Mingling with the crowd.

mingle
v. mingled, mingling, mingles
v.tr.

1. To mix or bring together in combination, usually without loss of individual characteristics.
2. To mix so that the components become united; merge.

When entrepreneur Mimi Ting began searching for a name to give her new designer fashion boutique in San Francisco’s trendy Union Street Shopping District, she turned to the dictionary and found the word mingle.

And today, that’s exactly what Ting does on a daily basis. Often times she’ll stop to mingle with clients one-on-one and help them select items from her vast collection of handmade designer clothing, jewelry, handbags and accessories. Some items are one-of-a kind. Others only available in certain fabrics and prints for a limited time. Many are handmade originals
from the designers.

Or as Ting likes to put it, Mingle caters to the “fashionistas” who insist on wearing the hottest styles, but love having something slightly different and original. New merchandise arrives on a weekly basis at Mingle – and the store’s mission is to add hip items and rotate designers with the intent to provide shoppers with something refreshingly new.

“I always tell customers don’t buy it if you don’t love it,” says Ting. “I want them to feel good about what they bought, so I get people coming back saying, ‘I love what I bought here. I get so many compliments on it.'”

Getting compliments from happy clients is something Ting cherishes after working for several years in the stodgy high-tech field as a consultant for companies such as IBM, MCI and WebEx.

Born in Taiwan, Ting moved to the United States with her family in 1985. Her family eventually settled into the San Francisco Bay Area where she quickly assimilated into American culture. And like many Asian children of immigrant parents, she followed the conventional path of getting good grades, studying hard and getting her degree in business.

But Ting grew “tired” of the high-tech world and eventually found the right category_idance and referrals to create Mingle from a long-time friend and former co-worker, Alicia McCullagh.

Ting also began cultivating a stronger spiritual connection through teacher Connie Jackson’s abundance and manifestation workshops, which helped her to develop a better intuitive sense and learning to live in the flow.

“If you love something enough, the Universe just provides for you,” Ting says. “I truly believe in that….”

Now entering the store’s third-year of operation, Ting remains optimistic about Mingle’s future. She’s considering creating an online storefront, “branding” the company, expanding into additional store locations and creating her own clothing line.

During a Valentine’s Day break from mingling with customers, Ting stopped to chat with Asiance about her love for shopping, the journey from the high-tech world into designer fashions, and of course, mingling.

ASIANCE: Tell us how you got your start in fashion industry.

Mimi: Mingle was my first legitimate entry into the fashion industry. Prior to Mingle, I did not have any formal training/education in fashion. I spent eight years in the high tech Industry. Nevertheless, I’ve been an avid consumer of the fashion industry all of my life. As far back as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with clothing and fashion. I begged to tag along with my mother on every one of her shopping excursions. During grade school, I’d get into trouble for not paying attention during class – “ I was busy doodling figures with extravagant outfits. When I was 15 and I got my first job at a roller-skating rink, I spent all my earnings on clothes. After college, I took the steady route and worked for Blue Chips like IBM. But whenever I took a trip for work, I’d always pack an extra bag to bring home all my inevitable finds. When I turned 30, I decided it was time to do something that I love … not just something I am good at.

ASIANCE: What inspired the name Mingle?

Mimi: In my previous job, many of my clients would mistakenly address me as Ming. My name is Mimi Ting. I suppose it was easy for people to abbreviate as Ming. My girlfriend at work gave me the nickname Ming. I love to play on words. So when I was deciding on the name for the store, I looked up words in a dictionary/thesaurus. I found the definition for Mingle and knew it was perfect for what I had intended. Even more perfect because I love to mingle – I thrive on human interaction.

ASIANCE: Tell us about the concept behind Mingle.

Mimi: The concept behind Mingle follows the definition of Mingle: To mix or bring together in combination, usually without loss of individual characteristics. Our designers vary in their style, length of experience, price points, etc. But, together, they help create a well-rounded story. Mingle offers both something to the designers as well as the clients. Our space enables emerging and independent designers and artists to showcase their work. For designers, it is a great bridge to an audience – and a way to get exposure and feedback. Having a space on Union Street means we are able to reach out to fans within San Francisco as well as traveling tourists. For our clients, we are committed to offer to them unique and affordable finds that may not exist elsewhere. People truly appreciate discovering quality fashion finds that they won’t see on a pack of other guys and gals.

Mingle is located at 1815 Union Street, San Francisco, CA 94123
For more information about Mingle, please visit the website at http://www.mingleshop.com or call 415-674-8811.