Deanna’s love for art and interior design began at the age of 15, when she purchased a subscription to “Renovation Style” magazine, a collection that is still intact. She majored in Studio Art and French at St. Olaf College, spending a January Term in New York City visiting artists of all types and art galleries and museums daily.  Her love for design was further strengthened during a semester spent in France studying art history.

Fresh out of college, Deanna worked at the downtown Minneapolis Marshall Field’s store, working with engaged couples on their bridal registries. This was a favorite job - setting up tabletops - coordinating unique combinations of china, crystal, silver, and linens based on the client’s interests, and offering extensive product knowledge for all areas of the registry.  She also worked for Nash Frame Design and Marshall Field’s Furniture Store before opening her own interior design firm in 2003, the year her daughter, Evelyn, was born.

For the first fifteen years of her business, Deanna focused on kitchen and bath remodels, acting as both designer and general contractor. Since then, her focus has been furniture layout and style selection, as well as wallpaper and drapery selection and installation.

Evelyn graduated from Pitzer College in May of 2025 with a major in Critical Global Studies and History. She helped launch the shop and enjoys working there part-time, alongside a position in another family business and weekly volunteer roles for two non-profit organizations. She loves all things vintage. The more ornate, the better!

Deanna’s husband and Evelyn’s father, Brett, is a large part of the behind-the-scenes function of Evelyn’s Emporium as chief collector, heavy lifter, and handyman. You might even catch Deanna’s son, Arden, taking a shift when home during college breaks.

"I’m excited that my daughter loves ornate china and crystal, and colorful fabrics and art, just as I always have. I love that she and her Gen Z peers want to shop in person for furniture and home goods that stand out from big-box store products as unique and interesting, at the same time consciously considering the environment."

— Deanna Lillemoe