A Little of Everything in Lompoc

It’s 22,000 square feet, covering most of a block on Ocean Avenue in Old Town Lompoc, a gathering of goods from over 100 artisans and consignment vendors. I enter by chance into the Christmas room, where stands of holiday trees, ornaments, and twinkling lights instantly transport me to December, while a lady in a lavender sweatshirt greets me with a beautiful smile. She is Gale Dodds, the proprietor of this emporium and the visionary who conjured it up. 

A Santa Barbara native, Dodds moved to Lompoc in the 1970s at the age of 18 and has been here ever since, raising a family, working at various jobs and endeavors, and engaged in a community that she knows well and loves. The Garden Shoppe began alongside a train and birdhouse shop in a space she shared with a friend. She saw early on that it needed to be bigger, and in 2022, she rented part of the corner Moore Building. As vendors stepped up and interest grew, the place expanded to its current size. “It was better than empty buildings,” says Gale with characteristic candor, acknowledging the landlord’s initial skepticism.

I wandered, wowed, through displays of worldly goods and whimsy. What do you fancy? Cookware, clocks, and cowboy boots. Comics, skateboards, and guitars. Figurines, toys, and collectibles. There were costumes and clothing, and all kinds of furniture, vintage and secondhand. I was sidetracked by a rack of faux-fur coats in animal prints, an extravaganza of hats and tiaras, and stiletto rhinestone shoes for gals too young to fret about twisted ankles. The artisans and crafters were present in force with dexterously knitted hats and scarves, and arrays of earrings and hand-crafted necklaces, all modestly priced, a perfect one-stop gift source.

But beyond the implicit fascination of the randomness of stuff, there are palpable stories here, and a local sociology. “Younger people are buying nostalgia items,” Gale comments. “And they like the t-shirts they find here, cool but inexpensive. We sell a lot of kids’ clothes to young families who are hyper-aware of the cost of living, and families who moved to Lompoc for the base often come in for used furniture.”

That’s the thing about Lompoc. There is an authenticity to it. It has sufficient attributes (in my humble opinion) to be a tourist destination, but it remains, somehow, an unpretentious, good-hearted, “real people” kind of place.

Gale is proud that all the vendors at The Garden Shoppe are local, except for a gentleman from Nipomo who brings in classic leather jackets. And she shares my fondness for pre-owned quality goods, each object with its own history, awaiting its next destiny. Somehow both strange and familiar, these are things, to borrow a phrase from Ted Kooser, that take you back into their arms. I also find it touching that Gale has allocated a space for “Sleep in Heavenly Peace,” an organization that builds beds for kids, because “no child should sleep on the floor.” The Garden Shoppe is a cross-section of American culture across the decades, and a gritty, organic, always-in-process happening, well worth a wander.

After some sightseeing or a shopping spree at the Garden Shoppe, I suggest lunch at the Rice Bowl across the street, the iconic Chinese restaurant that has been in operation since 1947. Its vintage sign is famous, but even inside, there is a comforting feeling that time has stopped in 1950, right down to the tabletop jukeboxes. Mr. Wong greeted us warmly, and the food was fresh and good. 

So, yes, I am a Lompoc booster, guilty as charged, but the town is full of surprises, and it honors its history in a way I find refreshing. Why not wander around and enjoy the outdoor mural art, the Lompoc Museum in the old Carnegie Building on H Street, a hot drink from South Side Coffee, and a snippet of a listen to the fledgling musicians at Certain Sparks? It’s a veritable field trip.