Uptown Magazine: Charlotte Center City and Downtown

A year later and I’m still not a coffee geek.

Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been trying. I’ve toured roasting facilities, spoken with true coffee royalty, invested in new brewing equipment and spent far too much time in the coffee sections of local stores. But I have yet to approach Blayne Olson’s passion for coffee as chronicled in the April 2006 issue of Uptown. I’m still far from building my own home coffee-bean roaster out of old popcorn poppers, and I wouldn’t even know where to buy raw beans – though I’m sure I could find out.  

When Jeffrey Smith decided to purchase a space uptown for a second home, he knew there were a handful of criteria that he and his wife would require. It had to be centrally located, have good outdoor space and good space for entertaining, and have a suitable layout to display their collection of fine art. The result met their needs and became a work of art itself.

Next time you’re out shopping for that string of bling, any Charlotte jeweler can rattle on about points, carats and coloration. Few can reel off tales of wearing hardhat diving equipment (yeah, the brassy kind that adorns the salad bar at the Red Lobster) to scoop up diamonds from the deep waters of the Orinoco River.

Ok, so you’re not a loser, per se. At least that’s what your mom keeps telling you. But there sure are times when your wallet tells you otherwise. Not all of us can be born into wealth, marry a trust-fund baby, or sell our souls to the devil (sorry to “out” you, Paris Hilton).

Uptown Charlotte is filled with opportunities to make a splash with cash, but you can live the luxe life, even if your bank account is short on paper.