58 | FINDERS, KEEPERS

Shane Brown curates a lifestyle of curiosities at The Well in Summerland, his newly opened outpost of Los Angeles’ Big Daddy’s Antiques

Shane Brown, pioneer of Big Daddy’s Antiques, reveals his treasure chest, called The Well.

Santa Barbara is a city built upon its creative types and their beautiful endeavors. So, to say that Shane Brown and the space he has created, Summerland’s The Well (elsewhere referred to as Big Daddy’s Antiques), is one-of-a-kind is a weighted—yet wholly true—statement.

Brown recounts that he and his work were once referred to as “extraordinarily uncommon,” a phrase which has never been a better fit for an individual and their passion project of bespoke curiosities than for Shane and his breathtaking Summerland shop. He explains, “I didn’t want to be known for one particular style. I have always loved estate sales and upcycling. The more obscure, the better. I love to mix the traditional with the crazy, ‘wow’ factor. At The Well it’s always fresh and you never know what you’re going to find. I want people to come into the space and have their breath taken away.”

From adolescence, Brown has been drawn to oneof-a-kind pieces meant to find their place in the homes of one-of-a-kind individuals. The initial spark that lit a design fire within Shane was rooted in old school California glamour, at the home of our closest family to royalty. “My grandmother took me to Hearst Castle when I was twelve and that planted a seed. I started dabbling in antiques and furniture because I could do that whenever I wanted, even while I was working a non-creative job. Ten or twelve years later, I realized ‘Oh, I like this!’ So I started the company 30 years ago and haven’t looked back.”

Exponential growth has been a motif of Big Daddy’s Antiques in its three decades. “I named Big Daddy’s thirty years ago. I started traveling through the Midwest doing bigger shows, then to the East Coast, then abroad. I did that for many years until I started buying and selling at flea markets. I had my own store and began dabbling in design and home staging. It has seen so many phases. We’ve had a few locations over the years—Houston, Aspen, San Francisco, Corona del Mar, Beverly Hills. I’ve even had pop-ups back east.”

Brown punctuates the conversation with “Love you! Bye girls!” explaining his family is heading out for the afternoon, as they’ve been working at the new outpost to pass the summer days. “Ultimately, we’re in this spot because I completely renovated our house when we moved our family to Montecito three years ago. We bought a fixer-upper and I recently finished it... I needed another project so my wife wouldn’t divorce me,” Shane says with a laugh. “She says I’m like a bee in a jar!”

Brown’s expansion of Big Daddy’s Antiques into The Well is the sort of serendipity dreams are made of—dreams that span decades. “I coveted this space for twenty years, I’ve seen it through all of its phases: Mediterranee, Cafe Luna, The French Bulldog. After we moved up here, I was driving home from LA one day (I still go once a week) and noticed the space was empty. We negotiated a lease, we started construction... and then the pandemic happened. Luckily we were able to resume construction quickly and open relatively fast.”

Of the welcome he has received from Santa Barbara locals amidst a globally challenging time, Brown can only vehemently insist, “More than anything, I’m grateful for everyone coming in and being so kind. I had a lady come in and say, ‘You are the best thing that has happened to Santa Barbara in twenty years.’ I’ve had neighbors come in and say, ‘Thank you, you brought up our property value.’ Look, money is great, but that kind of feedback feeds my soul.”

With over thirty years of experience under his belt and a penchant for sticking to his instincts (“It has to hit me in my gut. If my gut likes it, I buy it and figure it out. I do have an eye, thank goodness!” he notes), Brown has not only been able to assemble an enviable, priceless collection of goods that pass through his possession into their forever homes, he has also compiled a rather impressive list of clients who keep him on-call, clients whose names we would recognize, if he would only tell. “Of course, I can’t mention any names, but I’m very fortunate that I have an amazing clientele, from the very tip-top. And when I say the tip-top… the richest people in the world, the richest person in the world,” Brown remarks with a hint of pride.

At The Well, the customer, no matter who, is the first and foremost priority: “From celebrities to super eccentric wealthy people, to more conservative types, it runs the gamut, the people who take our art home. Kids and eightyyear- old women alike come in and marvel at the place. I don’t care if you’re a celebrity or a homeless person.”

Throughout our conversation, Shane pauses to greet newcomers and holler prices, “About $1500 for that one, super rare. Out of 450 pieces, that’s the only piece I got!.... I have 15 or 20 of these, but I have probably 50 of the more traditional ones.” Clients match his eagerness with every new find. He’s like a well-read auctioneer, rattling off facts, numbers, and deals to his enthralled and equally as enthused audience.

He calls out, “Bye ladies!” followed by, “Hi, there!” followed by a long pause as he closes a deal. Without intending it, this has become the most poignant moment of our conversation, showing rather than simply telling that, in Shane’s words, “Customer service comes first. As for what’s next,” he leads, as if about to reveal his master ten-year plan, “We just want to keep being nice.” *

“With over thirty years of experience under his belt and a penchant for sticking to his instincts, Brown has not only been able to assemble an enviable,

priceless collection of goods that pass through his possession into their forever homes, he has also compiled a rather impressive list of clients... ”