Small Lake City

Hosted by Erik Nilsson

Business Society CultureInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

209

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Small Talk, Big City Join host Erik Nilsson as he interviews the entrepreneurs, creators, and builders making Salt Lake City the best place it can be. Covering topics such as business, politics, art, food, and more you will get to know the amazing people behind the scenes investing their time and money to improve the place we call home. Follow along for more!

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 15, 2026Episode 181 hr 4 min

S2, E18: Building A Fantasy Tavern In Salt Lake

S2, E18: Thieves Guild Cidery - Max Knudsen & Jordy KirkmanA fantasy tavern where you can grab a tankard of cider, play a board game you’ve never seen before, and watch a Dungeons and Dragons campaign unfold at the next table sounds like a gimmick until you hear how Thieves Guild Cidery actually got built. We sit down with Max and Jordy to trace the real story behind one of the most distinctive Salt Lake City bars and why going all-in on “too nerdy” was the smartest business decision they made. We talk about growing up nerdy before it was cool, finding community through places like Quarters Arcade Bar, and then taking a lockdown-era homebrew habit to a full-scale craft cider operation. They get honest about the non-glam parts: scaling fermentation from small batches to hundreds of gallons, building a business plan that lives in a spiderweb of Excel sheets, getting outside validation from industry experts, and the surreal moment of asking a bank for “lots of money” and hearing yes. Then we get into the world-building: DIY props, 3D printing, soldering, custom lighting run by microcontrollers, and why outsourcing the design couldn’t match the vision. Even the bathrooms are part of the experience, from a dark, dramatic, Ministry of Magic-inspired room to the “Paperback Paradise” wall of hilariously altered fantasy covers. We also dig into what’s next, including canned cider drops, getting product into other bars, and Apples and Daggers, their festival that’s aiming for a true adult renn fair vibe in Utah. If you love Salt Lake City nightlife, craft cider, themed bars, board game bars, or just stories about building something weird and real, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’d actually wear a cloak to happy hour, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Visit www.luxeautomotive.com or use this link to request a quote Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

June 10, 202612 min

How A $200,000 Lego Fight Turned Into Arrests

A $145 million warehouse near the Salt Lake City airport was supposed to become an ICE “megacenter” holding thousands of people and now the story is shifting fast. We walk through the new joint lawsuit from Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County against DHS and ICE, why leaders say the process was “cloaked in secrecy,” and the detail that has everyone watching the property again: after a reported pause for review, semi-trailers start showing up in the back lot and they keep multiplying. If the plan is changing, is it truly a scale-back, or was that the strategy from day one?Then we jump into one of the strangest Utah-adjacent stories to go national: the Bricks and Minifigs saga. A family says a massive Star Wars Lego collection worth around $200,000 disappears after a franchise ownership change. A YouTuber known as Reckless Ben publishes a viral investigation, a GoFundMe surges, confrontations happen in American Fork, and arrests and lawsuits follow. We break down what’s known, what’s alleged, and why “internet justice” can collide hard with real courts and real consequences.We end with the best kind of local news: Centro Civico Mexicano, founded in 1935, is planning a $27 million community and cultural center with a theater, childcare, an art gallery, classrooms, and more, right as the surrounding neighborhood transforms. Plus: the Salt Palace closure timeline, new Utah Supreme Court nominees, the Pentagon’s religious affiliation list controversy, and a reminder that the Utah Arts Festival is coming up and we’re giving away tickets. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review if you want more smart, grounded Salt Lake City reporting every week.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

June 8, 2026Episode 171 hr 8 min

S2, E17: Thayne Rich - From Utah Local to Professional Skier

A 40-hour scramble to Argentina with a dead computer and zero Spanish. A Japan train sprint with ski bags, closed ticket counters, and strangers translating “three stops” into pure stress. And back home in Utah, a kid getting towed into illegal jumps behind a Honda Civic because that is what ski culture looked like before everything was documented. This conversation with pro skier and ski builder Thayne Rich is a reminder that the highlight reel is never the whole story.We start with Salt Lake City roots: growing up around Park City and Alta, learning fearlessness from older brothers, and taking the kind of youthful risks that shaped a generation of freestyle and big-mountain skiers. Thayne breaks down how style evolves from perfectly built park jumps to “janky” natural takeoffs, why Alta remains his favorite playground, and what it takes to progress when you are not the loudest person in the room.From there, we get into ski filmmaking and the real mechanics of making it: sponsors, promo edits, crew dynamics, networking without ego, and the pressure of heli skiing when everything is bigger and steeper than it looks on camera. Then we go deep on the gear side, including how Thayne helped build skis at Forefront, prototyped shapes, and ended up with a pro model that started as a rogue experiment in the shop.If you care about Utah skiing, backcountry culture, action sports careers, ski industry stories, or simply how to keep passion fun as you get older, you will find something here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who lives for winter, and leave a review with your favorite moment from Thayne’s travel chaos and ski-life lessons.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Visit www.luxeautomotive.com or use this link to request a quote Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

