The Hamptons (especially Sag Harbor and Hampton Bays) are renowned for top-notch antiques outlets, and with good reason. You'll find everything from museum-quality heirlooms to 1950s ephemera to mid-century furniture. The standouts include Good Ground Antique Center, where you can pick up vintage patio furniture for a song (52 W. Montauk Hwy., Hampton Bays; 631-728-6300); Jed, which specializes in theatrical and expensive chinoiserie-inflected designs, such as an elegant ebonized bamboo mirror and Chinese Chippendale aluminum garden set (27 Washington St., Sag Harbor; 631-725-6411); and Comerford Hennessy's pricey selection of mid-century modern finds (2442 Main St., Bridgehampton; 631-537-6200). The ultimate resource, however, is the Yard Sale, proprietor Vincent Manzo's collection of well-priced objects including stained-glass windows, lamp fixtures, costume jewelry, and more, along with plenty of local gossip (66 Newtown Ln., East Hampton; 631-324-7048). The Hamptons also regularly host antiques sales, including the annual Historic Mulford Farm Antiques Show & Sale in East Hampton. Check www.hamptonsantiques.com for upcoming events.

For the perfect host or hostess gift, turn to this Southampton shop owned by Stephanie Finkelstein. You can't go wrong with a spare William Yeoward decanter, tote bags embroidered with oversized monograms, or a coffee-table book like Houses of the Hamptons: 1880–1930 from Acanthus Press (it'll win you a return visit, trust us). Stationery from The Printery—emblazoned with crabs, corals, sea horses, or a cheeky skull-and-crossbones motif—is perfect for penning a thank-you note. There's also a beautiful selection of tableware, crystal, and flatware.

Open daily 10 am to 5 pm.

To supply this home-design store at the far end of Southampton's Main Street retail drag, proprietor John Heilmann relies on his terrific eye and spot-on sensibility. His talent is reflected in finds such as the store's eponymous candles (cedar-jasmine and fig are best sellers) or perhaps a black-and-gold chest of drawers from designer Dorothy Draper's España collection. Among the mix of contemporary and retro furnishings, you'll find a covetable selection of vintage books—Billy Baldwin Decorates, for example—as well as nautical-knot doorstops, quartz salt and pepper shakers, barnacle-encrusted candelabra, and hurricane lamps.

Open daily 11 am to 5 pm.

A veritable kitchen wonderland, this friendly shop stocks pretty much everything you'll ever need (or think you might need) for the kitchen. The selection includes utensils in a rainbow of hues, Le Creuset pots and pans, table linens, cookbooks and magazines, china from Haviland, glassware from Simon Pearce, as well as more obscure tools, such as a left-handed swivel peeler, an oyster knife, and fishbone tongs. In the shop's working kitchen, Le Bernardin's Eric Ripert might be demonstrating his deft skills with seafood, or the owners of East Hampton's Lucy's Whey cheese shop might be discussing artisanal cheeses. Afterward, visit the nearby Loaves & Fishes gourmet shop in Sagaponack for their legendary and pricey ($100/pound) lobster salad, or the Viking Cooking School at the Bridgehampton Inn if you need help figuring out how to use your new gadgetry.

Open daily 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.

Searching for set of bamboo-and-cotton sheets, spiked olives, and gingersnap cookies? This modern take on a general store in Sag Harbor is your one-stop shop. Among the gifts and essential items for the stylish Hamptons home, you'll find placemats in rainbow colors, framed black-and-white photographs by artist Jim Dratfield, Tea Forté teas, jauntily striped pajamas, and confections ranging from Marie Belle and Michel Cluziel chocolates to plump sour-cherry oatmeal cookies. Grab a coffee at the long counter and create a temporary masterpiece on one of the Etch-a-Sketches. A second outpost (with the same eclectic selection) is located in Amagansett.

To make a statement on Cooper's Beach, stop at Southampton's Vilebrequin outpost before hitting the sand. The St.Tropez–based swimsuit company emblazons surf shorts and trunks with flip-flops, buoys, and cabanas, though there are also solids, stripes, and ginghams for less adventurous types. For the father-and-son duo that has everything, select matching suits from the Fathers and Sons collection. For après-swim, there are also sunglasses, towels, boxer shorts, and linen shirts.

Open daily 10 am to 6 pm.