DEALS: Shop & Stay

Tis the season for shopping, snowball fights, hot chocolate, and gift giving. We understand how crazy the holiday season can be. To help make the season a little less stressful, we are offering 20% off your first night stay when you visit www.utahvalleyshopping.com to book your hotel. Come and visit Utah Valley this holiday season and stay in one of our many hotels and get your holiday shopping done at the same time! With so many places to shop, dine and stay, Utah Valley is the perfect place to get that to-do list all checked off.

Hidden Treasures: Spanish Fork

It's the last day of our Hidden Treasures segment and today we are highlighting downtown Spanish Fork! 

Spanish Fork was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1851. Its name derives from a visit to the area by two Franciscan friars from Spain, Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Domínguez in 1776, who followed the stream down Spanish Fork canyon with the objective of opening a new trail from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Spanish missions in California, along a route later followed by fur trappers.

In 1851 some settlers led by William Pace set up scattered farms in the Spanish Fork bottom lands and called the area the Upper Settlement. However, a larger group congregated at what became known as the Lower Settlement just over a mile northwest of the present center of Spanish Fork along the Spanish Fork River.

In 1852 Latter-day Saints founded a settlement called Palmyra west of the historic center of Spanish Fork. George A. Smith supervised the laying out of a townsite, including a temple square in that year.  A fort was built at this site. A school was built at Palmyra in 1852. With the onset of the Walker War in 1853, most of the farmers in the region who were not yet in the fort moved in. Some of the people did not like this site and so moved to a site at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon where they built a structure they called "Fort St. Luke".

Between 1855 and 1860, the arrival of pioneers from Iceland made Spanish Fork into the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States. The city also lent its name to the 1865 Treaty of Spanish Fork, where the Utes were forced by an Executive Order of President Abraham Lincoln to relocate to the Uintah Basin.

Here is a brief look at some of the unique shops you can find downtown: 

Confetti Antiques -  You are sure to find that unique and special gift at this antique store! We had so much fun walking around and exploring everything offered in the store. They even have a tub full of buttons...yes a whole tub! 

Segway of Utah - Here's an idea unlike any other. Give the gift of a segway tour! They do tours through different parts of Utah. You can find out more by visiting their site, http://www.segwayofutah.com/

Granny Sue's Treasures - Talk about an adorable shop...Granny Sue's has everything cute! And when you get hungry trying to figure out which tops and leggings your going to get, head over to Kara's Bakery that is attached to the store!

Where's Nemo - are you a brave parent who's willing to get their child a pet for the holidays? Make sure you stop by Where's Nemo to get all of your aquarium and other pet needs!

Ream's Western Outfitters - here is a store you and the kids will love to visit together! Planning on attending a rodeo anytime soon? This store has everything you could possibly need to fit in at any Western event. Such a fun store! 

Hidden Treasures: Downtown Springville

First explored in 1776 by Father Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, a Franciscan, Springville was originally settled in 1850 by eight pioneer families who crossed the plains to Salt Lake Valley from the East and were subsequently directed by Brigham Young to settle 50 miles (80 km) further south. Incorporated in February 1853, the city was first called Hobble Creek by the early pioneers, because their horses were often hobbled (by loosely tying their front feet together) and left along the stream to graze in the lush grass. If the horses wandered into the creek, the hobbles came off in the water. Thus, the settlement earned its original name. Later, as the town grew, the name was changed to Springville, after the Fort Springville.

It was a cold and wet day when we visited downtown Springville, but we found the cutest stores while we were there! 

Funfinity
They have every toy and game you could ever imagine! I felt like a kid again when I walked through the store. They have hundreds of games to choose from. They even have a wide variety of books. The owners have 6 kids and only carry toys and games in their store that will last a long time and are super fun. Funfinty even carries fudge made by the owner's mother. Known as Grandma Ruby, she makes some of the best fudge I have ever had!  

Dragon Fly & Company Boutique 
Let's talk adorable for a minute...this cute boutique has all the clothes the fashionista in your family will be looking for this holiday season. From printed leggings, chunky jewelry, and other trendy styles, this boutique has it all! 

The Retreat
This gorgeous and full service salon would make the perfect gift card for any woman in the family!

The Nest on Main
Another trendy boutique that would make the perfect gift for any fashionista! They even carry home decor and more importantly, chocolate! 

Hidden Treasures: Downtown Provo

We're kicking off week two of our Hidden Treasures special with Historic Downtown Provo! 

