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Mouthpiece Jewelry sells everything from grills to art from rappers(Salt Lake Tribune, The (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 2--David Langi, a 27-year-old Utah rapper, has wanted a gold teeth grill for at least five years. Other than hustlers selling them on the street, Langi was not aware of any urban jewelry stores in the Beehive State that sold custom grills. But he recently got a text from a friend advertising for The Mouthpiece Jewelry Co., a shop specializing in grills in Salt Lake City that sells hip-hop designer shirts, hoodies, shoes and jewelry, as well. Customers can also buy artwork from local artists and rappers. Within a few days, Langi stopped by the store to get fitted for a six-cap, 10-carat gold wall grill to go on his top teeth at a cost of $300. Langi, also known as "Bowser Insane," wants it to match his chain, earrings and bracelets when he hits the clubs. "I just like to be shiny when I go out," he said. Mouthpiece Jewelry has been open just south of downtown in a tiny strip mall for more than two years. It might be the only shop in Utah where folks can get a grill, a status symbol in the hip-hop culture. The store re-opened in April after it had been closed for five months while its owner recovered after being shot during a a robbery attempt. On a Saturday afternoon in October, store owner Anthony "Train" Garcia was playing a video game with a friend when a man wearing gloves and a hat covered by a hoodie walked in. "It was the worst vibe," Garcia remembers. "There was no doubt in my mind what he was here for -- to rob me." Garcia said the man shot three times at Garcia, who tried to hide behind a wall. Garcia was hit in the face and the left-side of his tail bone. He spent four days in the hospital. The two bullets are still in his body, but other than some tingling on his hip, he has recovered. In the end, the man didn't steal anything from the store. "Everything bad that could have happened, didn't," said Garcia, who did not want to shut down his successful store, which he had started almost by mistake. Garcia, 36, was born in Salt Lake City and raised in the Glendale neighborhood by a single mom. After graduating from East High in 1990, he rapped and pursued his passion in the hip-hop scene until he was 25. Then, he had a son, got married and found employment making windows. Years later, in fall 2006, Garcia wanted a grill and ordered a custom kit online. By mistake, the company sent him a commercial kit, so he started fitting friends for grills in his kitchen at home. Within weeks, he opened Mouthpiece Jewelry. The store's front is draped with a banner, but it's easy to miss along busy 1300 South. Earlier this year, he got a loan from the Utah Microenterprise Loan Fund to install a security system. Garcia said he used to sell about a dozen grills a week but today is down to about three. He fits customers for grills, then sends the mold to New York, where they're made and shipped back within a few days. He said about 80 percent of his customers who buy grills are guys ages 17 to 25 who come from as far as Idaho and Wyoming. Although business has slowed, he said he has faith his customers will keep coming, especially because he's been a part of the state's hip-hop scene for decades. "People know me. They trust me." Customer Langi can't wait to sport his new grill. "It [is] showing you got status," he said. To see more of The Salt Lake Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sltrib.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Salt Lake Tribune Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |