Photography by LIESBETH POWERS
Denise Manoy opened her Bishop Arts District fashion boutique 15 years ago.

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“In spite of everyone going, ‘You’re opening a store where? Where is that? Are there people that live over there?’ That’s what caught me,” she says. “Yes, there are people that live over there.”

People with few places to shop, at least at that time.

Indigo 1745 was so named because of its initial focus on denim at a time when high-end jeans were the thing. It’s evolved since then to include a range of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories and toiletries that can’t be found just anywhere.

Manoy says the concept is “comfort, but dressing nice and not looking like everyone else.”

“We’ve always had local jewelry designers. We have two bowtie designers. We have a couple of things from McCullough now in the store,” Manoy says. “When the customer comes in, they find that shirt, that dress, and they can walk out knowing they’re not going to see it on anyone else because typically we only get five or six styles in the sizes and that’s it.”

She went to high school in San Antonio, where her father retired as a command master sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. She earned a degree in nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin, where she met her husband, Keith, who was transportation director for the City of Dallas for 30 years. He retired and now has a consulting business. They live in the South Boulevard/Park Row Historic District.

Her parents are now deceased. She was an only child and says they’re still with her in spirit.

Manoy worked in the insurance business for 15 years. When her company wanted to transfer her to Atlanta, she decided to quit and do something else.

“We went everywhere and looked at all kinds of stores,” she says. “I never got the feeling anywhere else that I did when we were in Oak Cliff. It felt like a community and like home.”

What it takes to run a small business

The keyword is “perseverance.” That’s what you have to do; you have to decide to persevere. If you work hard, you’ll get through. There’ve been times when I just thought, “I can’t do this,” especially this past year. It’s been rough, but my father is always in my ear, saying “Nope! You don’t give up. You keep pushing.” And that’s what you do.

The most challenging aspect of her business

It’s still the hardest thing. It never gets easier: Knowing what your customer might want from season to season. You go in (to trade shows in Dallas, Las Vegas and Atlanta) and you’re presented with this wide range of things, and you’ve got to break it down to what you think your customers will buy.

How she’s weathered the pandemic

Our customers are the reason why we made it through. People were calling us and buying things. I knew they weren’t going anywhere. They didn’t have anywhere to wear it, but they were doing it just to support us. Our customers and friends and family — we wouldn’t be here today without them. They really came through and were there for us, even if it was just buying masks. It might’ve seemed like a little thing to them, but it was huge for us.

Why she loves what she does

There’s a smile that’s on someone’s face when they’re wearing something they really like, and I love that. It makes them happy. Then they smile at someone else, and it makes that person feel good. It’s a little bit of positivity in the world.