Mimi’s Attic

Wow, I don’t know who hires their employees but they don’t seem to have very good luck. I swore almost a year ago never to go back here because of the manager, but after hearing she had left figured I would give this place another try.
However, I immediately regretted my decision. I interacted with a young man who was rude, short tempered and seemed more interested in decorating than me as a customer. I even asked for assistance at one point and he blew me off. Although I did notice an improvement in quality of items they had, I have officially sworn off Mimi’s Attic.

I visited Mimi’s Attic for the first time on a recent trip to Ithaca and was completely blown away! It was once of the coolest stores I’d ever been to — if I could have fit it all in my car I would have bought out half the store. The staff was friendly, helpful, and accessible, the products were nicely displayed and reasonably priced, and the atmosphere was comfortable. I can’t wait for a return trip to Ithaca so I can visit Mimi’s again!

I have been going to Mimi’s for years, and I feel like it’s rather hit or miss. However I am constantly shocked by how rude the women are who work there. They are consistently never nice. If they were not so cold I would have much better shopping experiences there.

Don’t bother selling your furniture yourself, let Mimi’s do it. When I was preparing to move out of Ithaca, I liquidated virtually everything I owned. While Mimi’s didn’t take everything we had (some shoe racks and a couple other items), they did the work of coming to pick up the furniture with a U-​Haul (for a small extra charge) and then sold our furniture in their store. They also set the prices for everything, although I had the option to provide input, I trusted their expertise. Any that wasn’t sold after a certain time they kept, but was still worth having them pick it up.
I can’t speak to the furniture they sell, but if the prices and quality are what they picked up from me, would highly recommend.

This place is great! Prices are typically very fair for the items, they have a constantly rotating stock, and awesome pieces. Nice selection, always. :)

Just moved to Brooktondale, NY a month ago and have been perusing Mimi’s Attic a weekly basis for furniture. I hit the jackpot yesterday — found a couch, rocking chair, night tables, a dresser and a lamp all within a hour. The crew is wonderful to work with — very friendly and helpful. They have a very affordable delivery service ($ 60) for three large items. Their inventory changes on a daily basic so if you see something you like, you better nab it while you can. Great experience — thank you, Mimi’s Attic. :D

I liked the place the first time I went about a year ago. But I guess the business has picked up and as a result, the people have turned really rude, and show their true nature, as far as I’m concerned.
Today, while I was there, the woman at the cashier had «I’m selling it for you although I don’t have to» sort of attitude.
I parked in the parking lot in front of the store and since it was full (as it often is), I ended up parking in the only spot left which was reserved for people on wheel chair. I was not going to stay there only for five or ten minutes, so I parked there. After I purchased a large item (which I came to check out the day before), I had a helper to help me carry it to my car.
I told her I need to hurry up because I’m parking in a wrong spot. Guess what she told me upon arriving in the area? She talked down to me as though I should have known better and used a parking lot behind the store. She said to me, rather condescendingly, as I was being polite, «Just, don’t park here.»
I really didn’t like the way she said it to me. I wonder if she would have talked the way she did to me to someone else. It’s sort of unbelievable that you come across with this kind of arrogance — I mean, after all, didn’t I just gave her a business? But apparently, she seems to think she’s doing me some big favor by selling the item to me.
If they want their customers to park in the rear lot (which I’ve never seen and am yet to see) they should have a LARGE, very LOUD sign especially in the particular spot I was parking that direct us to this alternative parking area. Really, please, I wish they would not talk to me as though it’s my fault that I didn’t know (!). I had already made it clear to her that I was trying to get out as quickly as I could. I guess she wanted to amplify my guilt or something? What a big deal. And I wasn’t parking there for a long time. At most, I was out of there in 15 min. And by the time we were there, there were other spots opening which were all pretty close by to their front entrance.
I also had an unpleasant experience the day before at the adjacent IthacaMade. After browsing in Mimi’s, I went into IthacaMade side, to choose a couple of gift items for my friend. Then I accidentally walked out into the Mimi’s side as I just remembered I had a question I was going to ask and forgot to. So I quickly walked back out of IthacaMade into Mimi’s’s side with the IthacaMade items still in hand — and note that there were really nothing to divide the two places — just an open door frame — and the woman at the cashier came rushing toward me, obviously assuming I was going to steal the items from their store! I let her hold my items while I went back to ask my questions but I was like, why, did I look like a thief?
Wow.
Perhaps — instead of accusing customers — she should place a door so that the customers will be reminded that they are two different stores. This was so extremely unpleasant. They have a nice Ithaca gift items so I will probably return but otherwise I would not go there again. (Also, they used to have a better deal on local coupon book last year. Their coupon offer this year has become significantly less attractive).
All in all, I like to support local businesses with what little I have, but I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate all these strange behaviors of these shop owners/​keepers… I guess these businesses work hard only in the beginning to attract new customers (the better the more rich the patrons are .) and once they are established, they just don’t really care.
I won’t return to these places again unless I really need something from there — if I unfortunately have to go and experience the similar situations, I will make sure to update my reviews lavishly, because this, unfortunately, seems to be the only way to make these businesses respectful of customers. If they are vindictive toward me in their attitude, I will report that too. I’m not taking it. I’m too old for this kind of BS.
I am no longer enthusiastic about neither of the businesses. Period.
Boo.

