Small Business Saturday
The anticipation of Thanksgiving this week is making me excited to celebrate my traditions. Small Business Saturday always kicks off the holiday season! It starts with Santa coming to town on the tugboat, bustling shops and the annual holiday lighted boat parade. The community in Mystic puts on a good display of holiday decorations throughout the town too!
It’s not difficult to celebrate Small Business Saturday in Mystic with all of independently owned shops. I love supporting the mom and pop shops. Can’t get any more friendlier customer service from these shops! I’m going to name off a few of my favorites that you must visit:
Downtown Mystic
Mystic Knotwork is my favorite shop creating nautical knot souvenirs. I’ve already dedicated a blog about them, so read all about it here.
Tidal River Clothing Co. is a long fixture in downtown Mystic since 2004. There you will find the best selection of Patagonia clothing as well as other brands such as Helly Hansen and Prana. This is also the best shop to get your Mystic tees if you’re looking for one!
Hang The Moon, a shop for the women in your lives! Find women’s gifts made by women such as candles, jewelry, socks, ornaments, planters, mugs, etc. There’s so much options and the best part? Most of the shop is organized by theme. There’s the plants/garden section, mystical section, dog/cat mom section, you get the gist! They also have local artisans goods.
The Black Dog General Store and Sea Bags might be considered “chain stores” with few shops across New England. They are a New England operated businesses through! The Black Dog in Mystic is the only Connecticut shop. There’s clothing for the entire family and even your dogs! The staff in there is super friendly, always welcoming everyone. It’s not a surprise that I often find myself in there! Sea Bags is the same with friendly staff always ready to help you locate an item. Pick up a bag or tote made from recycled sails.
Main Street Soap Emporium definitely is the best bath and body shop! Here you can find a variety of soaps, hair products, lotions, bath bombs, oils, body washes and many more! The prices are amazing too - affordable everything is under $40. This is a perfect shop for stocking stuffers!
Mystic Army Navy Store is always a must stop for my husband. It is a military surplus store with apparel and accessories. They do have an impressive selection, so if you have a military enthusiast in your family, be sure to grab them a gift from here! They also have patches.
Bank Square Books is the community bookstore with a huge selection of books! I love popping in there to check out the locals section - books about the area or local authors. It’s neatly organized so it’s not challenging to find a book. If you do need help, the staff is friendly! The bookstore has a cozy environment, there is seating to read a chapter or relax.
Mystic Pet Shop I have been a loyal supporter of this store ever since I got my pup. You can’t beat how amazing the owners are. They remember me when I come in monthly to pick up the dog food (even know the exact brand!). In the past, I’ve messaged them on social media to inquiry if they carried a specific item - they were quick to respond. Don’t cross this off your list if you’re not a local - there are other items for you to buy. There’s souvenirs for your pooches! My favorite are the Mystic collars and leashes (of course I got one for mine!). There’s also a selection of toys and treats too.
Finer Line Gallery is a fine art gallery and custom framing shop. They also carry local artists’ artworks. I have purchased several Mystic scenery prints from this shop that hangs proudly around my home. There’s a great selection of nautical artwork if you’re looking to add lobsters, ships or lighthouses to your home (or for someone else!).
Marine Consignment of Mystic is the shop for the DIY lovers. When I have a nautical project for the home, I stop in here to find a nautical hardware (typically from boats) or look for nautical antiques. There’s always something in this shop to bring home.
Mallove’s of Mystic has been my favorite jewelry shop since I moved here. There’s always a beautiful selection of jewelry. The staff at this shop are also so friendly! Always welcoming you in like you’re an old friend. I recommend getting your engagement/wedding rings at Mallove’s. I would’ve got mine from here if my husband didn’t get a matching set from a shop in Upstate NY where I’m from. My husband did purchased his wedding band from Mallove’s!
Spice & Tea Exchange has an assortment of spices and teas. There’s so many unique blends, it’s fun to try new once out while cooking at home. Most often when you visit this shop, they have samples of teas and dips. If you have a foodie lover to shop for, there are many gift sets already made up of their products for you to buy!
Burgee Mystic located in The Standard (yellow building next door to Sift Bake Shop). A classic New England coastal shop with men & women’s clothing, house decor items and many more. I love the nautical set up of the shop! I’ve picked up some home decor items from here. I also always eye their cute apparel sporting their shop logo (the burgee)!
Trade Winds Gallery is a fine art gallery carrying a collection of artworks from New England artists. If you’re looking for original antique nautical maps, this shop is the place that has it all! Most of the maps are local but if there’s a specific one you’re looking for, you can shoot them a message. The owner is willing to work with you to find what you’re looking for. One of my favorite nautical photographs, that is hanging in my home, came from here. They also do framing if you’re in need.
