Tia Whittington is a blogger and the owner and CEO of H Kyle Boutique, a boutique that focuses on women’s apparel and custom items. Tia never thought that she’d see the day where she would be living her and her mother’s avid dream – owning a storefront. In Tia’s younger years, she and her mother, Martha, shared a passion for shopping. As an only child, all of Tia’s Saturdays were filled with ripping and running the streets of Baton Rouge for a day of shopping with Martha that always ended with dinner. Saturday shopping quickly grew to be their beloved tradition.

Tia and Martha always talked about opening a boutique of their own once Martha retired from her job as a Patient Accounts Representative at Ochsner Clinic. In the meantime, while she worked on making their dream become a reality, Tia became a certified early childhood teacher, teaching kindergarten students of East Baton Rouge, Iberville, and Ascension Parish School Systems respectfully. Unfortunately, Martha succumbed to her battle with cancer before seeing the dreams of a brick and mortar store come to fruition. After the loss of her mother, Tia put their vision on pause to continue teaching. But it was through teaching that Tia saw the start of her and her mother’s dream come to life. While Tia was still a teacher, she began to dabble in customization and made a sweatshirt for herself. One day Tia wore the sweatshirt to school, and several teachers wanted one just like hers. It is safe to say it was that moment H Kyle was born, and it is also safe to say Martha wanted their dream to continue through Tia.

H Kyle is the namesake of her daughter, Harper Kyle. It took Tia no thought to pass H Kyle Boutique to her daughter just as Martha passed down the dream to her. After teaching and operating H Kyle solely as an online boutique, Tia stepped out on faith and opened her first brick and mortar store in September of 2015. Tia has been in business for the last five years and has loved every moment of the rollercoaster that is being an entrepreneur. Interacting with her loving customers and forming new friendships every day is often the highlight of her day. Tia knows that her Martha is watching her from above proud to see that she made their dream come true.

H Kyle Boutique is located at 14601 Airline Hwy, Suite 106, in Gonzales, LA, and online at shophkyle.com.

You can also find Tia’s lifestyle blog at www.TiaWhittington.com