Alyssa Mangan always knew she wanted to create beautiful and refined spaces.

Mangan is the daughter of an interior designer and an architect. Growing up, she saw first-hand what went into renovating a space into something beautiful and unique.

“My parents were always renovating when I was growing up,” Mangan recalled. “They were always adding to our house and just completely making it over. It was sort of in my blood.”

Building the foundation

Mangan received a bachelor’s degree in interior design with a minor in marketing from Missouri State University.

The program at MSU prepared her for the real world by teaching both the interior design aspect and the construction aspect.

“MSU really emphasizes different types of interior design,” said Mangan. “I think that definitely helps because in the real world, you’re seeing something completely different each day.”

After she graduated, Mangan became interested in helping her mother fulfill a lifelong dream of opening her own store.

Creating their dream store

When Alyssa Mangan graduated in May of 2016, she sat down with her mother, Angie Mangan, to create a business plan for their store.

“My mom kind of decided it was now or never,” Alyssa Mangan said. “We consulted some mentors and decided to go for it.”

Everything seemed to fall into place, including the name of the store, Blue Dahlia Designs.

“My mom just woke up in the middle of the night, wrote it down and brought it to me,” said Alyssa Mangan.

They looked up the meaning of a blue dahlia and found that the flower is often associated with fresh starts and big changes. It was the perfect fit.

As of August of 2019, Alyssa and Angie Mangan own and operate Blue Dahlia Designs, a home décor and interior design store in Webster Groves, Missouri.

Blue Dahlia Designs

The store offers an assortment of home décor, furniture, florals and gifts. The mother-daughter duo also offers at home interior design services and general guidance in-store.

The store has unique vignettes that display inventory depending on the season. This is one of Alyssa Mangan’s favorite parts about the store, among other things.

“I love being able to work with my mom even though there are challenges. It’s exciting to be able to share this with her and my family,” said Alyssa Mangan. “I love being so excited for things like when new merchandise comes in or we’re having a really good day in the store.”

The store and interior design itself is always changing and growing. It’s something Alyssa Mangan and her mother will never get tired of.

“You never have to do the same thing twice. You never have to design the same room twice,” said Mangan. “Every person has a different aesthetic and vision, and interior design allows you to bring that to life.”

Learn more about the interior design program.