The Provo Downtown Historic District is a 25-acre historic area located in Provo, Utah. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district is composed of four blocks of Center Street (100 East to 300 West) and one and a half blocks of University Avenue. The NRHP listing included 43 contributing buildings. Within the district, twenty structures are considered architecturally or historically significant, and twenty one structures are considered contributory.

In the year 1849, a group of about 150 people arrived in and settled what is now the city of Provo. This group was sent by the president of the LDS church at the time, Brigham Young, for purposes of colonizing the area. The following year the city was surveyed as a plot one square mile surrounded by several acres of land designated into eight lots. Brigham Young encouraged the settlers to build their homes and businesses in the proposed town site, and church leader George Albert Smith relocated to Provo to help encourage the city's development.

The first merchant of Provo, Andrew J. Stewart, owned and ran a store out of his home on 5th west. He eventually relocated his business to Center Street. By the end of 1852, two years after the arrival of the settlers, Provo had several operating businesses. Included are a pottery, two grist mills, three cabinet shops, three shoe shops, one meat market, two lime kilns, one sash factory, one wooden bowl factory, two tailor's shops, two hotels, and two storehouses. The businesses dotted fifth west and Center Street.

Profits for merchants in Utah were doing fairly high at this time during the 1860s. However, the farmers who subsisted through agriculture did not receive much of a profit if any, and began to resent the merchants for their success. Brigham Young encouraged cooperative trading among the members of the church in order to ensure fair trade. The Provo West Co-op was the first cooperative store which was built, and it was built in the same building that Andrew J. Stewart, the first merchant of Provo, operated and lived out of.

There was a large influx of buildings into Provo in the late 1860s. Many businesses came in and located along Center Street. These buildings were built primarily of wood or adobe. Commercial buildings that developed during this time included Provo's first kiln, W. Allen's brickyard, and the Provo West Co-op, among others. The Liddiard Brothers, the sons of Samuel Giddiard, continued their father's cement business, contributing to many of the structures on center street. The Provo Foundry and Machine Company produced heat and plumbing still apparent in the town in present conditions.

 There are lots of places to shop in this downtown area, but here are a few you may not know about: 

What's Hot Clothing Boutique: This cute little shop is home to some of your favorite brands; Vera Bradley and Sperry's anyone? Come in and grab your favorites before they're gone! 

 Provo Fabric Mill: Not only do they have a wide selection of fabric, they have some of the cutest accessories around! I was like a little kid in a candy shop at this store. Seriously, some super cute accessories that would make perfect stocking stuffers!

Goldsmith Jewelry: Now if you're looking for an extra special set of jewelry look no further than Goldsmith. Their wide and beautiful selection of men's and women's jewelry will have everyone in awe.

Unhinged: If you haven't been here yet, you are seriously missing out. Unhinged is home to all local designers. I could shop here all day.  They have unique, locally made items that would make the perfect gift for anyone. 

Hidden Treasures: Downtown Payson

We all have our favorite little shops in each of our downtown areas. They are what makes each city in Utah Valley so unique. This holiday season we are featuring different shops in some of the downtown cities right here in Utah Valley. After walking around and exploring each downtown, there are some great places to get your holiday shopping done! Today we are featuring the great city of Payson. 

Payson was founded in the fall of 1850, when pioneers were sent to establish several more settlements in Utah Valley -- every place where a stream flowed down from the Wasatch Mountains towards Utah Lake. Originally named Peteetneet Creek ( after the local Indian chief) was the location of the last settlement to be established in that year. The first group of settlers reached there on October 20, 1850, well into the fall season. Cabins were hurriedly built, to prepare for the coming winter.

A couple of months later, in December 1850, a meeting was held in James Pace's cabin and a branch of the church was organized with James Pace as president. Later the spelling was changed to "Payson". By the time the settlement was a year old, about 400 people were living there.

Our first stop was at Utah Trikes. They have been open for almost 10 years. They have the biggest selection of trikes we have ever seen! We even got to "test drive" a few of them :)

Dixon Meat has been in business for over 50 years. They cut game and offer frozen food lockers and different wrapping materials. They even still use the store's very first cash register! 

Morris Quilting offers flannel, embroidering, embossing, and screen printing. Perfect for any custom shirts for your loved ones! 

Morganson Custom Frames is a family business and has been around for 16 years. They can get your picture custom framed in about 3 weeks. They have a large selection of frames to choose from! They even offer quilting classes. 

