Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Erickson.
Hi Alicia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always knew I wanted to do interior design from a very early age. Sounds kind of silly because how many kids say they want to design home interiors but growing up in a household where every dollar had to be stretched, the novelty of a beautiful, cohesive home was not necessarily obtainable. I would hunt through Better Homes & Garden catalogs to find rooms that inspired me, rip them out and create an entire house plan on the tag board my parents used for bulletin boards. My parents were teachers, and that’s how I filled the time waiting for them at school. It is also what gave me access to all the materials to create these imaginary homes.
When my older brother moved to Chicago for his college internship, we visited this metropolis, and I will NEVER forget my very first experience down the Magnificent Mile and the first home store I went into, Pottery Barn. It was life-changing for me. The nostalgic aroma, the perfectly stacked dishes, and the beds that looked more inviting than any I had ever seen before, engaged every creative bone in my body. I knew from that day forward, it would be my goal in life to own a bed that looked as strategically curated as theirs,
Naturally, I decided to go to college for interior design and chose Chicago to be the city to do so. Halfway through it, I had a professor talk me out of it. Her bitter take on the competitiveness of interior design amongst so many in this large city, led me to believe I could never make a living at it, so I changed my majors. Always having regretted that decision, I found myself continually going back to design through different jobs and eventually decided I would make a career of it by working in the field, from the ground up. I’ve always had big dreams, and knew if I believed in them hard enough, they would come true. It has been astonishing in life though, just how quickly they have, I went from starting at a box store, to selling and laying out furniture, to a career in flooring which led to managing and a home design store, and eventually OWNING it! Surrounding myself with incredible people who support me through every crazy idea and having an amazing team has been the secret to my success.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No road is ever perfectly smooth. There have been times along the way that you question if you have taken the right direction. When I first moved to Bemidji, the owner of the company I had been working for opened a Bemidji branch since my husband and I had moved here. In order to do so, she bought out an existing home store. I had gone from being a designer with absolutely zero experience in managing to have a whole team of extremely seasoned sales staff who previously had only ever worked with their family. Coming into a store that needed a new direction, but being the youngest one to lead them, was not easy for anyone. I learned a lot over the first few years like how to lead by example, how vital your team dynamic is, and how to connect with your community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My husband and I now own THE DESIGN STORE – CARPET ONE FLOOR & HOME in Bemidij, MN. At the Design Store, we create beautiful, curated spaces. We offer cabinets, countertops, custom tile showers and backsplashes, furniture, window treatments, flooring and design services. Our team has been carefully selected to provide the most knowledgeable and personal service possible.
We are known for our excellent customer service and for providing our customers with the total package for their projects. What sets us apart is that we are able to give the best gift of all, the gift of visualization. So many people struggle with envisioning the potential for their spaces and we are able to put it on paper so it can become tangible. We literally make having a dream home a reality. That really hits home for me since I had thought when I was young, that the concept of having a beautiful, cohesive home was unobtainable. My goal now is for this to be obtainable in EVERY household.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I pretty much hit that in the first question about my story. I truly believe our childhood has a lot to do with what directs us towards our hopes and dreams and what eventually leads to “our story”. I can give you a little background on how I went from managing a store to owning it though. Sorry for jumping around.
After I started managing the Bemidji store, I realized pretty quickly that I couldn’t do it without the support of my husband, Justin. I had come to probably the biggest hurdle in my career and didn’t know if I could succeed. I was in a new town where nobody was familiar with our company and it was hard to get in with the community without history, I had to redirect an existing business where new ideas were not always welcomed and had felt abandoned by the leaders that had gotten me there. I had never felt more alone professionally than in that time. Justin never let me throw in the towel though. He continually encouraged me and eventually, I saw it as something maybe someday we could do together. I began building a dream of building our own dynasty. I always have the vision, and Justin has the stamina to get it done and together, we can conquer the world. It was from this dream that our future was built.
After nine years of managing the store and seeming like our dream may have been too big, I had grown complacent of giving everything I had to a company that was not my own. I was always thankful for the opportunities I was given within the store, but I had my own ambitions that I just could no longer put aside, so I decided to take a step away from the store to start working on a re-directed dream of flipping houses. This was something Justin and I could still do together and would involve my passion for design. I knew it would be a couple of years before Justin could join me since he was working on wrapping up a law enforcement career, but I thought it would be smart to get my realtor’s license to start learning the market so we could be more knowledgeable on good investments for this. After 5 months of schooling, while still managing, I got my license and put in a 2-month notice. Two weeks before my last day, the owner came to me and said she would like to give Justin and me the opportunity to buy the store. I was absolutely blown away. Even in my wildest dreams, I did not have to foresight to see that happening. In the nine years of managing the store, giving it the passion as if it were my own, eventually, it became it. It’s a great lesson that working your tail off truly does pay off and that having an entrepreneurial spirit will always lead to great opportunities, sometimes you just need to take a leap!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.thedesignstorecarpetone.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1c3158qrq908f&utm_content=ovviz6i
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thedesignstorebemidji
Image Credits
Iconic Images Photography
