Summerland Shops

No one does antique farmhouse style better than home and garden store The Well. They go heavy on wood and rough-hewn stone, patinated terra cotta urns, and the kind of plush garden furniture that balances the whole picture. (Plus bedside tables, minimalist art, and lush linens for the rest of the house.) You’re sure to find something completely one-of-a-kind to take home—like a 400-plus year old pot recovered from a shipwreck. This location is the original shop in Summerland; there’s another in Montecito. (Their LA warehouse, Big Daddy’s Antiques, is similarly full of gems.)

Godmothers is the baby of beauty entrepreneur Victoria Jackson and book agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, who’s represented Oprah, Brené Brown, Sheryl Sandberg, and some of the biggest novelists of the past few decades. It’s a bookstore first—well-curated and well-stocked, with a stacked event calendar. Expect visits from big-name authors and new voices, plus a roster of workshops, retreats, and storytime circles. There’s a café on site helmed by chef Miles Robbins, who’s cooked at Carbone, Jon & Vinny’s, Nashville’s HUSK, and London’s Ikoyi.

Most of the time, you’ll go to Field + Fort for a latte and something to eat—they serve really good scones at breakfast and sandwiches and salads at lunch. But when you’re done, you’ll probably end up in their immaculately curated home and garden boutique. It’s filled with Flamingo Estate candles, tabletop tic-tac-toe sets, and special little antiques.