Some of you may recognize the artwork from Karen's at your local Deseret Book or Seagull Book. And that's because they design and create everything in house right here in Payson! 75% of their business is making the pictures. They also offer custom framing. Karen's has been in business for 18 years.

  

Forget Me Not is the cutest store! They have all sorts of fun finds here. Besides selling flowers and doing arrangements, the owner, Renae, also offers unique gifts for customers. 

Shopping Extravaganza

What woman doesn't love a GNO (girls night out) or GDO (girls day out...I just made that one up). Boy oh boy do I have the perfect event for you and your best girlfriends. The Outlets at Traverse Mountain is having their 1st Annual Shopping Extravaganza!

The event will take place on Saturday, September 14 from 10AM-4PM. So what is the Shopping Extravaganza? Well other than the obvious of shopping, the day will be filled with entertainment, lunch, dessert, special discounts, and thousands of dollars in prize giveaways! Oh yeah, and you'll no doubt have a ton of fun!

Tickets are $15 each and you can purchase them here or at the Customer Service desk at the Outlets. A $15 ticket includes lunch, baggage check, live entertainment, dessert bar, and a free photo booth. Each ticket holder will also receive 5 free prize tickets.

100% of ticket sales will benefit select local partner charities. Benefiting charities include:

• Boys and Girls Club - Weber/Davis
• Childhelp Wasatch Front Utah Chapter
• Friends of the Food & Care Coalition
• Habitat for Humanity of Utah
• Kid History Foundation
• Make-A-Wish Utah
• Project Read
• Utah Foster Care Foundation
• Yes! Utah Organ Donor Registry
• Youth Making a Difference  

A day full of amazing discounts, prizes, food, and a day with my girlfriends...you bet I'll be there! Will you?

CONTEST: Back to School

It's that time of year again...back to school. Parents call it the most wonderful time of year. Most kids dread it. Back to school means homework, tests, and papers. For other kids it means seeing your friends again, getting new teachers, making new memories, and school supply shopping. I was one of those kids who looked forward to the back to school time. It meant that mom took us shopping for new outfits and we got to pick out our school supplies (I was a Lisa Frank kind of girl). Now my brother on the other hand, it was like pulling teeth to try and get him to go with us.

Here at the UVCVB, we understand that shopping is not every ones thing. So to help make it a little more tolerable on the family we are offering an amazing Back to School prize!

One grand prize winner will receive a $100 gift card to the Outlets at Traverse Mountain in Lehi, a one night stay at the Hampton Inn in Lehi, a dining gift card, and a one year family membership to Thanksgiving Point.

Try to tell me that doesn't sound amazing.

And don't worry, if you don't win the grand prize we are offering second and third place prizes. One second place winner will receive a $50 gift card to the outlets in Lehi and a dining gift card. And one third place winner will receive a $50 gift card to the outlets in Lehi.

Our contest ends Friday, August 9th so hurry and enter! You can enter by going to our Facebook page and clicking on the orangish/brown picture that says "Shop & Stay Contest" at the top of our page. Once you click on that all you have to do is like our page, enter your email address, and post that you've entered the contest on your Facebook wall. Simple. And it walks you through each step. Even more simple. And I've linked those pages in this paragraph, so no excuses, GO ENTER!

Now since we are only picking three winners, we don't want the rest of you to feel left out. So, we are offering a deal where if you book a night at one of the hotels on our website, you get a $25 gift card to the outlets. Awesome! Another plus, all of these hotels are running deals of their own, so on top of their deal you also get our deal of an outlet gift card...win win for you. So what are you waiting for? Come stay in Utah Valley for a night!

Giveaway: Unhinged

We are excited to announce that Unhinged has opened in downtown Provo. The store owner, Corey, has so kindly decided to giveaway a hat of your choice to one lucky winner! All you have to do is comment below with your name and email address and a random winner will be selected on Friday, July 26, 2013 at 12:01PM. Here are a few super cute hats you have to choose from...

Located on Center Street in Downtown Provo, Unhinged has joined the downtown family. And let me tell you, this is a store you will love to visit over and over again. As soon as we walked in we were in awe over all of the old furniture and appliances that have been placed in the store. The exposed brick, artistic wood doors, and copper trophies are just a few things that give this store such a unique feel. You can even find the original lights from when the restaurant before it first opened. When you walk in you'll see an old washing machine that has been converted into a water feature. It's the small things like that, that makes this store so unique.

Besides all of the awesome old appliances and furniture, Unhinged is a fabulous clothing store. Corey says the store is a mix of new and vintage and that is something you can see all throughout the store. You can find accessories hanging off of a tree limb and shirts resting in an old oven. They feature modern clothing, gifts, and accessories for both men and women.

