Ruby Beets, A Favorite Shop

I'm not much of a shopper, but there are a few stores that I truly love and visiting them is less about shopping than the experience of being inside. I fall in love with a store when the store itself is its own world, with its own particular point of view. John Derian is a great example of a store I never tire of: Every time I visit there seems to be something new and delightful to discover. Ruby Beets in Sag Harbor is another store I've come to adore in recent years, and I stop in whenever I have the good luck to find myself in Sag Harbor.

While it is hardly a unknown source (many magazines and blogs have written about it), Ruby Beets still feels a bit like secret. Perhaps part of its intrigue is due to its location a ways up a side street from the main drag of Sag Harbor in a former silent movie theater's space. Or maybe its the slightly mysterious quality of the merchandise itself.

Ruby Beets is part antique shop, part new home wares boutique and party gallery. The shop is jam-packed with merchandise--both new and old--but a soothing palette of neutral tones keeps it from feeling too crowded, and the dense groupings of objet, art and furniture make it feel like there is an endless stream of treasures to discover in the shop.

Over the summer, I first saw the photographs of local photographer Mary Ellen Bartley at Ruby Beets. If I am ever lucky enough to have a summer house and some spare cash, I'd love one of her seascapes (above) for me walls. A recent visit revealed a portfolio of photographs (many of circus performers) taken by a talented amateur photographer in the early part of the 20th century; the shop's owners had found it in Rhode Island and were selling the individual prints.

Recently, my husband fell for what appeared to be a vintage club chair, but turned out to be a present-day replica of a piece from the 1920s. At more than $1,600, it's not exactly in our budget right now, but it's the kind of thing I keep in my mind on the "someday maybe" list. While much of the merchandise is out of reach, there are always a few trinkets that anyone can afford. If you find yourself in Sag Harbor, stop in to see what they have in store.

Ruby Beets, 25 Washington Street, Sag Harbor, NY; www.rubybeets.com

Exterior and interior photos by Habitually Chic.