away from drool-worthy architecture and local homes, along with furniture that he built himself. Who needs to peruse Pinterest when you’ve got Grassroots Modern?
GrassrootsModern.com