If you are ever passing through Somis from Camarillo, you will likely be passing by the historic Fulkerson Hardware Store at 3403 Somis Road. 

The Fulkerson Hardware building was designated a Ventura County Historical Landmark on July 1991. This one-story stucco structure was originally built in 1925.

Fulkerson Hardware was founded in 1912 by Jonathan Fulkerson and this structure sits on the foundation of the original hardware store.

The store is still family owned; Fulkerson's grandson Bob is the proprietor today. Jonathan's brother James opened the first business in Somis in 1892, a blacksmith shop.

You've got to step back into history and check this store out. It is jam packed with items and if you can't find what you need, ask Bob. In a corner of the business is "Jack's Museum." Jack is the son of the original founder and Bob's father. Quite a bit of local history on hand in here. Call 805.386.5795 for hours.

If you stop by, grab lunch or breakfast at the nearby Somis Cafe and Market, which has been a Somis staple since 1974.

Somis is an unincorporated city of about 3,000 residents in Ventura County that was established in 1892. The name Somis means “water of the scrub oak” in the Chumash language, indicating the presence of water.

My two other favorite things to do in Somis is to visit the more low key Underwood Family Farms Somis Farm Center at 5696 E. Los Angeles Avenue and the Somis Nut House.