Public space + people = awesome things.
It’s 5:25am. It’s the weekend. The weather is beautiful. Life is awesome.
Hi friends,
Let’s talk public spaces. I’m a believer. I spent Thursday evening at the CLT Living Room opening. That night I listened to music and watched people play oversized Jenga. Others doodled on neat dry erase glow boxes or just lounged around on couches in an open area together sipping coffee. There was no barrier for entry or age gate. Just space plus people and awesome things were happening.
The next night at Food Truck Friday I’m sitting at a picnic table with my family and met a young med student doing a rotation in CLT. She had been sitting there a while an said she had met more people at the picnic table than she did all week. Everyone was so friendly and talkative. She loved it.
My point? These spaces are essential to making CLT more lovable. We should protect the ones we have and build more. People like Varian Shrum are making it happen. The Neighborhood Living Room is still open. Check out the Facebook event here.
Now let’s get to it.
Photo by Becky Kraus
Meet 3 new awesome people.
Our first intro of the week is April Smith of Social Ape Marketing. Introduced by Jen Malone, she called April a friend, social media authority and all around kick-ass girl boss. Meet her.
Meet Varian Shrum, the mind behind the CLT Living Room and pretty much all the inspiration for the above talk of public spaces and making connections. She’s awesome. Meet her.
Our feature non-profit of the week is Albert Carter of Hip-Hop University. Alternative forms of education and leveraging these unique learning methods to teach today’s youth is awesome. Hip-Hop U is fusing hip-hop with every day subjects like math and english. Support them.
Do you know someone awesome and want to introduce them to all of We Love Charlotte? Let’s make it happen. I’ve laid out the instructions and guidelines here for you to make your own intro.
Photo by the Hailey Cobb
Who do you love Charlotte?
In collaboration with designer Sam White each week we’ll feature one Charlotteans reason they love CLT beautifully handwritten by Sam herself. This week is Blair Primis. “Excited for it’s potential”
Tell us why you love Charlotte here. Be creative. Be awesome.
Tag #weloveclt on Insta.
Each week I’ll feature three Instagram photos tagged with #weloveclt to be at the top of my weekly update. This weeks theme is public spaces. Who are they?
- Becky Kraus. The Rail Trail.
- Ali Washburn. CLT Living Room. Yoga.
- Hailey Cobb. CLT Living Room. Friends, Mimosas, Games.
Design by Sam White
The week in Instagram takeovers.
Here’s the awesome people and businesses that did takeovers this week.
- Blackstone Shooting. A behind the scenes look.
- Good Grief Vintage. Showcasing NODA & local artists.
- Candace Stamper. Hair Stylist.
- RainCLT. Gay Bingo.
- Varian Shrum. K880 Champ. CLT Neighborhood Living Room.
- Yelp Charlotte. A day in the life of community manager Nikki W.
- CLT Storytellers. A days of people and stories.
If you’re interested in taking our Instagram over please go to weloveclt.com/takeovers, read the guidelines and fill out the form.
The Wrap Up
You’ll find me outside soaking up this awesome fall weather. Get out there, enjoy it.
That’s it. Go be awesome.
-Garrett
Photo by Ali Washburn
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