By: Sam Dostaler

The hustle and bustle of Mystic, Connecticut, tourism is focused on East Main Street and its many shops and restaurants. However, if you pull yourself away and explore the quieter Cottrell Street just out of sight of the Mystic River Bascule Bridge, you will find yourself strolling by Mystic Knotwork, a family-owned business of over 50 years that has been supplying Connecticut, New England, and the world with nautical knots.

As you walk into Mystic Knotwork, you are welcomed into the store by the sight of hundreds of nautical knots, from bracelets to doorstops to coasters. All are expertly designed and laid out in a tantalizing manner.

Upon touch, you are whisked back to generations past when seamen walked the waterfront streets just outside the front door. Walking the streets as they bided their time until their next voyage to the farthest reaches of the globe.

The ropes knotted together at Mystic Knotwork won’t be used to secure the hatch as a whaling ship lurches in the waves of a storm. But they will be designed with the same expert care as those ropes centuries ago.

After browsing the aisles, eventually your curiosity will lead you to the back of the store, where on this day, Christa Clarke, a fourth-generation knot tyer, is hard at work creating 150 custom napkin rings for an online order.

“Originally, this all began out of my great-grandfather’s (Alton Beaudoin) house. He was a merchant marine in World War II, so this is how he dealt with his PTSD. He did more of the fancy work. Lamp shades, stuff like that,” Clarke, who works as an artisan and in retail sales, said.

After learning of Beaudoin, a recipient of the Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars for his time in the South Pacific, it is impossible not to feel his presence within the store. Each knot, each design, laid the foundation for today’s thriving business. His impact can be felt in every knot.

As we chat with Christa, customers stream in and out of the store. Visitors browse the wooden-floored aisles, gazing around at the various designs. Every so often, an excited voice shouts out across the store to a companion, “Hey, come check this out.” At that beckon, a quick meeting happens where designs are compared and admired.

Mystic Knotwork has been opening its doors to the public since Dwight D. Eisenhower was President and Elvis Presley was wowing audiences. It is that foot traffic that gives Mystic Knotwork life. Each person exploring the countless items, looking for their own keepsake. A bracelet, a wristlet, a place setting for a wedding, or a doormat.

Our conversation continues, and we are eventually joined by Sue Waterman, who handles customer communications. As we talk, we learn that Mystic Knotwork has built a worldwide audience. Regularly producing items for those who live in the Caribbean, Antarctica, and Germany, among other locations.

They, just like those in the shop, are drawn to the quality of the designs and the vibrant colors.

“My mom just wanted more color,” Clarke explained when talking about Mystic Knotwork's worldwide reach. “We only had your basic white, and my mom was like, let’s do more colors, and we basically started hand-dyeing everything. We obviously outgrew that (but that is how it started). Then my dad found the company that we buy from now, and now we have the coasters and all sorts of different bracelets. It is mostly just my mom and I coming together and going, ‘this would be cute; let’s try it.’ Some of the stuff becomes really, really popular.”

Even as we talk, the work never stops. Sue took a break from the conversation to answer the phone, and Christa steadily made her way through the napkin rings piled in front of her.

To this day, every knot that is sold is made locally by a team of employees that range from full-time staff to pay for piece at home workers to part-time high school students to friends of the family who handle some of the fancier work like belts.

The conversation pauses. With the pause, we glance around. We absorb the designs, the smell of rope, and the sounds of customers browsing the aisles. The pause in our conversation lingers. We glance back at Christa and Sue. They are once again engrossed in their work. Christa painstakingly knotting one napkin ring at a time. Sue on the phone.

We watch for a moment, then thank Christa and Sue for their time before retreating into the aisles for one last look around.

As we exit back out into bustling downtown Mystic, a smile spreads across our faces. The same smile that customers have carried back into the Mystic downtown for generations.

Each footprint tells a story. A story unknown to each new visitor. Are the footsteps we see coming or going?

Open For Business

At some point, the vacancy sign at the Littleton Motel in Littleton, New Hampshire, flicked off and didn’t turn back on. It was dim for so long that one began to wonder if vacancy had become a permanent state of being rather than a temporary message signaling the coming and going of White Mountain guests.

Then, suddenly, a flicker of hope. New management. A new life. New Hampshire’s oldest motel is alive and well.

No Vacancy.

Time Gives and Takes

Time is fickle. Sometimes it feels as if it is standing still. Other times, it feels as if it has flown by. However, one thing always remains constant. Time passes. Things change.

Last month, in this ever-changing world, the demolition of the original Route 1 Saco Drive-In began. A home to countless memories since 1939 removed.

But alas, as the saying goes, time heals all wounds. Memories can still be made at the Saco Drive-In. All one has to do is pick a show time and alter their Google Maps coordinates to the address across the street, Aquaboggan Water Park.

Time moves on, and so does the story of Maine’s oldest drive-in. Enjoy your movie.

Building Community One Sip at a Time

One street. One town. Less than a mile of separation.

Birdhouse Coffee has been a South Windsor, Connecticut, pillar since 2019. The Wicked Press, the new kids on the block, has been open for less than two months. Both have the same goal. Create community. They are. One sip at a time.

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The Nor’easter: No. 2 - Publish Date: June 25

The Nor'easter - Stories of New England. The people, seasons, places & traditions. Building a community for those who are New England.

The Nor’easter is a publication of the New England Travel Journal