June 3, 202611 min

Real Salt Lake Lawsuit, New 400 South Trail, And Utah’s June Proclamation

A 16-year-old signs with a pro club, steps into an adult locker room, and says the people in charge never built basic protections around him. That’s the heart of the biggest Salt Lake City story we’re unpacking this week: a major Real Salt Lake lawsuit filed by former goalkeeper Jeffrey Duznup against RSL, Major League Soccer, and the U.S. Soccer Federation. We walk through the allegations, what’s being claimed about reporting and response, and why this isn’t just “sports drama” but a serious conversation about athlete safety, youth protection, and accountability in professional sports.Then we pivot to something worth celebrating in local news: the new 400 South Viaduct Trail. If you’ve ever tried to cross those railroad tracks on foot or by bike, you know how sketchy it used to feel. Now there’s a protected bike and walking path connecting Poplar Grove and the west side through to downtown and the Granary District, plus nearly 2,000 feet of public art called Strut. We talk about why this project matters for safer commuting, better access, and what “good city infrastructure” actually looks like on the ground.We also get into peak Utah politics with Governor Spencer Cox declaring June “Fidelity Month,” how that lands during Pride Month in Salt Lake City, and what it says about the growing gap between state signals and city culture. To round it out, we hit a fast stack of updates: the Salt Lake Bees’ big May, a long-running Salt City Inn case ending in a conviction, the Utah Arts Festival’s 50th anniversary lineup, and the Utah Mammoth gearing up for the draft and offseason decisions. Subscribe, share this with a friend who follows Salt Lake, and leave a review, and if you want ticket giveaway details, join the Discord via the show notes.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

June 1, 2026Episode 161 hr 7 min

S2, E16: Celeste Edmunds - From Trauma To Legacy At Christmas Box International

A lot of people talk about “networking,” but we wanted to get honest about what actually holds a life together when things get hard: reciprocity, loyalty, and the people who show up when you have nothing to offer. We start with the awkward truth about perks and connections, then pull the thread into something bigger, how success can reveal who is really in your corner and why one-way relationships drain you fast.Then Celeste joins us and tells the kind of story you do not forget. She grew up moving every six months with her belongings in a garbage bag, surviving foster care, abuse, and the pressure of becoming a parent to her sibling as a child. She walks us through the turning points that changed her trajectory, the rare adults who offered steadiness, the power of chosen family, and what it means to find gratitude without pretending the pain did not happen. Along the way, we talk trauma comparison, resilience, triggers, and why celebrating small wins is not cheesy, it is survival.Celeste also breaks down the mission and impact of Christmas Box International and the Christmas Box House shelters, including the reality of child welfare in Utah, the growing challenges of placements, and why keeping siblings together is so critical. If you care about foster care, child advocacy, trauma recovery, or how a Utah nonprofit can change lives at scale, this conversation is for you. Listen through to the end for clear ways to help, from wish lists and Amazon shipping to volunteering and sharing resources, then subscribe, share this with one person, and leave a review so more people can find it.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Visit www.luxeautomotive.com or use this link to request a quote Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

May 26, 202613 min

Utah’s Drought Reality Check

Utah’s leaders are telling all of us to conserve water, fix leaks, and rethink thirsty lawns, and they’re right to. But the same week Governor Spencer Cox declares a statewide drought emergency, he also publicly admits the Stratos data center rollout “was not that good,” a major reversal on a massive Box Elder County proposal tied to the Great Salt Lake. We sit with that contradiction and unpack what it means for democratic process, water rights, energy demand, and whether Utah is building a future that matches its climate reality.From there, we head straight to Salt Lake City Hall for a fast, unexpected resolution in the Ava Lopez-Chavez saga. A residency finding vacates the District 4 seat immediately under state code, and the council drops the separate sexual misconduct investigation once she’s no longer a member. We talk through the timeline, the documents at the center of the dispute, and what happens next as the city races to appoint an interim replacement during budget season.Then we explain the giant smoke plume you might have seen over Davis County, and why it was good news. The Farmington Bay prescribed burn targets phragmites, an invasive, water-hungry reed that chokes wetlands and threatens habitat, and researchers say restoration could save huge amounts of water each season. We close with quick hits, from school district background check changes to new Utah culture plans, sports notes, and a preview of next week’s conversation with foster care advocate and author Celeste Edmonds.If you care about Salt Lake City news, Utah politics, and the Great Salt Lake, subscribe, share this update, and leave a review so more neighbors can find it.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

May 25, 2026Episode 151 hr 9 min

S2, E15: Rosie Card

Once someone working for the LDS church and creating temple dresses became a voice for womens rights. Rosie Card, a Utah creator and writer whose path through Mormonism is about as classic as it gets: BYU, a mission, church work, and even running a temple dress company for nearly a decade. What makes her story hit is how clearly she names the tension so many people feel in Salt Lake City and beyond: we want community and tradition, but we also want women’s rights, LGBTQIA dignity, and room for nuance.We get into the experiences that start the shift, including seeing real poverty on a mission and realizing “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” collapses when people don’t have boots. Rosie talks about trying to change the LDS Church from within, what it costs to be publicly outspoken, and the scary reality of being doxxed by people using ward tools. We also dig into Mormon feminism, how history gets erased, and why so many women feel like they’re reinventing the wheel alone in Relief Society.On the other side of faith deconstruction, Rosie describes a bigger kind of freedom: the world opening up when you stop living by a preset life plan. We talk about spirituality after Mormonism, accountability without the old frameworks, and why women’s financial independence matters when marriage and motherhood are treated as the only righteous path.If this conversation made you nod along, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What was the moment that made you stop twisting yourself into knots?Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Visit www.luxeautomotive.com or use this link to request a quote Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

