2022 HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our readers
_______
INSIDE INSIDE
______
FOR BREAKING
NEWS
HERALD 2021
go to liherald.com
YEAR IN REVIEW
$1.00
What’s
Malverne/West HeMpstead
DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANUARY 5, 2022
VOL. 29 NO. 1
Style, with a focus on community
By Karen Bloom
kbloom@liherald.com
S Herald file photo xx/Herald
xxWest Hempstead ‘cornerstone’ of A the community closed in 2021. Page 0
Page 3
Herald file photo xx/Herald
The Villlage of Malverne marked its xx 100th anniversary.
Page 0 Page 9
Photo credit xx/Herald
A community hosted a Hallmark-like xx celebration.
Page 0 Page 17
agine Pierre-Charles cuts a stylish figure in the West Hempstead community. And her store, Sage & Angie Boutique, is a go-to for local women who want affordable fashion. As an entrepreneur, Charles’s goal is to help women feel and look their best, regardless of background, race or religion. Her motto, according to those who know her: If you look good on the outside, you’ll feel good on the inside. That credo carries over into PierreCharles’s all-consuming devotion to customers, friends, neighbors and, of course, family. According to those who know her, she is not someone who seeks the limelight — it’s her actions that speak volumes. “Sagine is a hard worker who does not seek any praise,” said Terese RussoSantoro, a longtime West Hempstead resident and a former Chamber of Commerce member, who is also a devoted customer and friend. “She’s had such an impact here. She wasn’t even born here, and truly has made a difference. We haven’t had a clothing store here in over a decade, and her store has transformed the community. She has a tremendous personality, embraces all people and truly cares.” In recognition of her exceptional leadership, inclusiveness and generosity to the community, the Herald is proud to name Pierre-Charles its 2021 Person of the Year. Pierre-Charles, 42, is a veritable dynamo. She grew up in Haiti, as did her husband, Jean Charles, also 42. They have two daughters, Kayla Sage, 12, and Angelina, 10, whom the store is named for. After arriving in the U.S. at age 17, Pierre-Charles attended Queens College, and earned a degree in business administration. From the start, she was passionate about a career in fashion, according to her husband, which led to a successful career as a manager at Lord & Taylor.
HERALD PERSON OF THE YEAR
SAGINE PIERRE-CHARLES
S ‘
he’s an all-around great gal.’
TERESE RUSSO-SANTORO Former member, WHCC
“It was always her dream to open her own place,” Jean said. “She just had to wait for the right time.” That time came in 2016. Her business
initially began with a website, and was based in her West Hempstead home, which the young family had moved to in 2010. Seeking more of a personal connection, Sagine opened her boutique on Nassau Boulevard, all the while continuing to build on the success of the website. It didn’t take long before the store began to find its footing. With the entire community in mind, she made sure she stocked items for women of all kinds. Recognizing that all of her potential customers were unique, she adopted a mix-and-match approach to offer every woman unique styles and custom combinations. “She’s driven and persistent,” Marshall Myers, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said of PierreCharles. “She’s always out there, always working. She works six days a week … And she makes an effort to help others. She gives back as much as she can.” From Breakfast with Santa during the holiday season to specially created “modest” events geared to the Orthodox Jewish women in the neighborhood, Sage & Angie is a welcoming hub of activity that celebrates West Hempstead’s diversity. “The Orthodox people have truly embraced her,” Russo-Santoro said of Pierre-Charles. “She is surely a role model, especially when you consider what she has accomplished at her age … She’s an all-around great gal — and with great dimples.” Despite all that Pierre-Charles has going on, she finds time to take an active role in the chamber, serving as vice president. “She never stops,” Russo-Santoro said. “The fact that she has a successful business which survived [the pandemic], became a chamber officer with small Continued on page 4 Courtesy Alex Wolff
Sagine Pierre-Charles was honored at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Oct. 29.