Let's say you have a lot of money. Let's say you are not actually doing your Christmas shopping this year at Costco, rummaging through the bins of assorted cheese gift packs. Let's say you can afford to be extravagant.
Would you be able to find what you want in Salt Lake City?"This place reeks of Mervyns and All A Dollar as far as I'm concerned," sniffs Brad Buxton. Buxton, the owner of Applied Research Technologies, travels a lot and prefers to shop in London or San Francisco, "where an unusual find may actually be expected."
Well, sure, Fashion Place Boulevard is no Rodeo Drive. Still, we've been doing some window shopping and we think we've found some gifts that the giver who has everything would be proud to buy. The Salt Lake area has plenty to offer, especially if by "area" you mean Park City. Here's a sampling:
At Salt Lake Antiques you can get a signed, one-of-a-kind Tiffany art glass bowl ($50,000) or a signed Tiffany daffodil lamp ($47,000). That's pretty cheap for a signed Tiffany, says Salt Lake Antiques owner Scott Evans. Salt Lake Antiques also has an 1870 hand-carved Russian sleigh ($5,700) and a 1946 AMI "Mother of Plastic"juke box ($7,900).
Tommy Knockers in Park City has a nice strand of Tahitian black pearls ($30,000). Black pearls are the new diamond, says Tommy Knockers manager Christie Johnson. Johnson also has a strand of lavender pearls ($3,000). The Japanese bought up the world's supply, she says; "once this strand sells, I don't think I'll see another one."
If you'd rather stick with diamonds, O.C. Tanner has a 7-carat ring ($171,000). O.C. Tanner also sells a Lalique crystal horse head ($25,960). The statue was designed in 1953 by Marc Lalique and has a high lead content (which in crystal, unlike in gasoline, is a good thing).
Now that Utah has its own Lamborghini dealer, you can get a Diablo roadster ($280,000), and just in time for Christmas, according to Exotic Imports of South Jordan. The roadster comes with leather interior and a three-disc CD changer and goes from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds.
It is not the fastest car in the world, though. That would be the 550 Maranello Ferrari ($224,000), according to Steve Harris of Harris Imports. But he only gets three or four of those a year, and this year's allotment is all gone. You can order one now for next Christmas, he says.
Fremont Island is still for sale ($3 million). And the McCune mansion ($4.25 million) recently went on the market. The 21-room mansion, built in 1901, has up-to-date plumbing, according to Lewis, Wolcott and Dornbush Real Estate. It also has 18 marble fireplaces and a secret passageway to the attic.
The gift shops at Deer Valley's Stein Ericksen Lodge have a number of tastefully extravagant gifts. At Bjorn Stova you'll find the Bogner Royal Parka ($4,500). There are only three of these jackets in the United States.
Through December, it's white truffle season. You can get a pound ($1,100) at Campagne Specialty Foods in Park City. If you prefer a sweeter, earthier flavor, says co-owner David Berkowitz, there are also black truffles ($350/
pound) from Perigueux, France; and a 3-ounce bottle of 75-year-old Balsamic vinegar ($150).
Even the malls offer the occasional lavish gift. Godiva Chocolatier at Crossroads Plaza sells a pound of chocolates for $31 (or a four-pound box for $118).
And, finally, even people who spend lavishly get tired after a day of Christmas shopping. The antidote: a SKMS Plus massage chair (sale price, $2,995) at Relax The Back. The imitation leather, power-recline chair kneads, rolls and taps from neck to tailbone.