Your bougie gift guide to Charlotte’s luxury Christmas shopping
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Your guide to holiday shopping in Charlotte
No need to fear supply chain delays – shop local.
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Maybe you won the North Carolina lottery this year. Maybe you have great taste and the holiday budget to back it up. Or maybe you’re just dreaming big in Charlotte this Christmas (raises hand).
If that’s you, then we’ve got the luxury guide to help fulfill your bougie wishes for everyone on Santa’s list.
Here are some of our best ideas for high-end gift giving in 2021. (And for even more ideas, Axios Charlotte has a luxury gift guide to check out, too.)
Artwork from Real African Art Gallery
Browse the handmade paintings, ceramics and stone work pieces at Real African Art Gallery in University City. Each purchase helps the Charlotte gallery owner, Calistain Ganda, assist the stone workers and other artisans in his village back home in Zimbabwe. Prices start at about $20 and go up to $5,000, but you’ll find several pieces around $100.
BMW Performance Driving Experience
Make luxury dreams come true with an unforgettable driving experience at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, about an hour and a half outside Charlotte. For $299, your gift recipient can get behind the wheel of a BMW X vehicle as they follow an instructor through an off-road course, then rotate among various BMW vehicles on a track with tight corners and fast straightaways. Finish off the fun with a passenger hot lap with an instructor drifting and accelerating around the track. (Note: A driver’s license is required, of course.)
Gucci at SouthPark Mall
For a second holiday shopping season, shop Italian fashion designer Gucci store at SouthPark mall. The only store in North Carolina opened last December. Shoes, such as the women’s mid-heel slingback with Horsebit for $850, and bags, like the Hacker Project, small Jackie 1961 bag at $2,690. Customers can request book a private one-on-one session with a Gucci expert in person, or by phone or video.
Jewelry from Malak Jewelers
What says luxury more than a little bling? At Malak Jewelers in the Arboretum Shopping Center, you’ll find a large selection of fine jewelry to browse and find just the right thing, such as a 1/4 carat solitaire diamond necklace for $749. To complete the look, pair it with 1/4 carat diamond studs for $599.
Join the Pelo club
For the fitness lover on your list or a self-health gift, check out the Peloton showroom at SouthPark mall. Peloton’s popularity soared during the pandemic offering in-studio feel with live classes using technology via attached screen. Send high fives and filter by followers, age or gender. Book a personalized walk-through to learn more about the stationary bikes and treadmill, plus an optional 10-minute warm up class. Pay one membership for the household with all-access to classes on demand, live or recorded, any time. Memberships start at $39 per month. The original bike starts at $1,495 and treadmill at $2,495.
Live out your foodie dreams with Leah & Louise
Upgrade that old school fruit-of-the-month package with a monthly meal subscription to Leah & Louise’s Chef Greg’s Family Supper Club. For $65 per month plus a $20 delivery fee, you can send your favorite person a family meal for four each month, straight from James Beard nominated chef Greg Collier and co-owner Subrina Collier. The packages contain an appetizer, entree and dessert, and you can add on a bottle of wine for $30 or two for $50.
Lounge at JW Marriott
Make reservations for an afternoon in a heated igloo at the Aura Rooftop’s Snowed in on Stonewall pop-up while you enjoy skyline views of the city. For a minimum spend of $150-$400, depending on day of the week and time, you and your holiday guests can sit back with a hot craft cocktail and enjoy small bites or sushi rolls.
Restoration Hardware Charlotte
Find something for the most discerning person on your luxury gift list at RH Charlotte, which offers a line of furniture for your beach house or ski lodge, along with home decor items, bedding, lighting and more. There’s even a line of cashmere robes ($379), sleepwear ($159) and plush slippers ($119) if you’re looking to elevate the basics this Christmas.
Set sail with a boating membership
No need to buy the boat when you can join any several local boat clubs on Lake Norman and Lake Wylie like: Freedom Boat Club, Destinations Boat Clubs, Carefree Boat Club, Aquaventure, Lake Effects or Lake Norman Marina Boat Club. One-time joining fees can run from a few hundred dollars up to $5,000 or more, plus monthly membership fees typically starting around $200 per month depending on the plan. Or rent a boat starting at about $300 a day, for example, at Lake Wylie Boat Rental.
The Spa at Ballantyne
It’s been a tough year as COVID-19 pandemic stretches on. Reduce signs of stress with an immune boosting skin therapy called Stress Recovery Facial for $150 at The Spa at Ballantyne. The 50-minute session includes an Alpha Beta peel and LED light therapy. Or go for the full Stress Relief Body Wrap for $180. Along with hydrafacial and body wrap therapies, the space menu includes massages, nail and hair treatments for men and women. Need more time to de-stress? Book a room at the Ballantyne Hotel and dine at Gallery Restaurant, home to the popular Whiskey Club of Ballantyne. The Ballantyne also offers a four-bedroom Cottage and a Lodge group retreat with 35 guest rooms. The hotel has holiday event packages and offers Carolina residents a discount.
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 6:15 AM.
