¡THE QC LOCAL!

Charlotte’s a busy place. Here’s the best of it.

🎢 This past week was a busy one and capped off with a weekend in Nashville, so apologies for the skipped week. I’m not perfect and almost sent you guys a super half-assed edition last week but decided against it. You didn’t miss much in Charlotte last week, so don’t sweat it. However, in that same vein, I’d love to try to scale this thing. If anyone wants to run the QC Local social medias, I’d give total creative freedom to anyone who wanted to do that. Having a creative partner to bounce ideas off of and building a brand would be awesome. Shoot me a text or email.

Anyways, there’s a lot going on this week, so let’s get right into it.

🌹ROSE

• My record collection is ever growing. With a couple of recent holidays/birthdays and records being my sole gift request, I’ve gotten up to a solid 31 records. I told my Gramps this, and he sent my parents back with some classic 70’s and 80’s vinyl on their last trip to visit him. Any donations to my above collection would make you one of my favorite people of all time.

• Maybe I’m just new to it, but it seems like the record store scene in Charlotte isn’t really a thing, other than the historic Lunchbox Records. After seeing continued success of nook-and-cranny stores in Charlotte (like Trope bookstore), I figured a tiny record store in Southend/Dilworth area may be a great idea. You could even sell coffee. I’d go in on this with anyone who also sees the gap in the CLT market and has an affinity for their record collection.

🪷BUD

• The Charlotte Knights kick off at Truist Field on March 28th, for anyone who misses baseball in Charlotte. If you’re ever bored, Knights games are the place to be. Great views of the city, usually great weather, and tickets are cheap. Plus, if you catch a Thursday game, they run a Thirsty Thursday promotion all season with $4 domestic beers, which most bars in Charlotte can’t beat.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

🍣O-Ku Sushi

• Half-priced select rolls from 4-7 on Mondays when you dine in. Great for a post work dinner date!

JJ’s Red Hots (East Blvd.) Closing After 13 Years

‼️While I do have to say that it’s been some time since I’ve been, East Blvd staple, JJ’s Red Hots is closing after 13 years of business. It’s always sad to see something that you’ve driven by for the majority of your life come to an end. When I was a kid, kids ate free on Tuesdays, which meant that my Mom would always take my brother and me.

Their “Southern Girl” dog (Pimento Cheese, Slaw, Bacon and Mustard) has always been a favorite of mine, and something I’ve recreated at home a couple of times. On sunny days, their rooftop would be filled with people munching brats and dogs after little league games. Their last day is Sunday, March 16th and are open everything with normal hours until then. However, their food truck and catering business will remain open, lucky for every little league and high school in town.

The absence of a structurally unique restaurant (indoor and rooftop seating) like JJ’s opens up interesting possibilities for local restaurants, breweries and bars. Don’t be surprised if we see something like Legion Brewing, Suffolk Punch or Paco’s Tacos go in there. I’ve got plenty of ideas, but I’ll save those propositions for next week.

Rich and Bennett’s St. Patty’s Day Pub Crawl

• Rich and Bennett’s 23rd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl is tomorrow March 15th. This year’s selection features entries to over 40 bars, drink specials, koozies, raffle tickets and some of the coolest shirts I’ve seen. Your ticket is your shirt, and they’re going now for around $20-30$. I’ve never been, but it seems like the thing to do this weekend. I mean look at these shirts…

PROPERLY RATED IN THE 704

Paper Skyscraper

If you are from Charlotte, you’ve probably driven by the Paper Skyscraper on East Blvd hundreds of times. If you aren’t from Charlotte, you may have noticed it in Founders Hall, while grabbing lunch in Uptown.

If you’ve ever wondered what it was, it’s best described as the perfect last minute gift store. My favorite part about it is that I can get something for my entire family in the same place, as it really has become the perfect one stop shop for gifts. While you can’t expect to secure big ticket items at Paper Skyscraper, it definitely is the place to go if you need a unique gift because of their amazing selection. Anytime I need a gift, it’s my first stop.

Paper Skyscraper also just opened their third location in Davidson this week!

other goings on 🔥

• From now until March 25th, Salted Melon is giving out free desserts with the purchase of an entree at their Southend Location!

• PIE.ZAA Cheese slices are $3.14 for PI day today. Go get you a slice!

• The Charlotte Vintage Market is back tomorrow, March 15th. Make sure to stop by with the details below!

Let me know of anything you hear about or wanna hear about!

Hit me up at [email protected] if you want to run the QC Local Socials

— Jack (send me records)