We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Dragoo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
It makes me happy when I know I’ve impacted someone’s day — or even their life — in a positive way. I know that sounds totally clichè, but honestly that’s what Lunch Money is all about. I love hearing first-time customers gasp as they walk through the door, and that look of excitement as I welcome them in. I love hearing people’s reactions as they walk from table to table, not knowing what they’ll find next. And I especially love seeing people come back with someone else. It makes me feel so proud knowing that my store is something that they want to share with others.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Lunch Money is far different than any boutique I’ve ever been in, both in the overall experience and the variety of items there are in the store. Starting with the decor: the walls are a deep green, the floor is a black and white tile, and the tables are all glass with gold fixtures. There are

disco balls hanging from the ceiling, and also scattered underneath tables.
An artist from Colorado, Mike McPuff, painted a rainbow mural on the wall behind the cash register, and next
to it is a floral selfie wall with a bright pink neon sign that says “I Want It All.” Speaking of selfies, I also have a polaroid camera that I use to take pictures of customers on the selfie wall and I hang them all up so they’re a part of Lunch Money forever. Also hanging from the ceiling
are different items sold in the shop; it makes it feel kind of like Alice in Wonderland after she drinks that potion. It’s a hard thing to describe, it’s something you have to experience. I’ll warn you though: from the outside, with all the bright colors, some people confuse it as a kids store
and I’m here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.
Once inside, you’ll find all kinds of things, such as women’s clothing, funky home decor and art prints, jewelry and hair accessories, handbags, greeting cards, books, notebooks, pens, planners, stickers, funny mugs, birthday items, bridal items, the infamous smiley face slippers, candles, sunglasses, keychains, puzzles, rolling trays, celebrity
prayer candles — the list goes on and on.
Besides the items and the experience, I think one of the coolest things about my store is where it’s located. Lunch Money is tucked away in a gorgeous, well-kept plaza in Chandler. Nobody expects they’ll find something like this here. It looks like a store that might be found in our
college town of Tempe or maybe even Scottsdale, but in Chandler? It sticks out like a sore thumb. And that’s just the way, I like it. I’ve always taken a bit of pride in being different wherever I go, and now my store is, too. I think Chandler needed something like this. It needed a little bit of a disruption from the norm. Being a Chandler resident myself, I’ll admit that I love Target, Hobby Lobby, and TJ Maxx, but sometimes I just want something a bit more loud, more weird.
Lunch Money seems like an obscure name for a boutique, but once you learn the story behind it, it makes way more sense. When I was in high school, my mom would give me $20 at the beginning of the week, for lunch, and she would expect it to last until Friday. Instead of using that money to buy lunch, however, I would take it to the mall and spend it on silly little trinkets.
So, my store is everything that I would buy with my lunch money! Which is why it carries such a wide variety of random things.
As far as how I got to where I am today, I’ll admit that I never dreamed I would own my own business. It took me a long time to discover what my passion was. I started out doing hair when I was 18. I did that for about five years before deciding it wasn’t for me. So, I quit my
hairdresser job and went back to community college, and later to ASU. Five years later, I graduated with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School. After graduation, I started a small web design and social media business, while also working at Judy Wear Boutique, my mother-in-law’s shop. I loved working at Judy Wear so much that eventually I just stopped my other business and worked with Judy full time. Then finally, I began itching for a store of my own. That’s when Lunch Money was born.
I did a lot before I finally made it here, but you know what? I look back on it now and I see that everything I did has lead me right here. Cosmetology school taught me color theory, which I use frequently in designing both digitally and in the store. My journalism degree gave me the skills to build my brand using storytelling, and it also taught me how to build my own website and strategically use social media. And Judy Wear taught me everything I need to know about how a business operates. So for anybody reading this right now: if you still haven’t figured out what you want to do, I promise you will. Don’t give up. Just keep trying different things until you find it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, we’d probably kick it off at Lunch Money, of course! Then I would take her to Stone and Vine for lunch; it’s my favorite restaurant and they have the best fettuccine Alfredo! Then maybe pedicures at the Polish Lounge, followed by shopping at Merchant Square. Quick trip

back to our house to get ready for a little nightlife in downtown Gilbert. Postinos, Barrio Queen. Depending on the weekend, I might take her over to San Tan Mall, because I love when they do their little street fairs over there! Plus, they have that cute popup spot where all the local vendors set up shop and they always have such cute things. Maybe pop in that pet store over there and look at all the cuties. I’m a bit of an arts and crafts nerd, so if she was down, I might take her over to As You Wish for some pottery painting and we could get some Cold Stone afterwards!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Kyle Dragoo, didn’t hesitate for a second when I told him that I wanted to open my own little store. In fact, when I was unsure of myself, he was the one who pushed me to go for it because he knew it would be great. He helped me with every aspect of opening; he helped me find a realtor, he went to all the different spots the realtor found for me and knew all the right questions to ask, he helped me negotiate the terms of my lease, he helped me

analyze the financial aspect of everything, and kept me motivated the entire way through. There would be no Lunch Money without him.
Additionally, I’ve made a new, unexpected little friend through Lunch Money. Her name is Kate Smith. She’s 13 years old, and she lives across the street from my store. She started off as a customer, until one day I let her help me open a box full of candles that arrived, and now she comes to Lunch Money every weekend when she’s not in school or cheer to help me around the shop. So, I want to give her a major shoutout for all of the amazing work she does, all of the insight she provides, and for tolerating me all day long.
My stepdad, TJ Hudson, is who we call the VP of Unwanted Tasks. I ordered all of my furniture through Amazon and Wayfair before my little space was ready to move in. And if you’ve ever ordered furniture through either of those companies, you know it comes in a box, unassembled. When I finally did move in, TJ took two full days to help me take all of the tables, shelves, and chairs out of boxes and put them together. And when my fitting room curtain
arrived a month later, he installed it for me. I can’t imagine having to do all of that by myself, and I will forever be grateful for our VP of Unwanted Tasks!
My mother-in-law, Judy Dragoo, taught me everything I know about owning a boutique. I worked with her at her boutique, Judy Wear, for about four years selling jewelry. In that time, I learned that this was the career path that I wanted to take. I also learned how to set up displays, how and where to purchase wholesale items, and how to operate the Square POS. Another lesson I took from Judy Wear is to find my target audience; my shop can’t possibly
cater to everybody, and that’s okay. If I hadn’t worked at Judy Wear for so long, I would be learning all of this as I go, and this venture would be much more difficult.
I’m also so thankful for my new employee, Sabrina Celaya, for having the courage to quit her job to join this Lunch Money journey with me. She has been so incredible coming up with ideas to grow the store, and taking stress off of my plate.
And of course, I’ve had my best friend, Cori Julsing, by my side the whole time. She is always reassuring me, coming to my events, buying from me, hyping me up and helping me come up with creative ideas. I mean, who can start a business without their bestie’s love and support?

Website: lunchmoneyaz.com

Instagram: @lunchmoneyaz

Facebook: @lunchmoneyaz

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lunch-money-chandler

Other: Tiktok: @lunchmoneyaz

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