When people are in the Hamptons, they're up with the birds and barefoot all day.
– Barbara Costikyan
Look beyond the name brand boutiques. There are lots of local shops that reflect the artsy, sporty, antique-loving, design-concscious community at large.
An excellent, accessible contemporary art gallery committed to showcasing emerging and mid-career artists on the rise.
When the volume of porsche traffic and popped-collars becomes too much to bear, find refuge in this indie bookstore chainlet (with alternate locations in Sag Harbor and East Hampton) crammed with new releases, old favorites, and tons of periodicals. The staff is lovely, attentive, and well-read. And you can sign up for breakfast clubs, book groups, and literary talks.
A charming, tucked-away country store with a fine assortment of cheese, boutique wine, savory baked goods, and snacks for your perfect sunset patio party.
The East End outpost of the NYC collectibles shop is a large and wonderfully overwhelming warehouse for unusual and forgotten objects with a nautical vibe (vintage surfboards, frayed tees, ship lights, etc).
Former Calypso Christianne Celle designer Joelle Klein's chic colletion of fair trade, sustainable, reclaimed, recycled clothing, pottery, and art work in a chameleon-like space (part-time gallery, sometime boutique, collaborative workshop).
A surprisingly Brooklyn-feeling store for slightly stuffy Southampton town, this wee boutique has a handful of delicate jewelry pieces, some vintage kinck-knacks, and a rack of vintage-inspired clothing that's hand-sewn in the shop.
The Surf Lodge boutique may be tiny, but it really packs a big punch with its roster of indie brands (Alexandra Cassaniti, Suno, Jill Platner) that capture surfer vibe.
If you could capture the hip side of Montauk within four walls, it would look like this home furnishings and accessories shop.
Two Montauk brothers create a mini temple to local skateboard culture (their mom is jewelery design Helen Ficalora).
An old sea captain's house has been turned into a zen boutique for gorgeous sustainable homewares, hard-to-find beauty products, apothecary, detox tinctures, and fresh juices. Pick up a schedule for classes at their yoga studio and healing arts center.
The Hamptons are full of them, and they're a weekend ritual for many (called "sale-ing" in these parts). Because of old money and old habits, there's tons of unusual stuff to discover: nautical gear, retro bicycles, estate jewelry, vintage board games. Scout them out in the East Hampton Star and the local PennySaver.
