Carmel Luxury Boutiques Offer Custom Collections
by Brett Wilbur
Nestled in the heart of downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, luxury boutiques cater to discerning shoppers looking for clothing, jewelry or home goods that are extraordinary, unusual and special. The following stores offer superb customer service along with wonderful collections of often exclusive products, ensuring that each guest receives customized treatment while having the joy of discovering special treasures.
Augustina’s Designer Boutique
San Carlos Street at 6th Avenue,
Carmel-by-the-Sea
augustinasdesignerboutique.com
Augustina Leathers
Ocean Avenue, between Mission and San Carlos Streets,
Carmel-by-the-Sea
augustinaleathers.com
Tracy Delaney Odle started Augustina’s in Carmel over 30 years ago with her sister and mother, and says she is proud to carry on a legacy of “quiet luxury” in two locations in “the most beautiful beach town in California.”
Augustina’s Designer Boutique on San Carlos Street is presented inside a charming Hugh Comstock cottage which Delaney Odle calls her “million-dollar dollhouse with beautiful dresses and shoes for all occasions.” Exclusive-to-Carmel designer clothing lines include Akris, Jill Sander, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Loro Piana, Max Mara, Jimmy Choo, Wandler and more.
Augustina Leathers on Ocean Avenue features designer jewelry brands Buccellati and Sylva & Cie., along with Herno jackets for men and women and many other clothing lines also exclusive to the store.
“We are a design matrix,” Delaney Odle says, adding that she personally guarantees every price and will match with prices elsewhere in the country.
Customers can expect wonderful service, whether they need a beautiful jacket to stay warm when heading for a stroll on Carmel Beach or help with picking out an out t for an event.
“If you can’t make it to our stores, we will Zoom with you to help you choose pieces,” Delaney Odle says. “I have a driver who picks up local VIP clients to bring them to the store and a private chef who makes them homemade tamales. I have the greatest clients and the greatest staff. I love being in my stores and making people beautiful and making them laugh.”
Shoshin
San Carlos Street between 5th and 6th Avenues,
Carmel-by-the-Sea
studioshoshin.com
imagery by Lauren Andersen, SEN Creative
As both a full-service interior design studio and a retail shop filled with unique home décor items, Shoshin was opened in Carmel by owner Alexis Smith last year, after she previously operated a similar business in the Bay Area.
“We have the kinds of things that will delight somebody who really likes design,” Smith shares. The name of the business comes from a Zen Buddhist concept meaning “beginner’s mind,” which Smith says she uses when approaching a home design project.
“Design for me is fairly new, so I embrace the concept that having the mind of a beginner can be an asset rather than having a fixed way of thinking,” she says.
The shop holds a mix of vintage, antique and contemporary products—all of which are interesting and luxurious in form, color, purpose and quality.
“Something could be from England or it could be from Big Sur,” Smith says. “It feels like soulful decorating. We have high-quality home furnishings, tabletop pieces, books on design, dinnerware, bed linens, towels, pillows, blankets, lamps, candles and caviar dishes.”
Some of the vintage pieces are one-of-a-kind, and others are simply unusual as Smith seeks out rare and wonderful pieces that make superb gifts. Clients hiring Smith for a home design project can special order wallpaper, furnishings, bed linens and more, and also receive a discount on the store products for a year.
Smith’s father Tim Ward, an architect, sketches Carmel landmarks on notecards available at the shop, while a larger, framed custom sketch by Ward of a client’s own home can also be arranged.
“It’s so lovely being part of the community and being part of the retail fabric of the town,” Smith says. “We have things for people who already have everything.”
Social Hour
6th Avenue between Dolores and San Carlos Streets,
Carmel-by-the-Sea
socialhourcarmel.com
When Karen and Eric Baymiller moved full time to Carmel during the pandemic, they asked themselves what their next phase of life could be.
“We were walking around town, and I had always thought about owning a retail store,” Karen recalls. “We were researching products and thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to have a place with barware, glassware, hosting pieces and drink provisions all in one place.”
The couple opened Social Hour two years ago to provide all the items related to having a wonderful and festive gathering, which Karen points out “doesn’t have to be about alcohol, but about spending time with family and friends and enjoying each other’s company over whatever you are drinking.”
Specialty mixers include bitters made by a local company who also teaches cocktail workshops at the store. “The classes are always fun,” Karen says. “We typically sell out.”
Having all the requirements for hosting a party or barware for everyday usage in one location makes buying a fantastic and instantly usable gift easy—whether it’s for yourself or a lucky recipient.
“We have had a lot of lovely comments from people who say, ‘I wish we had a store like this in our town. I’ve never seen so many items (related to cocktails) in one place,’” Karen says.
The wide variety of merchandise available includes fun books on cocktails and mixology, playing cards, games, gift boxes themed around different drinks or barware, delicious syrups, rose petal infused sugar cubes, dried flower garnishes, cute cocktail napkins, coasters, beautiful cheese sets, drink markers, serving bowls and unusual shot glasses.
“I feel like you could find something for anyone here,” Karen says.