Company of Craftsmen carries a collection of handmade goods from mostly New England artists. There’s a small selection from artists who are from beyond New England. I once purchased a cleat necklace that was created by someone in Upstate NY (not far from where I grew up!). The goods includes pottery, wood, jewelry, glass and many more. This shop is my favorite for handmade goods. They have a lot of Mystic related items which is perfect to add to your home or give to someone who loves Mystic as much as I do! I’ve even got my eyes on this nautical ship made out of glass sitting in the front window!
Pennywise is my favorite women’s clothing shop in SECT. It is a consignment store, I sell my clothes there too. I opened an account and brought in some clothes. The staff sort through the clothes and pick the ones that will likely be sold in their store. I love shopping there, as most of the clothes are in great condition! They carry a few of my favorite brands too. This shop is dog-friendly! *Located near Mystic Seaport Museum (tugboat entrance).
Just Mystic is the spot to get your Mystic tee or sweatshirt. All of their apparel are simple and classic sporting the names of local towns around here (Mystic, Noank, Stonington, GLP). I love my Mystic long sleeve tee and find myself wearing it often! The shop is owned by siblings - a sister and a brother. Every time I’ve popped in the store, they’re always so friendly! Be sure to follow them on Instagram.
No Other Books Like This is located across the street from the train station. I love popping in this used-books shop! The owner is always friendly, sometimes you will get a visit from the shop dog, Benny. I love when he follows me around while I’m browsing! The bookstore is very cozy and has an impressive collection of rare/antique books!
Portside is my most favorite coastal home decor store. Formerly located in Noank Shipyard, Wendy the owner made the move to Downtown Mystic recently. Right next door to Engine Room restaurant, this shop has beautiful collection of coastal farmhouse decor and gifts. I’m obsessed with Farm + Sea candles - they’re the only candles I’ll have in my house! Read more about the shop here.
Olde Mistick Village
Irish Eyes has been my most favorite shop in Mystic since the day one! Carrying all Irish merchandise from clothing, home decor items, jewelry, to gifts. So many items have been purchased from this shop over the years. I love that they even carry some food products from Ireland that you can’t find elsewhere in the United States. They have BELLEEK collection there too. The jewelry they have is always beautiful.
Becca Rose always smells so good when you walk in there! There’s so many goat milk soaps to pick from, they have signs that describe what the soaps help with, things like stress relief, anxiety, headaches, etc. It’s so helpful in picking the right ones! The staff also can help you if you ask them too - they are VERY knowledgeable about the products they sell in the shop.
Franklin’s General Store has been a long time favorite shop in Mystic. Its the typical general store carrying clothing, books, gifts, food, home decor items, and best of all… FUDGE. The fudge is freshly made in their shop daily. There’s seasonal flavors too which are listed on their website. I look forward to February every year for the cherry fudge. My mouth is watery thinking about it! You can sample the fudge too, which will help you to pick the one (or a few) to bring home or to buy for someone!
Sofia’s Mystical Christmas is full with ornaments of all kinds. If you’re looking for a firefighter themed ornament, they got it. If you’re looking for a teacher ornament, they got it. If you’re looking for Irish ornaments, they got it. Literally, any kind ornaments… they are mostly likely to have it! It’s organized by category so it is easy to navigate through the store to find your perfect ornament.
Sticky Situations is where you get the honey! There’s a variety of honey. A few of my favorites include cinnamon honey, dark chocolate honey, peppermint honey and blackberry honey. You’re probably thinking, what would I put that on? Right? No fears, there are helpful staff in the shop to recommend what to put it on or what to eat with it. There are usually signs by the products with recommendations too. You can sample the honey! They sell other items such as olive oil, vinegar and syrup.
Alice’s Haunted Little Bookshop is a fun shop to visit! I’m amazed by the decor - very Victorian style. There is a curated collection of unique books, especially those that were forgotten or weren’t on any bestseller lists. It’s not just books, but gifts, accessories and more are sold in the shop!
Cloak and Wand is very Harry Potter like! It is a shop with a strong wizards and witches theme, completed with a potion bar. The potion bar is a custom soda/hot chocolate bar where you can customize your ‘magic drink’. This is definitely a must to visit!
There are PLENTY of shops in Mystic to shop for Small Business Saturday! I couldn’t even list them all, but there’s always something for everyone. I love the variety that Mystic offers. It’s always so much fun to shop with amazing customer service there. It definitely motivates me to keep buying from the mom-and-pop shops whenever I can. Don’t forget to visit these shops during the holidays too! Downtown Mystic hosts the holiday stroll in early December when shops stays open later for last minute shopping with refreshments. Olde Mistick Village hosts their Festival of Lights event. The whole village is lighted up with luminaries, it’s so beautiful to see. I love the holidays time in Mystic, CT!