Shopping the Hamptons’ Main Streets

Shopping the Hamptons’ Main Streets

 

East Hampton, Southampton, Westhampton Beach, and Sag Harbor each have a Main Street lined with quaint clapboard structures, many of which are home to a variety of boutiques. Below are a few highlights of each.

 

Westhampton Beach 

Mint  –  83B Main Street

This is one of Mint’s five womenswear boutiques, all of which are in tony Long Island towns. Floral-print Yumi Kim sundresses for day, body-con Susana Monaco dresses for a night out, casual-cool Bella Dahl rompers and jumpsuits, breezy blouses by CP Shades, and a closet’s worth of exclusive straw handbags are among the summertime essentials you can pick up here.

 

Tweed Toys  –  83G Main Street

Tweed Gifts  –  87 Main Street

 

Tweed Toys is chock-full of playthings to keep little ones occupied, from plush toys to crafts kits, jigsaw puzzles to basketballs, plus clothing, room decor, and accessories for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Tweed Gifts is equally jam-packed with candles, tableware, throw pillows, picture frames, tote bags, and the like, most with a beachy aesthetic (vases the same translucent blue as sea glass, boat-shape serving trays, lots of anchor motifs). When you need a last-minute gift, whether for a housewarming or a child’s birthday, these shops should be a first port of call.

 

Good Westhampton  –  141 Main Street

 

Good Westhampton stocks plenty of practical items (water bottles, tableware, scarves and throws for brisk seaside evenings) as well as less-than-vital items (candles, pillows, knickknacks), each with a distinctive Hamptons esthetic. Among the soap brands, for instance, is eco-friendly Swedish Dream Sea Salt Soap (which contrary to its name is made in the USA); candles include those from local business Hamptons Handpoured; coffee table books about the area and coastal living abound. And like all good general stores, Good Westhampton has a section of shelves holding glass canisters filled with candies for sale.

 

Also on Westhampton’s Main Street:

• Hampton Chocolate Factory  (77 Main Street)  makes and sells all-natural treats such as a PB&J artisanal chocolate bar made with raspberry puree, roasted almonds and peanuts, and 72% cacao dark chocolate.
• Peace Love Hamptons   (120 Main Street)  is a lingerie and loungewear shop run by a mother-and-daughter duo.
• Shoe-Inn  (123 Main Street)  offers footwear from brands as diverse as Birkenstock, Stuart Weitzman, and Dr. Martens.

 

Southampton

Hildreth’s Home Goods  –   51 Main Street

 

When Lewis Hildreth opened his general store in 1842, foodstuffs made up most of the inventory. In the decades since, the store has morphed into one specializing in home decor, with two additional shops in the Hamptons. The flagship, though, has occupied the same locale for nearly 180 years. A one-stop shop for furnishing a home, its offering includes mattresses, beds, and bedding from such brands as Yves Delorme and Matouk; dining furniture, Schott Zwiesel glassware, Le Creuset cookware, and Cuisinart appliances; lampshades and window shades; cribs and coffee tables…  It offers custom design services too.

 

Corwin’s Jewelers  –  61 Main Street

 

Corwin’s Jewelers is not quite as venerable as Hildreth’s; Willis Corwin did not open his Main Street store until 1879. In addition to new fine jewelry and watches, the shop carries a carefully curated selection of estate jewelry; it will also design and create custom items.

 

Flying Point Surf & Sport  –  79 Main Street

Flying Point has what you need to hang 10—or at least look as if you do. Surfboards, leashes, and traction pads make up only part of the product mix. Swimwear, casual apparel, outerwear, shoes, and accessories for men, women, and kids take up most of the floor space today, with especially solid selections of sunglasses and backpacks.

 

Also on Southampton’s Main Street:

• Peter Millar  (30 Main Street)  began selling classically elegant menswear, but today it offers small selection of well-cut traditional sportswear for women and kids as well. If you need another cashmere pullover or insignia-free polo shirt, you will find it here.
• The Fudge Company  (67 Main Street)  sells much more than fudge; it also offers saltwater taffy, truffles, chocolate-covered caramel and pretzel, licorice, ice cream, and frozen yogurt.
• Tennis East  (73 Main Street)  sells racquets, footwear, accessories, and apparel not just for tennis but also for squash, platform tennis, and pickle ball.
• LF Stores   (87 Main Street)  is where women can find edgy clothing that is the antithesis of Hamptons prep: think jeans adorned with chains, neon bodysuits with curvy cutouts, vinyl skirts.

