Booked Up!
Summerland’s newest hot spot
Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and Victoria Jackson
Written by Joan Tapper
GODMOTHERS may be in the center of design-focused Summerland, but the volumes on the shelves are hardly mere decoration. The independent bookstore has a wide selection of fiction and nonfiction, nature, cookbooks, YA and kids’ books (complete with weekend story hours), and everything in between, including a healthy selection of gorgeous coffee table tomes.
Godmothers opened the weekend of September 6, with three days of star-studded events featuring Oprah Winfrey, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, best-selling author Shaka Senghor, author Victoria Jackson, Whitney Wolfe Herd, musical artist MILCK, and other luminaries from arts, literature, entertainment and business.
In keeping with the name—which pays homage to the “godmothers who lit our way,” according to an entryway sign, that is, women who are often unsung supporters and advocates—co-owners Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and Victoria Jackson have big plans for the handsomely renovated 1920s barn, formerly home to Garde and multiple antique stores. There’s now a fireplace and a couch and a couple of chairs on a raised spotlit platform, underlining the fact that Godmothers is destined to be a gathering space for Summerland, which the pair felt was in need of a cultural hub, a place to discuss books and ideas.
Walsh, a high-powered former literary agent who lives in Montecito, and Jackson, a cosmetics entrepreneur and longtime Carpinteria resident, are determined to remedy that. Watch for author signings and readings, comedy, music, panel discussions, and workshops and retreats. There’s a food truck on the patio, and a café is on the horizon—adding sustenance for the body to accompany the food for the mind. 2280 Lillie Ave., Summerland, godmothers.com
