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Best Rap Cars
Ararat  European Motors
Every rapper needs a shiny new sled for their rap video, and Ararat European Motors are the go-to guys for hip-hop’s best. With clients like Waka Flocka and Dr. Dre, owner Tony Ouzounian and marketing director Jason Moore have been quietly filling an overlooked niche in the music industry since 1987. Whether you’re making a video or want a new picture for your Match.com profile, Ararat can rent you a new Lamborghini, Bentley or any other car you probably couldn’t afford to actually own.
3323 S. 200 East, Salt Lake City, 801-486-2040, AraratEuropeanMotorsports.com

Best Place to Find a Mascot
Alinco Costumes
Have you ever wondered how mascots are born? Don’t worry, it’s not as awkward as you’d think. Many of the nation’s mascots come from Alinco Costumes in Salt Lake City. The company has been around since 1889 and is responsible for such mascots as the Jack Links Sasquatch, Jazz Bear and more than half of the NBA’s mascots. So, when you’re ready to pull the trigger on that oversize chicken suit, Alinco will make your dream a reality.
5505 S. Riley Lane, Murray, 801-266-6337, AlincoCostumes.com

Best Chic Bargains
The Exchange Consignment
If the pickers at your local Deseret Industries beat you to the punch every time in your quest for consignment-priced treasures, perhaps it’s time to take a little trip to Park City. Since the Sundance town collects more than its fair share of snazzy-dressing glitterati, it also collects some great consignment clothes. Stop by the store and you’ll be treated to some choice vintage Western shirts and spiffy cowboy boots, top-label trunk treasures from brands like Coco Chanel, and contemporary gear like Ugg boots—without the contemporary price tag.
350 Main, Park City, 435-649-3360

Best Malt Balls
Maison Confiserie & Boutique
There’s chocolate, and then there’s chocolate, and there are Whoppers, and then there are these magical malt balls. Though also available in fun flavors like mint Oreo, the milk-chocolate malt balls are by far the best—so popular that they’re ordered by the pallet at Maison Confiserie & Boutique, which sells a huge variety of other gourmet penny candies, as well as gifts. The airy, melt-in-your-mouth malt centers are covered with a thick, glossy milk-chocolate coating that keeps people coming back for them by the pound.
1291 S. 1100 East, Salt Lake City, 801-953-0334, BoutiqueDeMaison.com

Best Home Delivery
Zip Kit Homes
What’s more convenient than having your new home delivered right to your (future) front door? Zip Kit Homes offers prefabricated home kits and home components that can be delivered from the Mount Pleasant factory straight to the site of your abode-to-be. Since the components are pre-constructed, they’re cheaper than if they were built on-site, and are oftentimes more energy efficient. It’s a quick fix, too, since the parts assemble more easily—entire Zip Kit homes can usually be put together in as little as six to eight weeks.
435-828-6606, ZipKitHomes.com

Best Back-to-the-Future Vehicles
Skratchworks
Made from plant fiber and quarried minerals, Skratch is a sculpting material that has been used to turn an old truck into a beautiful, sand-castle-looking sculpture—that’s driveable. It’s been used to transform a spiral staircase into a work of art seemingly straight out of The Little Mermaid. It’s pliable, malleable and easy to work with, but when it dries, it’s nearly as hard as rock or hardwood. Jared Morris Nicholson invented Skratch for his own artistic pursuits, but any artist, mason, sculptor, craftsperson or DIYer can easily use the load-bearing medium for art—functional or not.
Skratchworks.com

Best Local Ski Poles
Panda Poles
Handcrafted here in the Wasatch, Panda Poles are made from sustainable bamboo shafts and hemp webbing. They’re aesthetically pleasing and lightweight, have a higher tensile strength than aluminum, a greater strength-to-weight ratio than graphite and come with a first-season warranty. These locally made skiin’ sticks are proof that synthetic materials are not a necessity in the ski industry.
801-742-1396, PandaPoles.com

Best European Furnishings
Euro Treasures Antiques
Entering downtown from the 600 South exit ramp, you’ll see a sign for one of the greatest antique experiences in Utah, where history and interior decoration collide in a mix of wonderful possibilities. Most of the wares came over from England in 89 containers. The sheer scale of the 87,000-square-foot, two-floor building boggles the mind—it’s a dusty labyrinth of European furniture and African collectibles on the ground floor and thousands of chairs on the second floor. Antique shopping will never be quite the same again.
470 W. 600 South, Salt Lake City, 801-364-6390, EuroTreasuresAntiques.com