🟢 Focaccia Flying Off Shelves

Presented by:

By Ted Williams

Hello Thursday. I’m heading to Primland Resort this weekend for a dudes golf trip. Even though it’s in Virginia, it’s only 2 hours and 12 minutes away.

Rooms typically run an outrageous $700 – $1,100 per night, but we rent the worst house on the sprawling 12,000-acre property. The golf course is ranked No. 4 in Virginia. Sneaky good and playable.

The first time I went to Primland was a romantic getaway with my wife, which stands in stark juxtaposition to this weekend with 8 smelly dudes in an old house with poor ventilation. Anyways.

💼 Hot Job: Director, Paid Media at Home Solutions. Fastest-growing digital marketplace in home services. Audience of over 47M. Incubated inside Three Ships. Hiring lead is Ali Roth.

👨 Shout-out: Tony Mecia, 53 year old founder of The Charlotte Ledger, for hitting 4,971 paid subscribers to the business publication. Sticker price is $129/year. Yummy recurring revenue.

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

S&P 500

5,376

-8.40%

Nasdaq

16,709

-13.34%

NOW OPEN

34 year old Kristiana Perini invests $500K to open Sorellina Pasta Co. in Plaza Midwood

Kristiana (middle) with her dad Bob and sister Alex (helluva shirt)

"We ran out of everything on our opening day," Kristiana told me. "No one could have predicted that. I've been making pasta non-stop!"

Sorellina Pasta Co. opened last week in a 1,300 square-foot old Craftsman house on The Plaza.
Serves fresh made pasta, focaccia, meatballs, Italian wine, and more. All retail for now.

Résumé: Kristiana has her culinary degree and previously worked at fancy restaurants in Napa Valley, Washington DC, and Tuscany.

Best sellers:

$8 fresh pasta, the bucatini is wildly popular
$16 sourdough focaccia, sold out in 2 hours on opening day
$24 small lasagna al ragu, take-and-bake at home

"No matter how much you prepare, you are never 100% ready. But just open the doors!"

PRESENTED BY TOCCARE

Book Mom an award-winning facial at Toccare Day Spa in Dilworth

Toccare lobby in Dilworth

My wife and her friends are absolutely obsessed with Toccare. It's the best. IYKYK.

The award-winning Dilworth day spa sees more than 1,000 clients each month and has become known for its focus on clean beauty and individualized treatments.

Book it: Their most popular first-time service is the Toccare Radiance Facial which starts at $125 (call or text to book).

Mother’s Day: Buy their Ultimate Mom Retreat package for $288.

GOLF COURSE EMPIRE

Pinehurst to open new No. 11 golf course

Aerial shot of Pinehurst No. 11 routing

Pinehurst Resort will add another course to their campus. No. 11 is targeting a fall 2027 opening.

Bullish: Pinehurst is absolutely crushing it right now. Big momentum. Nailed the U.S. Open with Bryson's victory. Golf popularity booming.

Golf nerd details:

No. 11 will be on the same 900-acre site as No. 10, previously a sand mine. Don't forget that No. 10 was recently named "Best New Course of 2024"
Designed by Coore and Crenshaw (Sand Hills, Friar's Head, Cabot Cliffs, Old Sandwich, Bandon Trails, etc).
Course will have links-style vibes with "jutting ridges and massive mounds to be played over and around."

Sandmines vision: No. 10 and No. 11 will have their own 6,000-square-foot pro shop, swanky locker room, and restaurant/bar that'll open this summer. Lodging will be added in 2027.

“We want Pinehurst Sandmines to be a special place not just in Pinehurst, but in the game of golf," said Bob Dedman Jr., owner and CEO.

Pricing: Depends on the season. The Premier Golf Package runs $3,040 for 3 nights this spring while the Donald Ross Summer Special runs $1,460 for 2 nights. Includes hotel and golf.

TINY MONEY JOB BOARD

Who’s hiring in Charlotte? 5 Trending jobs

Senior AI Product Manager at Red Ventures ($155K – $203K). Hybrid. On-site perks include pickleball and a yoga studio.
Director, Partnership Marketing at Belk. Grow the retail media network. Reporting directly to CMO Sara Wright.
Director, Venture Banking at Live Oak Bank ($185K – $255K). Remote. 5+ years experience.
Associate Editor at Charlotte Magazine. Write stories, edit content, and help manage social media.
Director of Marketing and Communications at CATS ($114K – $143K). Manage public relations, advertising, and marketing.

Hiring? Post a job

Hunting? View all 87 jobs on the Tiny Money Job Board 🚀

MONEY TALKS

27-year-old marketer making $120K saving up to buy a house with boyfriend

Ceviche at Calle Sol, her favorite restaurant

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

Living situation: “I purchased a condo in 2023. My boyfriend lives with me and splits half the mortgage. Monthly payments are less than rent at our previous South End apartment."

Job: “I work in marketing. My base is $100,000 with a $20,000 annual bonus.”

Budgeting: "I don't drink, which keeps me from spending a lot on the weekends, although some mocktails are not cheap!"

Best expense: "Coaching. I love endurance sports and pay $200 a month for someone to create my workouts and provide feedback."

Splurge: “I love to travel. I always purchase economy plane tickets and try to source the cheapest Airbnbs and hotels. I'd like to see all 7 continents by 30, I'm at 5 right now."

Money hack: “I take the CATS express bus to my office in Uptown. It's reliable, only $3 per ride, and clean. Gives me time to catch up on emails and texts."

Charlotte rich: “Owning a house in Myers Park, Foxcroft or Dilworth and simultaneously sending your children to Charlotte Latin.”

Full story: Investment strategy and boyfriend house buying details

MONEY SNACKS

5 other financial headlines I’m snacking on

Mezzo Market now open in Plaza Midwood. Founded by Djordje Avramovic, formerly of Intermezzo. Rhino Market vibes.
Renovated brick home with 4th floor crow's nest in Uptown's Fourth Ward asks $1.9M. Rare 2-car garage. Just 1 block from Al Mike’s.
Pool Scout franchise for sale asking $299K. Revenue of $1.2M. 432 active customers. 56% recurring revenue. Cash flow of $122K.
Intown Golf Club featured in WSJ article. People playing simulator golf have increased 170% over the past 5 years.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy visited Bird Pizzeria last night to shoot his popular "Pizza Review" series. 13.5M social followers.

HOUSEKEEPING

Award-winning journalist Michael Graff leaves Axios, going solo after raising six figures

45 year old crab cake lover Michael Graff

Michael raised six figures from a handful of local leaders including Hugh McColl and Ric Elias to start a news non-profit named The Charlotte Optimist.

Legit: Michael's award-winning experience includes Politico, The Atlantic, ESPN, Garden & Gun, Axios, and The Guardian. He's a journalist unicorn in Charlotte.

We worked together at Charlotte Agenda and Axios. I love Michael. I hope to work with him again one day.
I'm bullish. I agree with his lean, nonprofit approach. He's well sourced and the best writer in Charlotte.

How it works: Michael will write one big story each week. It'll drop on Sunday nights. First edition goes out on May 4. Join 757 other Charlotteans and go subscribe (I did).

Happy Thursday! Last Friday night, I sipped dirty martinis and ate small plates at swanky Orosoko Sound Bar before crushing late-night IPAs at Charlotte Beer Garden, like a badass. It def made me feel like a young South End frat bro instead of a 40 year old nerdy father of 3…

– Ted