Conversations with Melpo Mankin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melpo Mankin.

Hi Melpo, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I’m a proud first-generation Greek-American. I grew up in a fun college town in Missouri, and like many Greeks, my parents owned and operated a Greek restaurant and I was constantly surrounded by people with an amazing entrepreneurial spirit. But as much as I loved to cook (and eat), I knew I didn’t want to work in a restaurant for the rest of my life. Instead, I decided to attend the University of Central Missouri. After taking some elective art classes with a friend during my freshman year, I discovered I was actually really good at it and ultimately earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

During college, I had worked for two amazing woman entrepreneurs at a furniture and decor store called Inside Outlet. They had so many fun and affordable treasures to help make people’s homes look beautiful, and they were such great mentors to me. After I graduated, they offered me a job as manager of their St. Louis store…little did I know that this job would teach me so many valuable lessons, and ultimately be the catalyst for starting my own business as a designer and stager.

Soon after, I met my husband, and I relocated to another college town and spent several years working in higher education and designing homes as a side hustle. I was always waiting for the “right” time to make the leap into running my business full-time, and an unexpected layoff and a little tap on the shoulder told me it was finally time to go all-in.  It was a blessing in disguise, but many years in the making!

Fast-forward to today. I am the proud owner of Intentional Interiors Home Staging & Design. I get to help real estate agents, homeowners and investors create beautiful spaces. I also serve as President-Elect of the Greater Nashville Real Estate Staging Association and I get to be a part of an amazing community of professionals across middle Tennessee. I’m immersed in the staging and design business and as cliché as it may seem, I finally found my dream job!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road…like most people, I have faced many struggles in life, and it took a long time to find my own sense of belonging, purpose and identity. Having the guts to even start a business was a struggle in itself!

When I first started my business, gaining the confidence to share the value that I offer my clients and networking with professionals in my community really stretched me. When you work for someone else, the work just comes to you. When you’re the boss, you have to hustle the work. No amount of college is going to teach you these real-life lessons. You have to get out there and learn it with experience.  I have never been afraid of working hard, but putting myself out there to be vulnerable and willing to be rejected was a new skill that I needed to learn.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in owner-occupied home staging and residential design services.

Staging homes isn’t always what you see on HGTV. I specialize in staging owner-occupied homes because I believe it is possible to live in your home while you are selling it and make it shine against the competition so you can attract more buyers. Staging creates more buyer interest, which equals more money, even in Nashville’s hot market! Working with what people already have in their homes is such a fun challenge. You don’t have to rent furniture or buy a bunch of stuff to make your home look great for the market. There are so many fun tricks we can implement to give the house the appeal it needs.

Our residential design services are also really fun because it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to create a space you love. I love giving access to beautiful designs that give people joy! I’ve designed everything from multi million dollar properties to starter homes. And if you’re one of the many people in the Nashville area renovating or flipping a house, we can help you select finishes like paint colors, light fixtures, kitchen and bath designs, draw up floor plans and create beautiful exterior color schemes to help make an old house feel new again.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Having faith and the right mindset is everything. There are a lot of reasons to prove that life is hard and that you can’t accomplish something. I could easily argue that the cards were stacked against me, that it’s too risky to pursue my dreams…but at some point, you just have to DECIDE and believe that you’re going to do that thing and then go do it!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.intentionalnashville.com
• Instagram: @nashvillestager
• Facebook: @intentionalnashville

Image Credits
Rein & Rye Photography
Photo by 360 Nash
Brad Zweerink