What fate may bring: Mimi’s prepares for official opening with first public event
Brendan Morgan and Venus Paige at their new Main Street business, Mimi’s, a French-European inspired marketplace, cafe and community space set to open in mid-November. Photo by Olivia Allen.
Shoppers attending Northport Village’s downtown “Witches and Warlocks” event Wednesday could enjoy fall festivities, fashion deals, fine arts, food and more throughout the evening.
One could even test their divine fate with a rune reading at Mimi’s: a quaint and alluring new community venue, daytime cafe, and French-European inspired marketplace set to open at 245 Main Street in mid-November.
Mimi’s is named after co-owner Venus Paige’s grandmother, a French-Canadian beauty mogul described as iconic, infectious and a “total boss” by her granddaughter.
“She was very outgoing, flirtatious and really fun,” Paige said. “She was just this woman you’d want to be around – always making the entire room laugh.”
Paige and her husband and co-owner Brendan Morgan hope to bring this energy – and Mimi’s worldliness – to Northport.
In the store, they’ll sell a slew of artisan goods, Morgan said, ranging from candles, oils, tinctures and teas to fine art. Shoppers can also expect to see shelves stocked with French sweets and treats.
“We’ll also be doing soups, sandwiches and espresso during the day, which we’re sourcing ourselves,” Morgan said.
Along with curating a globally sourced selection of goods, Mimi’s will host a plethora of unique performances, showcases, immersive experiences and other community-building events catered to creatives. Think of a modern “Le Chat Noir,” which Paige said heavily inspired her and Morgan as hosts and, now, business owners.
“Artists would gather, and someone would (present) a poem one night, then another person would make a painting based off that poem and then someone else would write a short story the next day – it just kept evolving,” she said of the 1800s Parisian club. “Creativity was always the recurring theme, so I really want Mimi’s to be a healthy environment for the creative soul.”
To promote this creative and connected setting, Mimi’s will enforce a no-phones policy during hosted events.
“Our phones can be pacifiers. We want [guests] to be meeting life in a more immediate way,” Paige said.
As Mimi’s wraps up “finishing touches” before officially opening, something the owners say parallels Mimi herself, who always “took her time getting ready,” Wednesday’s rune reading served as the owners’ first public hosting event.
Getting read: A first-person POV
I happened to be first in line, getting a glimpse of what this new space can offer the Northport community.
I’ll admit I was immediately intrigued by the event, as ancient mythology is among a handful of things I’m quite nerdy about. Another thing about me: I attended Catholic school from K-12, so for years my formal education about faiths outside of Christianity was, naturally, limited.
After becoming adept at Googling things (and perhaps after reading Percy Jackson in middle school), my curiosity about other divine belief systems exploded. Fast forward through years of intense self-reflection, I’m now comfortably agnostic, though my childlike wonder about these things never wavered.
After a warm greeting from Mimi’s hostess Chrissy Bencivenga, I entered a small, dim Vaudevillian-esque room with an array of art adorning the walls and a vacant, deep-red leather seat squarely across from my Augur, or the one who’d be reading my runes: Jimi Tabu.
The atmosphere was alluring right away, definitely giving a “spiritual” feel. I don't say this to trivialize divinology, but the easiest way to describe it was magical.
I quickly found my eyes trailing to the brown leather bag sitting on the small table between me and Tabu, deducing it held my soon-to-be fate.
He gave a clear, yet thorough, overview of the rune reading practice, its primarily Nordic origins, adoption across many Celtic, Germanic and Pagan cultures, as well as its core methodology and philosophy.
The most widely used method today follows the Germanic alphabet, “Elder Futhark.” Each rune has a distinct name and meaning, some associated with Nordic gods, goddesses or other deities.
The Wyrd Sisters influence many modern interpretations of why runes are traditionally read in threes, Tabu explained. Also known as the Norns, these are three divine beings that symbolize fate in Norse mythology: Urðr (Urd) represents the past; Verðandi (Verdandi) the present; and Skuld the future.
While other religions use prayer for divine counsel and connection, Tabu said runes aim to provide similar guidance by “tapping into” spiritual forces.
After indulging a few more questions, Tabu set the stage for my reading. I was advised to start by clearing my mind, so I closed my eyes and took calming breaths; I chose to keep them closed as I heard the rune tiles clack inside the bag’s leather interior, waiting for a verbal cue.
Then, I saw three unfamiliar symbols etched into tiny wooden tiles – markings I’d soon find myself resonating with. Tabu chose to read my first rune last since it was upside down for additional clarity, as this usually indicates some sort of blockage in divination.
My second rune was “Uruz,” which symbolizes an ox and represents passion, inner strength and the raw, primal power within nature. Tabu interpreted this as meaning my present-day heavily centers around hard work and pursuing my passions: think “workaholic.” My third rune, “Nauthiz,” represents necessity, or the underlying forces driving the balance between one’s personal needs and sense of fulfillment.
Already I was taken aback at how much I felt these messages applied to my life; Tabu also found my reading compelling, particularly considering my first, inverted rune: Tiwaz.
Symbolizing Tyr, the Nordic god of justice, he said this rune indicates that the principles of justice, integrity and “helping others” have been a foundational part of my life and, more specifically, how I’ve grown to view my role in this world.
Together, Tabu said my reading is a reminder to “remember (I) have a great sense of justice, and that my passion, hard work and excitement now will lead to something important I can help with in the future.”
He said more simply, it could also be perceived as affirmation, adding I could already be making this impact interpersonally, without recognizing it.
Despite my (lack of) spirituality, I couldn’t help but feel moved by this message. I’m still relatively new to New York and the freelancing grind, so I’ve recently struggled to temper my personal and professional expectations amid these big life changes.
As I continue to adjust, it’s nice to find reassurance from others (not to mention deities) about “trusting the process,” and it gives me hope that my hard work will pay off over time.
Overall, Tabu said rune readings aim to gauge what fate may bring – it’s up to us to work toward reaching that fate for ourselves.
Stay tuned for a business profile on Mimi’s and a closer look at owners Venus Paige and Brendan Morgan as they prepare for their grand opening.
About the author: Before moving to New York in 2025, East Northport resident – and Northport Journal freelancer – Olivia Allen covered K-12 and higher education for the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus, a daily, bi-state newspaper serving the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities metro and surrounding area communities. She currently mentors a group of high school girls in magazine writing, reporting, interviewing and multimedia design at Her Voice Media, which aims to help young girls build confidence and professional skills in media.
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