🟢 Albertine Quail

September 26, 2024

By Ted Williams

Hello Thursday. Instead of congratulating me on Tiny Money’s launch and 3,243 early subscribers (thank you for sharing), my 31 year old brother-in-law texted me to market his home for sale.

So to avoid awkward Thanksgiving tension, I have to tell you about his Plaza Midwood bungalow, listed yesterday for $849K. Austin, are you happy now?

Austin and his family recently moved to picturesque Thomasville, GA. It’s the quail hunting capital of the world. Last time I went quail hunting there, we started riding our horses and I asked the guide, “how do I load the bullets?” The entire group then had to stop for a safety lesson. Anyways.

💼 Hot Job: Director of Product Marketing at Fastbreak.ai ($150K-175K). Plus stock options. Cool sports scheduling startup founded by John Stewart who previously sold MapAnything to Salesforce for $262M.

👨Shout-out: Brad Panovich, my meteorologist bestie with 58K Instagram followers, for keeping us informed on Helene’s wind and 2+ inches of rain that’ll arrive today.

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

Nasdaq

18,082

+22.46%

S&P 500

5,722

+20.65%

BAC

39.25

+15.78%

Branching out: Bank of America plans to open 165 more branches in the next 2 years with a focus on mortgage and investment sales.

THE LEAD

Quail off to hot start as Kindreds open Albertine in Uptown

Joe Kindred awkwardly posing for me at Albertine’s bar

Albertine, a fancy Mediterranean restaurant with a Southern influence, opened on Sunday. It’s a top tier restaurant right out of the gate.

As your go-to investigative journalist, I’ve already been twice.

Background: I love Katy and Joe Kindred, Davidson residents and parents of 3 young kids. Their previous creations — Kindred, Hello Sailor, and Milkbread — are all must-visits.

They remind me of Danny Meyer, who they’re friends with (side note: I believe Milkbread can scale like Danny’s Shake Shack).

5 Albertine takeaways:

Put it in your fine dining rotation with Steak 48, Fig Tree, and Supperland. Unique space with anti-steakhouse decor.
Grab a cocktail at the lounge space with soaring ceilings before dinner.
Order the meze platter (6) and keep it at the table all night. Whipped feta was the winner. You’ll need more sourdough. $36.
The 10-person table elevated above the dining room is the most prominent spot to have a power meal in town.
Order the crispy pickle-brined SC quail. $22. Staff favorite. Delicious.

Open reservations: 8:30pm tonight, 8pm Saturday, 8pm Sunday. Book it.

MAILBAG

No, I did not hear back from the hedge fund on my public offer to buy The Charlotte Observer

Coverage of my public offer in WSJ’s weekend print newspaper

I knew my $5M public offer would get a reaction from media nerds, but I had no idea that it would lead to 500,000 views and 1,000 supportive messages (along with WSJ coverage).

Build vs buy: This outpouring of support got me thinking — what would it cost to build it?

It’s not a wild idea. In 2021, when hedge fund Alden Capital refused to sell The Baltimore Sun to my 78-year-old buddy Stewart, he pledged $50M and built The Baltimore Banner. It’s now got 44,000 paying subscribers and a staff of 125.

The difference between me and Stewart is fairly obvious, I’m not that old (I’m 40) and I’m not that rich.

Full analysis: Cost of building the newspaper Charlotte deserves

TINY MONEY JOB BOARD

Who’s hiring in Charlotte? 5 Trending jobs

Director of Content Strategy & Execution at Novant. Hybrid role, remote 90% of the time. 10+ years experience.
Senior Coordinator, Performance Marketing at Charlotte FC. Implement all paid campaigns. 3+ years experience.
Wealth Management Client Partner at Verum. Fast growing firm. Big fan of founding partners Oliver and Abby.
Board & Grants Specialist at Foundation For The Carolinas ($50K-63K). Beautiful Uptown office. 4+ years experience.
Manager of Arena Events at Charlotte Hornets. 4+ years experience.

Hiring? Post a job

Hunting? View all 33 postings on the job board

MONEY TALKS

Lawyer making $310K saving up for backyard hot tub

Haberdish, #1 “money-worthy” restaurant according to this lawyer

Money Talks is a weekly series showcasing how real people in Charlotte approach money. Participate.

Here’s a look into the personal finances of a 32 year old lawyer making $310K per year.

Living situation: “I own. I received a lawyer loan that allowed me to put $0 down for a home I recently purchased. Interest rate is 3.875%.”

Debt: “I was young and made a ton of stupid mistakes. As a result, I have about $15K in consumer debt that I’ve been paying off. I have $75K in car loans. And I also have $180K in student loans.”

Money tip: “East Charlotte’s real estate market is about to explode. If you have the funds, invest in the land/houses in the Windsor Park, Eastland, and Verndale neighborhoods.”

Best recurring expense: “Audible & Everand. I listen to about 75-100 books a year. Between the two of them, it’s about $35 a month.”

Full story: Lawyer making $310K saving up for backyard hot tub

MONEY SNACKS

Other financial headlines I’m snacking on

EDIT Sale taking place right now with 7,000 designer deals. Valentino, Chanel, Zimmermann, Ganni, and more. Dressing room is shared, so be smart with underwear.
Panthers tickets cost $80 for Sunday’s 1 p.m. home game against the Bengals. Let’s go Andy Dalton!
29.5% decrease in the number of home sales with co-buyers. The pandemic trend of friends pooling money to buy a home is slowing.
Pisces brought back their “all you can eat” sushi special for $19.99.
Local influencer Miranda Mounts hit 200,000 followers on Instagram. A common rule of thumb is that influencers can charge ad buyers $1K per 100,000 followers.
Good Hot Fish in Asheville was the only N.C. restaurant to make the New York Times list of “50 favorite restaurants in America”

1 QUAIL FOR THE ROAD

With Albertine open and Sweet Green opening Monday, which new spot will take our money next?

Albertine’s crispy pickle-brined SC Quail with aleppo pepper hot honey ($22)

Bullish: 4 most anticipated restaurants set to open by the end of the year (vote in poll below for your fav).

Spaghett — Pasta and cocktail house from Counter chef Sam Hart in Fourth Ward’s two-story house that previously housed Poplar Tapas & Wine.
Oshen — Neighborhood sushi restaurant on Colony Road from Randy and Cinthya Garcia, who created Yunta and Viva Chicken.
Leluia Hall — Surf and turf restaurant in Dilworth’s former Bonterra space from Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown of Supperland, Haberdish, Ever Andalo, and Growlers Pourhouse.
Tommy Bahama’s Marlin Bar — Taking the old McCormick & Schmick’s spot at SouthPark Mall.

I’m just messing about the Marlin Bar (don’t email me)! But I heard The Cheesecake Factory in SouthPark does over $10M per year, so what do I know.

Rumors: If the Marlin Bar becomes the hottest Charlotte restaurant, Brad Panovich will exclusively wear Tommy Bahama shirts on the NBC newscast to attract more Gen Z viewership.

Ask: Please share Tiny Money with 1 smart, good looking friend. I’m trying to grow the list to 5,000 by Christmas, otherwise my 3 children don’t get presents.

– Ted