Meet Ashley Mangin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Mangin.

Ashley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Whew. There is SO much that can be said. I was born in Staten Island, New York and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina right before my 7th birthday. I spent the majority of my life in North Carolina. I was raised by my mother who is currently retired military. That involved spending a lot of weekends and summers at Fort Brag and also involved having to be separated from my mom for a year because she was deployed. Growing up as a child to a military parent was tough at times, but it has shaped me in very definitive ways. My mom worked so hard and sacrificed so much to ensure that I was able to have opportunities that she did not have when she was growing up. When I was younger, watching the way she moved throughout going to school, working, taking care of others, purely sacrificing; allowed me to evolve into the woman that I am today. She still instills in me the importance of hard work, education, and having peace within myself.

Growing up, I was always really inquisitive and was great at offering new perspectives and ideas. My mom allowed me to try different hobbies and always nourished my creative mind. To fast forward to present day, I work in clinical research at a rehabilitation hospital during the day and work 24/7 to build My Fair Lady Shoppe. My academic background is in psychology and cognitive science. Throughout high school, college, and grad school, I was either working in retail or engaged in learning a new hobby that allowed creative freedom. I have my bachelor’s degree in psychology with a double minor in cognitive science and linguistics. I also have a master’s degree in clinical rehabilitation counseling. I genuinely love learning and the field that I work in. The story of how I started and how I got to where I am today, involves a lot of self-reflection and confidence building to say, “this is who I am, this is what I like & that is that.” I had to learn how to embody my full self. unapologetically. I love psychology, the brain, and building connections with other people. I also love fashion and creative expression. No matter what anyone says, they are not and do not have to be mutually exclusive.

I have always been an advocate for ladies that can do both, for ladies who do not fit into one box. Simply, for ladies with complexity.

Has it been a smooth road?
“What if people don’t like it? What if it fails? What no one supports me?” WHAT IF?!? It has not been a smooth road at all. With starting My Fair Lady Shoppe, one of the hardest parts was deciding to actually do it. We tend to think a lot about different ideas we may have and dream about businesses or ventures we would like to come to life. Doing all of that is comfortable. Y’all. When I tell you it was so uncomfortable to be able to move from just imagining My Fair Lady Shoppe, to making it a real thing, yikes. Training my mind to be able to launch my business and to be consistent with it once launched, was a major shift for me. I knew that when I launched, I had to hold myself accountable. I knew that when I launched, there was no turning back. There was no just doing this for a year, then stopping. There was no half-a***** anything I put out.

The “what if’s” will drive you crazy though. I knew early on that I could not go into starting this business with this mindset. I did a lot of work to educate myself and train my mind to be on the opposite side of the what if’s.
What if people like it? What if pops? What if people support me?

The what if’s also turned into positive affirmations of:
*I will find people who like it.
*It will not fail.
*The right people will support me.

Of course there are days, even weeks, when things get hard and I wonder why I am exerting all of this time and energy to build this business. I try my best to not stay stuck in that mindset and celebrate myself for the small milestones I have reached within entrepreneurship thus far. I truly believe that if you don’t believe in your business, then no one else will.

The first step to all of this for me was believing in myself and knowing that I can real life do it. I mean, why not?

Please tell us about you business.
My Fair Lady Shoppe is an online boutique specifically for ladies with complexity. We provide bomb clothing for different aspects of life through our various collections. The first collection, Vacation Me Please, is focused on vacation looks. This is where you will get all of your clothing for an upcoming trip that you have planned out with your girls, boo, or possibly just yourself.

Rebelle Fleur has looks specifically for a birthday night or holiday night. When you are planning to step out, this is the place you’ll go to find the piece that is going to make heads turn.

Our latest collection, Forever Cozy, has all of the looks for the cold weather. You can find sweat sets, sweaters, and layer worthy looks. I plan to add 2 more collections and will continue to add new custom looks as time goes on. An aspect of My Fair Lady Shoppe that I am very proud of, is the attention to detail. I created the packaging, marketing content, and website myself through photoshop. This process was stressful, but so rewarding.

I love being able to create and designing the aesthetic of My Fair Lady Shoppe was something I knew I wanted complete control over. I believe in quality, and I want to bring smiles to the ladies who shop with me. I also hope to bring positivity to someone’s day because they will see the detail that was put into their order through the packaging design, handwritten note, and sole purpose behind MFL.

I strive to bring connection back into the online shopping experience and I will soon incorporate more ways to foster this. I created MFL during a time where I was beginning to move unapologetically as my full self in all spaces of life. As a Black Woman within corporate america and as a Black Woman who people like to box in with their expectations, I said “no more.” I want to talk more about this experience and uncomfortable growth with other ladies, as it fueled the purpose of My Fair Lady and the type of ladies the brand represents.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the number of Black entrepreneurs in Atlanta. It is great to be in a city where you can find an event in which you can meet ladies just like you. Being around people who just get it, definitely helps. I love the unlimited amount of food options (of course). I love trying different restaurants and being able to meet the owners. I have only been here 3 years, and have so much more to explore. I’m excited.

One thing I don’t like is the traffic. I can say that traffic has deferred me from going to do certain things because of the travel time.

Pricing:

• Enjoy free shipping on your first order by using code “MFL” at checkout!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.myfairladyshoppe.com
• Phone: (678)243-0535
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/myfairladyshoppe.com

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