 

East Hampton

Nili Lotan  –  38 Main Street

This is the womenswear designer’s only shop outside of Manhattan, where she is based and has two other stores. Her beautifully tailored, subtly fluid, and timelessly chic apparel has been seen on Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lawrence, and Julianne Moore, among other tastemakers.

 

BookHampton  –  41 Main Street

 

BookHampton is the sort of independent bookstore you might have thought no longer existed, with backlist as well as new books, staff who are happy to make recommendations, and a full calendar of readings and book signings. Upcoming store events include former “Vogue” editor William Norwich and interior designer David Netto discussing “Interiors: The Greatest Rooms of the Century” on July 13; Michael Shnayerson, “Vanity Fair” contributor and author of “Boom: Mad Money, Mega Dealers, and the Rise of Contemporary Art” on July 19; Dani Shapiro reading from her new memoir, “Inheritance,” on August 9; and legendary fashionista Grace Coddington talking about her monograph “Marc Jacobs Illustrated,” with William Norwich on August 17.

 

What Goes Around Comes Around  –  48 Main Street

 

Only the most luxurious vintage apparel, jewelry, accessories, and home goods make it to the shelves and racks of What Goes Around Comes Around. Recent treasures included a 1960s lamé Yves Saint Laurent gown with matching shoes, bags by Goyard and Louis Vuitton, Rolex and Hermès watches, a sleeveless Alexander McQueen coat, and Chanel beach towels.

 

Also on East Hampton’s Main Street:

• Turpan  (55 Main Street)  boasts an ever-changing curation of home decor and gifts. At any given time you might find Hermès scarves and Aésop skincare, Sigikid plush beasties and Georg Jensen serveware.
• White’s Apothecary  (81 Main Street) sells cosmetics, skincare, and haircare from the likes of Bobbi Brown, Bumble and bumble, Kérastase, La Mer, Molton Brown, and Oribe in addition to filling prescriptions.
• Blue & Cream  (83 Main Street) has its own line of apparel basics for women, men, and kids, but it also sells clothing and accessories from on-trend labels including 3.1 Phillip Lim, R13, and Zimmerman.

 

Sag Harbor

Sylvester & Co. Modern General  –  103 Main Street

Sylvester & Co. sells home decor—and much more. Image: Sylvester & Co.

 

It is almost impossible to leave Sylvester & Co. empty-handed. It simply offers too many items that you need or, at the very least, want very very much. Apotheke candles, Ursa Major skincare, Mongolian lamb fur rugs, Laguiole knives, Smeg appliances, spectacular nature photography by Maria Bowling and Drew Doggett, Coco and Maya leggings… and that is just a small sampling.

 

Goldie  –  127 Main Street

The Goldie apparel label specializes in versatile tees, tanks, and body-skimming dresses sustainably made in Peru. To complement these basics, the boutique also sells quietly luxurious womenswear from other brands, including Autumn Cashmere, L’Agence, Veronica Beard, and White + Warren.

 

Annyx  –  150 Main Street

This is the shop for those whose tastes run toward the global and the artisanal. Today handwoven African baskets and trivets might share display space with hand-painted pillows from Australia; tomorrow framed archival photos might hang above tribal kilims and mantel clocks crafted from found objects.

 

Also on Sag Harbor’s Main Street:

• Urban Zen  (16 Main Street)  is the brainchild of Donna Karan. Here they embrace the designer’s philosophy of serenity, simplicity, and global awareness by offering a carefully honed collection of clothing (including items made of jersey, for which Karan is best known), ceramics, wood bowls, and bodycare.
• Kites of the Harbor  (75 Main Street)  has plenty of kites—plus toys, games, pool floats, and novelties for kids and grown-ups alike.
• Fishers Home Furnishings   (144 Main Street)  sells its own range of custom furniture as well as furniture, rugs, lighting, and more from Lee Industries, Pine Cone Hill, and other well-known brands.