Community Highlights: Meet Erin Dragoo of Lunch Money

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Erin Dragoo.

Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For most of my life, I never knew what I wanted to do. I found that I was good at a lot of things, but I hadn’t found what I was great at. I did hair for a while, but it didn’t fulfill me. I went back to school and graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I will say that I absolutely loved college — I wished going to school was a career!

After graduation, I started freelancing social media strategies and web design for small businesses. It was fun, but I still didn’t feel quite fulfilled. Then I started selling jewelry at my mother-in-law’s boutique, and after a short time, I realized that was it. I loved everything about boutique and small business life. I was very good at putting displays together, and I loved interacting with the customers and seeing them get excited about things I picked out.

Of course, I thrived on the social media and website aspect because of my previous experience. It was a way to combine everything that I had done in the past. It was a creative outlet. It was a social outlet. I knew that I had finally found what I wanted to do. So, after working with her for three years, I flew the coop and started a store of my own.

My store is completely different than my mother-in-law’s store, though. My store is an extension of me. I sell all sorts of random, fun things, like bright clothing, home goodies, hair accessories, car cuties, stationery, handmade earrings and other cute jewelry, handbags, smoking accessories, planners and journals, stickers, tarot cards, and just so many other things that you never knew you needed! It’s a really fun, eccentric little place — definitely an experience.

It’s very pink inside, besides the green walls. There are disco balls everywhere. I have a vintage purple couch in the back for the husbands to sit on while their wives shop. I even have a TV for them. I like to make everybody happy. Normally, that’s a toxic trait, but I think in the boutique industry, it’s okay to be a people pleaser sometimes.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It started out very smooth, actually. But somewhere along the way, business has slowed down.

I’ve been seeing a lot of small businesses that I follow go under, and it’s very discouraging. I hate to be the one who blames the economy and politics, but I’m hearing that people just don’t spend as much during an election year.

Plus, we’re in a recession right now, which doesn’t help either. My store is based on want, not need. So, I understand that when people try to cut back on spending, places like mine are usually cut out first.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Lunch Money is unlike anything Chandler has ever seen. It’s something you would expect to see in Nashville or San Francisco. People often ask me what I sell, and that’s one of the most difficult questions for me. It’s not a one-word answer.

To give you an idea, let me provide a back story behind the name. When I was in high school, my mom would give my sister and me each $20 to use on lunch for the week. Instead of using it to buy lunch, I would take the $20 to the mall after school and spend it on cute little things for myself. So, my store sells everything that I would spend my lunch money on. It’s a cumulation of everything that I love.

That entails bright clothing, handmade clay earrings, dainty necklaces, cute car accessories, stickers, bold home accents, hair clips, sunglasses, puzzles, celebrity prayer candles, chic smoking accouterments, silly greeting cards, notebooks, pens, planners, tarot cards, books, throw pillows, funny coffee cups, items for each holiday, candles, party items, colorful eyeshadow palettes, purses, keychains — I could go on and on. The variety of items that Lunch Money sells is almost overwhelming. You could walk around my store for an hour and still probably not see everything.

Besides the products, the atmosphere and decor style of Lunch Money definitely set me apart. The walls are bright green, the tile is a very busy black-and-white pattern, and there are disco balls and lights hanging from the ceiling. There are clothes hanging on all the walls like they’re art. The green walls are offset by hot pink curtains separating the front window from the rest of the store. In the back of the store is a flower wall with a bright pink neon sign that reads “I Want It All.”

In front of that is a vintage 70s purple couch. This space is for selfies! I have a Polaroid camera in the shop that I use to take photos of my customers in the selfie area, and I hang them all on the adjacent wall. The wall behind the register is a cloud and rainbow mural that was painted by a Colorado-based artist named Mike McPuff.

Honestly, Lunch Money is a total vibe. I’m so proud of how different and out of place the shop is.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I look back at the young me and smile. She was so free; she didn’t care what anyone else thought of her. Even though I’m only 33, it seems like a lifetime ago.

I’ve never been a really good sharer. I’ve always loved my “things.” I guess some would call that materialistic. But I don’t see it that way. I view it as a sort of pride.

Everything I’ve ever owned, I’ve wanted to personalize it and make it my very own, so everyone knew that it was Erin’s. “Oh, it’s pink and has Hello Kitty? That must be Erin’s.” I thrived on that. I see that trait shine through in my store today.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lunchmoneyaz.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lunchmoneyaz
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lunchmoneyaz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lunchmoneyaz
• Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/lunch-money-chandler
• Other: www.tiktok.com/lunchmoneyaz