About Just Mystic
In October 2021 Robert Nelson and Amanda Cummings, a brother-sister duo, popped up a tent next to Oyster Club in downtown Mystic, CT, selling their first drops of Mystic-branded crewnecks and t-shirts. In this early creative period, Just Mystic tested apparel as well as branding and an overall design aesthetic, quickly establishing “simple, clean, and classic” as a defining description for the look and feel of the brand, with influences from prep, sportswear, and streetwear. The pop-up was successful, validating the brand concept and creating an immediate presence in the community. Soon after, in February 2022, Just Mystic was invited to lease an iconic brick-and-mortar space, formerly owned by Mystical Toys.
Just Mystic opened their first doors at 4 E Main Street on May 14, 2022, establishing the brand in the Mystic community and creating a platform to reach more than one million annual visitors. This coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Mystic River Bascule Bridge, which was steps away from their entrance, and a massive draw for tourists, historians, engineers, and on-lookers of all stripes. The anniversary culminated with a fireworks show that drew, by some estimates, 50,000 people to Mystic. Robert and Amanda famously served freshly spun cotton candy from outside their store to throngs of visitors who came to celebrate the event.
2022 was a successful year, enabling Just Mystic to keep building and testing throughout 2023. The store was renovated in a style labeled “Coastal Modern”, which fit with the brand’s simple, clean, and classic aesthetic. Regarded as one of the sharpest and most welcoming retail experiences in Mystic, the flagship connected the brand with thousands of customers and drove another successful year in retail and increasingly online as well. 2023 prompted Just Mystic to seek more space to continue growing.
On January 1, 2024, Just Mystic moved into premium retail space at 33 W Main Street. The move was an opportunity to design an entirely new experience, aligned with brand aspirations, and to offer features unlike any in the region for retail, such as a permanent photo booth and a lounge. The team also grew, bringing on teammates from around the world to support design, production, marketing, operations, finance, legal and other components of Just Mystic as the brand created more awareness and new distribution channels online and through wholesale relationships.
Today, still led by the brother-sister team, Just Mystic continues to grow, experiment, and evolve while being guided by a core purpose: Create value for the people and communities that support our brand.