‘Tis the season for giving, so ScoopCharlotte gave some of our favorite Charlotteans $1000 dollars in Christmas Monopoly Money to spend on anything they want! No bills, this is purely fun money. We had some imaginative, fun, and generous answers and I personally can’t wait to try a few of the suggestions- hello, Bar Cocoa hot chocolate and ice skating at the NASCAR Hall of Fame!
“If I were gifted $1000, I’d give $500 to Urban Ministries and the other $500 I’d spend taking my two children, husband, mom and dad ice skating uptown followed by hot chocolate at Bar Cocoa in the Ritz and a yummy dinner at BLT Steak! Urban Ministries does truly outstanding work for our community and it’s a place near and dear to my heart. My mom was a counselor there for several years when I was growing up and she was always getting me involved in projects there, both large and small.” -Clary Hilliard Gray, Co-Creator, Hilliard Studio Method
“I’d create a super basket of local coffee, local beer and local attire… the ultimate Charlotte gift. From what remains I’d get a couple kegs of beer and kombucha for the house. Yes.” -Blair Primis, VP of Marketing, OrthoCarolina
“Totally fun money – can’t spend it on anything else??? Mine is going STRAIGHT to a trip – there is nothing more fun than a new experience in a fun getaway destination. Calgon, take me away…” -Shannon Vandiver, President, The Junior League of Charlotte
“Ditto on the trip. But mine would be a quick getaway with my husband – to somewhere with lots of great restaurants, lots to see and do, and we might both leave our phones at home!” -Arina Kirk, President-Elect, The Junior League of Charlotte
“If I had $1,000 in ‘fun money’… I would buy new clothes. I’m in gym attire 90% of the time & need to up my game outside of the gym… BADLY!” -John Dee, Owner, 9Round – Dilworth
“It’s the giving season, so I’d start off by donating a portion to charity. After that I’d plan a long weekend trip with my hubby to see the Biltmore Estate decked out for Christmas (it’s been on my bucket list since moving to NC). After making sure I had ample gifts for my family, friends, and my team, I’d probably splurge on that new Harvey’s Seatbelt handbag I’ve been eyeing! It’s Xtend Barre teal, so it’s meant to be, right?” -Shawna Baker, Owner, Xtend Barre – Metropolitan
“If I had $1000 fun money to spend in Charlotte, I would look up as many theater performances and concerts I could and go ahead and buy good tickets for the ones I want. I really have to plan for getting to events like thos and this way I would make the most of some great shows I don’t normally get out to see.” -Alyssa Gorelick, Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen – Atherton Mill
“Since I live and work in Uptown I think it would be pretty easy for me to spend it here especially during this time of year. I’d definitely grab dinner at Alexander Michaels and see the symphony to get into the Christmas spirit then finish the night with a glass of wine at Poplar Street Café. The rest of the money I would use for Christmas shopping for friends and family at VTGCLT and Sip ‘n Shop going on this month. I can check everyone off my last at all the pop up shops!” -Kiri Longa, Co-Founder, The Daily Details Beauty Bar
“Easy. I would give the money to Trips for Kids to help them with their work making bicycles available to youth in our city. Bicycles are freedom, and $1000 to that organization buys a whole lot of freedom.” -Michael Smith, CEO, Charlotte Center City Partners
“$1,000 is literally life-changing! We’d definitely visit the SHARE Charlotte Give Shop and see where we could make a difference. It would be fabulous to feel like Santa fro a day and provide bed sheets for Charlotte Family Housing, pillows for Safe Alliance and a GoPro for Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation.” –SHARE Charlotte Staff
“I would look for people in the checkout line who are struggling to buy necessities for their family and pay their grocery bill.” -Spencer Lueders, Founder, 24 Hours of Booty
“This is an easy question for me – I’ve been dying for a getaway and love traveling right around New Years, so I’d use $1000 for a long weekend trip. Some friends were in Charlottesville recently and recommended it (they loved the vineyards!), but I also could go for a cozy Airbnb in the North Carolina mountains.” -Haley Bohon, Founder, SkillPop
“$175 for charities like LUNGevity Foundation and The Relatives. $125 for cooking classes for 2 with Chef Alyssa. $500 dinner for 2 at McNinch House. My fiancé, David, and I are both native Charlotteans and have always wanted to go to McNinch House! $200 to drive a race car at the speedway.” -Caitlin Sellers, Community Organizer, Levo Charlotte
If Scoop gave you $1000 Monopoly Money, how would you spend it? I’m on board with the folks that would take a trip- preferably to the mountains and hopefully with a little snow.