The best part of the store, everything you see is for sale! Corey explained how he doesn't like walking into a store and seeing something you want and then having the owner tell you it isn't for sale. Whether you are shopping to add to your closet or are a collector looking to add to your collection, if you see something you want it's up for grabs. Fun fact: all the impressive antiques you see in the store Corey found himself or collectors gave to him.

One aspect that makes Unhinged so unique is its line of designers. A new local designer is featured each month in the store. There is an area upstairs that the designers clothes will be on display and available for purchase. Using local designers gives people the opportunity to wear unique clothes and brands that no one else has. Unhinged also has a store in Salt Lake and Corey works hard to carry brands in the Provo location that no one else has in Salt Lake. Corey is always looking for new designers to feature in his store. If you are interested you can contact him at corey@unhinedslc.com

Unhinged is the perfect shop to find that unusual, one-of-a-kind gift. Walking through and exploring all the unique aspects of the store is an experience of its own...we didn't have the will power to leave we loved it so much! They will be having a Grand Opening party next month on Friday, August 16th.

Valentine's Gift Ideas

We had the opportunity to meet with the great people at the Outlets at Traverse Mountain this month.  They talked to us about this season's hottest Valentine's Day gift ideas. So if you are looking for something special, make sure you hop on over to the Outlets. These pictures are of the gift guide, but we couldn't find a way to not make it blurry! But this guide is seriously awesome and so helpful, so we just didn't have the heart to omit posting it on our blog for our readers (even if it doesn't look pretty). So we apologize for the blurriness, but if you want to take a look at a non-blurry copy of the guide click here. You will be glad you did!

  

Coupon Galore!

Several of our coupons expire on December 31st! Since these will be removed so soon, we want you to get out and enjoy them before it's too late. In January, a whole new load of coupons will be placed on our website, so keep a look out for those! But until then, here are the coupons you need to act on fast:

Laser Assault:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=106
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=105

Old Towne Grill:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=101

Express & White House, Black Market:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=93

Cupcake Chic, Taco Bell, Las Glorias:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=96

Center Street Boutique:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=88

Francescas:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=91

Beauty Express:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=95

Color Me Mine:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=102

Chilis Chips and Salsa:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=52

Christmas Cruise:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=107

BYU Sweat Shirts:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=98

Maurcies and Edge:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=92

Massage Envy:
http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx?couponId=97

Hopefully laying these links out like this helped you find something you need! If you have any ideas of places you would like to see coupons from in January, let us know. We will do our best to work with them. For a complete list of our coupons visit: http://www.utahvalley.com/packages-coupons/coupons.aspx.

Please give us feedback on what you would like to see on our blog, especially dealing with coupons! We love our readers.

Outlets at Traverse Mountain

 Last night we had the opportunity to check out a sneak-preview of the Outlets at Traverse Mountain! We were thrilled by the beautiful lights, covered walk ways, dazzling stores, and friendly faces. To top it off, joyful Christmas music filled the brisk air and we felt like we were in a shopping wonderland.

For those of you who have been as anxious as us to check out the Outlets, we can assure you that they won't disappoint!  We really were impressed with how beautiful the entire place was and how convenient they have made it to shop.  The GM remarked on how nice it is to shop in brisk air instead of a stuffy mall, and we couldn't agree more.  There's a plethora of great places "in store" for you to visit but some of them off the top of our heads that we loved were Under Armour, Polo, Calvin Klein, Sketchers, Nike, J Crew, Gymboree, Levis, Gap...we could go on and on. Anyways, hop on over to the Outlets to check things out for yourself.  Don't worry, even though it's holiday season, there is plenty of parking which makes the experience even that much more enjoyable.

We are just on an all time holiday high over here at the CVB--Thank you to the great folks at the Outlets at Traverse Mountain for the warm welcome and hard work they put into making these Outlets one of the best shopping locations around.

Here's a few of the photos we took as we strolled. But now seriously, your turn to get out to the Outlets to see for yourself!

There were deals galore at the Outlets.  Yes, the prices are already discounted, but these kick-off events at the Outlets are making prices even better.

We love, love the fireplaces along the walkways! What a fun, cozy date night or family night idea it would be to shop and talk by the fires.

We are lovin' our Traverse Mountain swag!

Look at this beautiful layout! That tree will be lit tonight!

Singers on stage, live in action!

Got to meet her!