The Designer Issue 3

STAY O R SLAY?
Charity Baxter is the proud owner of H. Lerent. This luxury Fashion Boutique provides
unique and unforgettable attire for women. According to Charity, ?Every piece that we put
into our store is hand-picked. It?s curated to make you feel and look amazing. When you?re
in H. Lerent, it?s something special.? Just like the meaning of her name, Charity has a
unique gift of ?goodwill toward and love of humanity?. Her boutique is an extension of her
genuine love for making women feel and look exquisite. Recently, Level 21 had the
pleasure to speak with Charity in detail about her fascinating life and her luxury boutique:
Tell us a lit t le bit about yourself
and your fashion experience.
I am a native of Winston-Salem,
North Carolina. I began my career as
a makeup artist and I had an eye for
fashion. Naturally, these talents
afforded me an opportunity to
enlarge my territory by becoming a
boutique owner in 2004 in Atlanta.
Armed with the fashion and business
knowledge that I obtained in Atlanta,
I was able to open my own luxury
boutique, H. Lerent in Charlotte,
North Carolina.
How did you com e up wit h t he
bout ique?s nam e of H. Lerent ?
My children?s grandfather is Hepburn
Lerent. During the 1970?s, he was a
local fashion icon in Jamaica. He
wore the most unique pieces of
clothing that captured the attention
of all of the locals. Currently, he is
suffering from dementia. Before it is
too late, we wanted to honor his
THE INTERVIEW
By: Marage Blakeney
legacy and let him know that his
name will never be forgotten.
Therefore, we have two boutiques
named after him. One of the
locations is in Saint Catherine,
Jamaica and the other one is in
Charlotte.
What m ot ivat es you and keep you
going as a business owner?
H. Lerent is my ?baby?. Although
entrepreneurship has its challenges,
it is very rewarding. I ask God for
more patience and I received a
business. Therefore, I do not let the
seemingly ?road blocks? of being a
entrepreneur deter me. I love
working with people and making
women ?feel pretty?. If a woman feels
pretty, her whole attitude changes to
a positive one. Once our clients come
into H. Lerent, we provide them with
quality customer service to ensure
that they look and feel beautiful
inside and out. The reward of
transforming a person?s life is the
motivating factor to keeping me
going as a business owner.
What are your fut ure plans?
I have two plans that I am working
on. The first plan is to cater more to
the ?plus-size? demographics and
owning a plus-sized boutique.
Unfortunately, most of the clothing
options for plus sized women are
styles that either look like a grandma,
hooker, or teenager. I want to
provide stylish attire that would
make a curvy woman feel and look
elegant and amazing. Also, I want to
move to a centralized location that is
more accessible. Since this is my
baby, I want more people to come
visit my boutique. I believe that
moving to another location will allow
H. Lerent to grow and reach a wider
audience of women who desire to
feel and look fabulous.
How can our readers find H.
Lerent ?
H. Lerent is located at 5025 North
Tryon Street, Suite 107 in Charlotte,
North Carolina. They can also visit us
online at www.hlerent.com.
Charity and H. Lerent?s manta is,
?Fashion fades but styles remains. Be
more than fashionable, be
unforgettable.? In the words of Janna
Cachola, ?You have to slay it in life or
life will slay you.? So if you desire to
slay it in life, you can either stay at
home or opt to slay by making a trip
to H. Lerent to add more garment
artillery within your wardrobe
arsenal.
For more information on H. Lerent, visit
www.hlerent.com or discover them on social media
@h.lerentclt on Instagram or @hlerent on FaceBook.