I was strutting down State Street, as I am inclined to do, enjoying my Piccolo Mondo Fair Trade Organic Blend coffee from Gimme Coffee. Then, I was hit square in the noggin with a supposition: Why don’t I buy a lamp? Try as I might to shed this little bugger of an idea, it stung me again and again in my brain-​voice:
Why don’t I BUY a LAMP?
Then, as the heavens of providence shone down upon me, I stumbled across the quaintest of storefronts.
«Mimi’s!» I exclaimed, drawing the attention of random passers-​by. I felt a shiver run through me, as I hurried to finish reading the sign.
«Attic!» I drew applause from the onlookers. I had no time to dabble with them, however, as I was on a mission and I was running low on Piccolo Mondo Fair Trade Organic Blend coffee from Gimme Coffee.
As I stepped into this utopia of a kit AND caboodle, my heart skipped a beat. I wonder, to this day, if I shall ever retrieve it.
Price tags! PRICE TAGS! And they’re all MARVELOUS!
My ill-​conceived desire for a lamp was soon discarded and replaced with a desire for an everything. Never before had I so wanted a stack of plates with intricate depictions of birds on them, or a wooden rocking chair that – had I wanted – I could have had embossed with a bird. For five dollars? Twenty dollars? Take all my dollars — I’m IN LOVE.
Just as my heart was lodged firmly and moistly in my throat, a comely and fair woman approached me, as if witnessing my dreams and taking up their countenance.
«Hello,» she said, «Can I help» her voice was not unlike that of Ishtar, the East Semitic Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian goddess of love. I listened intently to her words: «you?»
The rest of my visit was a blur, as I was swept away into a second-​hand dreamland that sweetly emptied my wallet.
I did not, in fact, buy a lamp. At least, I don’t remember doing so. However, if I did, it would have been from Mimi’s Attic.

I love this store. They have all the little items I am looking for. Thank you, from all students in the Ithaca area.

When Mimi’s Attic opened, I thought it was a promising place to find cool furniture. Now, the prices have doubled (at least) and the quality has decreased. We don’t bother to go in there anymore because it’s similar to a thrift store but the prices are very high. A lot of 80s and 90s couches for hundreds of dollars. No thanks!

What an amazing store! I stopped in today on a whim and found a ton of adorable things that I now feel I need for my apartment. Everything is really reasonably priced, and they sell interesting vintage furniture as well as an assortment of cool retro things like tea kettles, china (some for only $ 1), vases, lamps, paintings, etc. I’m definitely going to head back next weekend when I have more time to look around and will probably start checking in regularly to see their new items.