May 21, 202610 min

The Great Salt Lake Data Center Fight

A project pitched as “the future” is running straight through the most sensitive nerve in Utah: the Great Salt Lake. I break down the latest developments in the proposed O’Leary Digital data center campus in Hansel Valley, including the procedural twist that has people fired up. After thousands of formal protests, the developers withdrew a water-rights application, then immediately refiled under House Bill 60, a new Utah law that narrows what can be considered in water-rights protests. If you’ve been trying to follow the story, this is the part that makes the stakes feel more urgent, not less.I also share what I’m hearing and seeing around the public response: the Capitol rally, the petition delivered to Governor Spencer Cox’s office, and the growing call for independent environmental review and genuine public comment. Utah has spent years and huge amounts of money trying to rescue the Great Salt Lake, so the tension between sacrifice and unchecked growth is not going away anytime soon. Even if permitting takes years, the fight over whether this project should exist at all is happening right now.Then we shift to the stuff that hits closer to home day-to-day: Chow Bao Bao is closing both of its Salt Lake City locations, a tough loss for anyone who loved that tiny space and the food coming out of it. We also talk Temple Square’s Visitors Center reopening and why the new, more open visitor experience matters for downtown, no matter where you stand religiously. To wrap up, I run through quick city updates on the Utah Jazz draft conversation, new affordable housing momentum in Ballpark, homeownership funding, and an early reminder that Utah fire season is already here.If the show matters to you, subscribe, share it with someone who cares about Salt Lake City, and leave a review where you listen.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

May 18, 20261 hr 28 min

Vault Episode 13: Adam Barker

He built a life around skiing, then rebuilt his identity around a camera and now he’s rebuilding it again as a startup founder. Adam Barker joins us to talk about the real mechanics behind an “overnight success” in outdoor photography: the grit from team sports, the obsession that made him chase better skiers, and the unglamorous work of planning shots, directing athletes, and executing when conditions and daylight don’t wait. If you’re into action sports, active lifestyle photography, or the creative craft behind iconic ski images, you’ll hear what most people miss about how those photos get made.We also go deep on the business side of creativity. Adam shares how he moved from PR and marketing into freelancing, why he refused to keep doing work he dreaded, and how he thinks about pricing, value, and sustainability in a world with no standard rates. We talk first impressions, branding, portfolios, and why “fake it till you make it” only works if you’re putting in the reps to make the technical side automatic so your creativity can lead.Then the conversation takes a sharp and fascinating turn: Bolt Skin and Shave. Adam explains why men’s leg shaving is far more common than people think, what it takes to design a purpose-built razor and skincare line, and how intense it is to raise money, learn manufacturing, and live inside the uncertainty of a consumer packaged goods startup. It’s a candid look at entrepreneurship, fear of failure, and the decision to bet on yourself when your family is counting on you.If this one hits, subscribe to Small Lake City, share it with a friend who’s building something, and leave a review with the risk you’re finally ready to take.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Visit www.luxeautomotive.com or use this link to request a quote Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod

May 14, 202610 min

The Jazz Land No. 2 And The State Finally Gets A Bit Of Good News

The Utah Jazz just got the kind of lottery luck that should feel like a party, and somehow it still stings. We break down what it means to jump to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, why losing out on BYU star AJ DeBanza hits a nerve across the state, and what the next few weeks could look like as the trade-up question hangs in the air. I also look at the roster context and why a top-two addition could finally make the rebuild feel concrete.From there, we shift to a headline Salt Lake City doesn’t get often enough: progress in the homelessness numbers. Utah’s 2026 point-in-time count shows a decline overall, and unsheltered homelessness drops by nearly 10%. I put that in context after last year’s spike, talk through what leaders say is working with a more “human first” approach, and call out the hard part that can’t be ignored, including a rise in seniors experiencing homelessness. If you listened to my recent conversation with Volunteers of America, Utah, you’ll hear the connection between the data and the day-to-day work on the ground.We also hit an end-of-an-era business story as Crumbl Cookies’ founders step back from day-to-day leadership after scaling from Logan to more than 1,100 locations worldwide. Plus: the latest reasons critics are skeptical of the Stratos Project data center in Box Elder County, a new affordable housing complex proposed for the Ballpark neighborhood, and a quick look at Midvale’s Main Street revitalization. Then I tease next week’s interview with Rosie Card on women’s rights and post-Mormon identity, a conversation that feels impossible to separate from life in Salt Lake.Subscribe for weekly Utah news with context, share the episode with someone who loves this city, and leave a review to help more people find the show.Have a Question? Ask it here!Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today!Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the showJoin the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeKSubscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-pageInstagram: @smalllakepodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcastTikTok: @smalllakepod