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Photo: "Mimi" (far right) and her daughters stand in front of their shaved ice stand.
She had always dreamed of owning her own business, now Miriam Hughes and her family own and operate one of the coolest places in town.
One day Miriam found herself reading a business magazine about entrepreneurship, and it focused on startup businesses with low overhead and high income. “It had [shaved ice] listed and of course my family loves shaved ice, so we were like ‘Hey this could be good.’ Then we discussed it as a family.”
Mimi’s Shaved Ice is a family business, but it is Miriam’s baby. Mimi, a nickname for Miriam, all started because of a boy in their family who could not pronounce Miriam when he was little, and now most kids, and even some adults, strictly call her Mimi. The name seemed to fit perfectly for the kid friendly stand.
This summer, July 14 to be exact, the Hughes family opened their popular shaved ice stand, Mimi’s Shaved Ice. It truly is a family run operation; behind the window at any given time you will see a member of the Hughes family: Miriam, Ricardo, MaKenzie, Mercedes, or Matthew.
“We wanted to put something into the community that was different… and focus it toward the kids.” Miriam has had two goals for quite some time: own her own business and give back to the community that raised her children and herself.
Miriam is amazed and grateful for the encouragement of the community she has called home for her whole life. “The involvement in the community and the support from the community has went far beyond what I can even comprehend.”
“We get a lot of people that will get their ice and they’ll sit and just talk and things like that.” It has offered the community a place for family, friends, and even strangers to gather and talk. It has allowed the Hughes family to meet new people and catch up with old friends, which has meant just as much, if not more, than the success of the stand.
How long Mimi’s will stay open into the colder months is still undecided. The tentative plan is to close the week of Thanksgiving and reopen at the end of March, but they are in the “planning stages of adding different items.” Depending on how long they decide to stay open, they might add more food based things, such as homemade soups.
If you want to experience one of the 60 flavors or one of the more than a thousand flavor combinations, Mimi’s is open 10-10 Tuesday-Saturday and 12-9 on Sunday. Thursday’s are college night, so it would be a great time to take a break from studying and gather with friends and enjoy a medium shaved ice for only $1.75. The stand is located at 804 Burkesville Street, right next to the post office.
The Hughes family is excited that the people have chosen to embrace their addition to the community. Miriam hopes that people will continue to use their establishment as a place gather. The socialization the stand provides seems to be just as important as the cool treats served.
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