Mystic Disc

Tucked into 10 Steamboat Wharf in Mystic, Connecticut, a stone's throw from the Mystic Drawbridge, is a record store that has spent 40 years making the case that small towns can hold world-class shops. Mystic Disc is not large. It is not slick. The walls and ceilings are packed with music ephemera; records hang from the rafters. If you have never been, the shop looks like a movie-set vision of what a record store should be. Because it is one of the purest examples of what a record store can be.

Vinyl Me, Please named it the best record store in Connecticut. It has been ranked among the best 50 record stores in the country. And the person running it, Dan Curland, has been there since opening day in 1983.

Dan Curland's Story

Dan opened Mystic Disc on July 3, 1983 with his best friend Wall Matthews and 500 used records. Before the shop, Dan was a working bass player. He performed alongside Dan Fogelberg and Michael Clarke of the Byrds in the 1960s. And he attended Woodstock in 1969 as a 17-year-old. His original Woodstock tickets are still among his prized possessions.

That kind of history is not a marketing detail at Mystic Disc. It is why Dan can talk to customers about records the way he does. He has played the music. He has seen the eras. When you pull a sleeve off the wall and ask him about it, you are not getting Wikipedia; you are getting a guy who has opinions based on decades of playing and listening.

"A record store at its best is a conversation. Dan Curland has been holding up his end of the conversation in Mystic for 40 years."

Inside the Shop

The shop has expanded from that original 500 records to over 15,000 records in stock, crammed into a small Steamboat Wharf space where every surface is put to work. Bins of used vinyl, stacks on the floor, sleeves on the walls, posters and music ephemera hanging from the rafters. It is a shop that rewards slow browsing. You are not going to find what you are looking for by rushing. You are going to find what you did not know you were looking for.

What's in the bins

Mystic Disc specializes in used records at reasonable prices. The core genres:

• Rock
• Soul
• Jazz
• Alternative
• Hip-Hop & Rap

Plus strong sections across reggae, punk, soundtracks, metal, folk, country, and more. The shop also carries new and reissue essentials, so you are not limited to used stock if you have a specific new release in mind.

Recognition

Mystic Disc has collected some of the most meaningful recognition an indie record store can get:

• Named one of the best 50 record stores in the country. National-level recognition for a shop in a town of 4,000.
• "Best record store in Connecticut". Vinyl Me, Please selected Mystic Disc as the top CT shop.
• 40+ years in the same location under the same owner. An achievement in itself, especially through the CD era, the digital transition, and the vinyl resurgence.
• Record Store Day participant since the event's inception. Mystic Disc has been part of RSD from the very first year.

Plan Your Visit

Mystic Disc

Dan Curland's 40-year-old record shop on the water in Mystic, CT. Used vinyl, thoughtful curation, conversation.

Address: 10 Steamboat Wharf, Mystic, CT 06355
Phone: (860) 536-1312
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Est.: July 3, 1983
Owner: Dan Curland

Getting there

Mystic is a 2.5-hour drive from New York City, 2 hours from Boston, and 45 minutes from Hartford. Steamboat Wharf is walkable from the Mystic Drawbridge and the Mystic Seaport Museum. Park in one of the downtown lots or on the street. Mystic is small and walkable.

Make a day of it

Mystic is a genuinely nice New England town. After Mystic Disc, grab lunch at one of the Main Street restaurants, walk over to the Mystic Seaport, and if you're up for a drive, hit Mystic Pizza for the novelty or the Mystic Aquarium for the kids. The record shop anchors a weekend, not the other way around.

Nearby Connecticut shops worth a stop

• Uncle Joe's Records. Cromwell, about 70 minutes northwest.
• Retro Spin Shop. Monroe, about 90 minutes west.
• Records, The Good Kind. Vernon, about 60 minutes north.
• Trading Post Music & Video. Canton, about 75 minutes northwest.

10 Steamboat Wharf. 40 years. Go say hi to Dan.