The Well, at 2350 Lillie Ave. in Summerland, is a new lifestyle concept store with an emphasis on gardens and accompanying custom and “up-cycled” accessories. 
Shane Brown, owner of Summerland’s newest home and garden shop, The Well, has long recognized the potential of its location at 2350 Lillie Ave. and is excited about the opportunity. 
The Well’s Mimi Doll helps customers tailor their experience at the home and garden emporium to their own homes and gardens. 
Summerland’s rebirth is continuing with the recent opening of The Well, Shane Brown’s home and garden emporium at 2350 Lillie Ave.
Brown, owner of the Culver City mainstay Big Daddy’s since 1996, has long seen the potential of the ramshackle parcel across the street from the Carpinteria-Summerland fire station.
He finally got his opportunity and has created a lifestyle concept store with an emphasis on gardens and accompanying custom and up-cycled (“recycled” in Shane-speak) accessories. The Well joins Los Angeles, Palo Alto and San Francisco in the Big Daddy’s empire.
Brown, his wife and their two daughters have lived in town for several years, but his feet have hardly touched the ground since he embarked on his new endeavor in March. I can only describe him as a man with “big ideas and big dreams that he makes come true.”
“There have been challenges, to be sure, but the end result has been worth it,” he told Noozhawk.
As a Summerland resident myself, I couldn’t help but notice the frenetic activity at the Lillie Avenue site. It has been transformative and, based on the new merchandise I see each time I stop by, The Well continues to evolve.
On one of my early visits before last month’s official opening, sales associate Mimi Doll explained that much of the merchandise can be customized for one’s own space.
Sizes of limestone fountains, tables, lighting, even a stone wall — the possibilities are endless. I noticed red sold tags and yellow hold tags hanging off many items.
The cornucopia of merchandise and gardens is an extension of Brown’s imagination and persona. Everything is for sale, he says.
“You can have a bit of The Well at your home,” he said, encouraging visitors to come and sit a spell — with masks, of course. Pets are welcome, too.
Refreshments, apparel and whatever else Brown can think of are still on the horizon. Several outbuildings have been converted to furniture and art show rooms.
One cottage is the former home of Café Luna and the grounds had been used for tower gardens. Now you can make your own succulent arrangements in greenhouses “to go.”
Fun fact: Another small cottage on the property was Summerland’s original post office, which was presided over by postmistress Opal Lambert in 1954.
In spite of the coronavirus pandemic, Brown said the traffic and reception have been excellent.
“I go to bed early, hike in the a.m., eat breakfast and then head to work,” he explained when I asked about his routine.
Brown’s work never stops. On the cell phone, chatting it up with friends and clients, he is as excited as a kid in a candy store — but as a polished businessman who is accessible and friendly.
His love of home and gardens comes from his extensive traveling to Italy, Bali, France, all over the world. Among his earliest inspirations was a visit to Hearst Castle with his grandmother when he was just 12 years old. In awe of what he saw in San Simeon, he knew his destiny would include objects of art inside and outside.
Back in 2018, I attended a community meeting of Summerland residents and business owners to brainstorm the rebuilding and resuscitation of the beloved beach town after the Thomas Fire and the Montecito flash flooding and debris flows.
Roots have been put down by Field+Fort, Rusty’s Pizza, Garde, Sweet Wheel Produce and, soon, porch from Carpinteria’s Santa Claus Lane, which recently leased the former Just Folk building across Lillie Avenue from The Well.
Along with neighbors Botanik, Sacred Space, Inn on Summerhill, The Nugget Bar and Grill, Tinker’s Burgers, Red Kettle Coffee, Bikini Factory, Indian Summers Boutique, Summerland Winery, Summerland Beach Café and others, Summerland is becoming a comeback community.
— Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at news@noozhawk.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.