Tip of the cap: Fitted hat shop in Camp North End

COURTESY CAMP NORTH END

Giovanni Brown, owner of Fitteds CLT, is moving his fitted cap boutique from Uptown to Camp North End in March

A Charlotte-based fitted hat shop is relocating to Camp North End.

Fitteds CLT, founded by Giovanni Brown as a digital startup, is moving in March to an 800 square foot shop at 701 Keswick Avenue, Suite 104 from its current Uptown site at 621 McNinch St. A Harlem, New York, native, Brown has always been a fan of fitted caps, which feature a nearly flat brim built to a specific head size.

Snapback caps, on the other hand, are a six-panel hat with a device in the back that can be adjusted to multiple sizes.

“I didn’t choose fitted hats, fitteds chose me,” he said.

Upon moving to Charlotte in 2016, Brown seized upon what he perceived as a lack of headgear options in the region. He began selling hats via his Instagram page and grew the business to a physical site that primarily served northern transplants.

Ultimately, the boutique’s clientele spread beyond Charlotte to along the East Coast.

“I created Fitteds to cater to a void that previously existed in the market,” Brown said. “Where I’m from, everyone wears fitteds. You can catch someone’s grandma in a fitted, but there was no one in Charlotte serving that audience. Launching the business has been great for me, and for the city’s hat culture that’s been forming here for many years – and I’m proud to say Fitteds has played a major part in that.”

The Camp North End store will showcase inventory and includes a basketball hoop that Brown hopes will create a unique shopping and socializing experience.
Fitteds sells custom-built New Era and Mitchell & Ness hats, including officially licensed gear from the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.

Many of the designs draw their inspiration from regional and historical sporting events and includes collaborations with franchises like the Charlotte Knights baseball team.

Brown said he decided to move to Camp North End when he realized that being located within one of Charlotte’s Corridors of Opportunity would be an advantage for the “Beyond Open” small business grant he applied for last year. While Fitteds is a hat shop, Brown also considers it platform where the work of local artists and creatives can be promoted and showcased through pop-ups and collaborations.

“While the grant was the initial motivation to look for space in the North End corridor,” he said, “the supportive community I’ve experienced at Camp North End – full of other unique small business owners and creatives – solidified that I made the right choice.” 

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