When my family and I visited Summerland, California, in May, I assumed that blue skies would be part of the mix. California is known for its sunny weather, and who wouldn’t expect a place called Summerland to offer endless sun?
But our excursion unfolded during the area’s season of “May gray,” a local quirk of the weather that brings clouds and chill.
Days like that make wide, clear windows all the more welcome to harness the subdued light. The thought came to mind as we browsed in Godmothers, a Summerland bookstore that opened two years ago in a restored gambrel barn. The shop’s broad banks of windows are a big part of its California feel. While some bookstores embrace a cloistered sensibility, this venue looks outward, connecting books with the world beyond its doorstep.
There are other nods to California’s brightly casual vibe.
Warm wood floors create an inviting mood, and along with the high bookcases, broad farm tables hold some of the stock, too. Other light touches, such as a small end table bearing a tiny stack of volumes, make Godmothers seem less like a store and more like a home.
The shop was the brainchild of high-profile literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and popular beauty author Victoria Jackson. Various stories have credited Oprah Winfrey, a friend of the owners, with coining the shop’s name. Because it’s in Santa Barbara County, Godmothers attracts its share of celebrities. Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have stopped by.
We didn’t see any stars on our visit, but when I go to a bookstore, I’m looking for greatness on the shelves. Luckily, Godmothers had an abundance of talent in its stock.
One of the small pleasures of visiting a bookshop is being reminded of the good books already waiting for you at home. I was happy to see “Whistler,” Ann Patchett’s new novel, and Anne Fadiman’s “Frog: And Other Essays” at Godmothers. I was doubly pleased to know that I’d acquired them some weeks before for my to-be-read pile back in Louisiana.
I headed upstairs to the shop’s spacious second floor, which included a lovely row of glass panes and a selection of books on art and design. My purchase for the day was “The World According to Vincent,” a bright yellow hardback that alternates some of Van Gogh’s best paintings with pithy excerpts from his writings. I’ve been so taken with it that I’ve explored an equally charming companion volume, “The World According to Matisse.”
Visiting Godmothers reminded me that bookstores can be a great welcome mat for any community. That’s surely true of our own bookstore scene in Louisiana, as Steve Garbarino made clear earlier this year in “Big Easy Reading,” a celebration of New Orleans bookshops in Airmail magazine.
Van Gogh said the secret of making beauty “is to a large extent good faith and sincere feeling.” The best bookshops, I’ve learned, offer both.
Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.