I Heart Utah festival promotes 'down home' products, values

LEHI — Melynda Valgardson organized the I Heart Utah festival to support local businesses and unwittingly created a barometer for the economy.

"We asked about 2,000 businesses about the festival," she said. That was about six months ago. Sitting in the shade to get out of the scorching July sun, the event's manager looked around and saw about 100 at the Thanksgiving Point venue on Saturday. It was shocking, she said.

Admittedly, they would have capped the festival's capacity to 200 vendors to prevent claustrophobia, but the organizers had cast a net for a bigger take. Tellingly, a large number of those who turned them down were in the local automotive or real estate businesses, she said.

But it's only I Heart Utah's first year of more to come. As the economy hopefully improves, more businesses will feel confident to spend the $100 to come to these events, and as I Heart Utah's turnout grows, so likely is the economy, she said.

But economists have said that the recovery will be slow, or slower, if consumers don't spend. The local businesses strong enough to venture out to the venue were there to give Utahns such an outlet — and remind them of what they're missing when they go to the big guys.

Cheryl Harrison, visiting from Orem, wandered the booths, checking out everything from solar panels to Polynesian barbecue. She doesn't want to see these shops disappear in the midst of the recession's sophomore year.

"We've got to support our small-town businesses and keep them going," she said. "They seem to care more about their community and friends."

A former resident of Montana, she couldn't be happier to see the same "down home" values and business in Utah.

She and her son Andrew, along with hundreds of other visitors, got in for free. Valgardson and the coordinators were going to charge $1 for entry but decided against it if it brought in more people, even if they didn't spend money that day. At least when they think about going to the store, they can consider regional options, said Amy Ashcroft, owner of the Highland outlet of Utah-based Sole Desires chain.

Ashcroft said this is what it's all about, "bringing the store to you." Sole Desires hosts "shoe parties" to drive that point home. Ashcroft packs up the company van with every size of every product in their line and shows up at an interested customer's home and sets up shop in their living room.

Randy Hall, co-owner of the Hall's Confections candy company, likes to sell his caramel-covered treats in person to his buyers and is willing to travel to see them. More than 80 percent of Foote Print's framed and postcard photos are of Utah's wilderness to remind people of the state's beauty.

It's that personal touch that makes local businesses worthwhile over any national chains, Ashcroft said.

e-mail: mmcfall@desnews.com