Hidden Gems: Meet Erin Dragoo of Lunch Money

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

Hi Erin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I started out as a hairdresser, believe it or not. The 18-year-old me decided that my life’s goal was to make other people feel beautiful. I graduated from beauty school, passed the state board test, and received my license when I was 19. Shortly after, I started working as an assistant at a salon in Scottsdale. After a year, I moved to a bigger salon and got my own chair. During my time as a hairdresser, something always felt off. I felt out of place. I felt unfulfilled. As it turns out, our 18-year-old selves aren’t usually very good at deciding our fate. So, after three years of trying to satisfy my old dream, I finally quit and returned to school to find what I was meant to do.

I began my schooling at a community college. I used this time to take as many different classes as I could in order to explore every avenue. The class that I enjoyed the most was marketing. When the time came to transfer to a university, it was ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications that had the courses that were the most appealing to me. So, I enrolled. Four years later, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree and an emphasis in Public Relations.

Right out of college, I started doing freelance web design and social media strategies for small businesses. On the side, I was also working at my mother-in-law’s boutique, Judy Wear. I started out using her brand to practice my freelance skills; I created her logo and website, and I also kept up with her social media. But after spending time in there and being immersed in the business, I started to love boutique life and the level of creativity that came with it. I found myself spending more and more time in her shop, creating eye-catching displays, producing video content, and pairing pieces to create fun outfits. After a while, I started selling jewelry in her store. I enjoyed the trial and error of finding what pieces would sell and what pieces weren’t a good fit for her niche.

Finally, I gave up my freelance gig to work at Judy Wear full-time. It was a tough decision because I felt like I wasted years of my life getting my degree only to not have a career in anything related to it. But I was in love with retail and small business. I followed my heart.

After a few years at Judy Wear, my mind started to wander. The style of Judy Wear is rustic, and I have a very maximalist style. So, I often felt like I was decorating and styling outside of my comfort zone. In July 2021, I remember sitting in my car, about to go into the shop, and this idea just hit me. What if I opened my own crazy little store here in Chandler? And thus, the idea of Lunch Money was born.

I know that I’m detailed and long-winded about my journey to Lunch Money, but I do so in hopes that I can provide inspiration to others who feel lost in their career paths. If you’re reading this, don’t give up. Keep trying, keep searching for what it is that you love to do. It’s out there, I promise.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Honestly, the biggest struggle was finding my calling. I spent a lot of time and money trying to uncover what I was meant to do. It’s a defeating feeling to be unsure of your career. It certainly makes you question your value.

But, once I finally stumbled upon my passion, everything else felt easy. I had fantastic help. My husband, Kyle, supported and encouraged me through the entire process of opening my business.

The business plan, branding, and research were a breeze for me because I love that whole process, and I had done it for several businesses before my own. I had a great realtor who helped me find my space, and the landlord was very welcoming and open-minded about the renovations I wanted to do. From idea to execution, it only took seven months.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Lunch Money?
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, fun phone cases, Pop Sockets, 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.

We also offer free gift wrapping. Gift-giving is my love language; so when customers come in to buy a present for someone, I’m all over it. I hand them a box with some hot pink crinkle paper in it, and I encourage them to put together a themed, one-of-a-kind gift. Once they put their items in the box, I take off the tags, sprinkle in some confetti and wrap it up for them in the adorable paper, tied with a bow. Lunch Money is the perfect spot for gifting.

Besides the products and the gift wrapping, 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 twinkling 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’ve always prided myself on being a bit of a weirdo, and I’m so proud of how different and out of place the shop is.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’m very lucky to have a mother-in-law that has a passion for retail. Without that, I never would have known that I have a knack for it. I would still be doing freelance web design and social media, which was fun, but it wasn’t something that really fulfilled me.

Contact Info:

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