One of the rooms at Bradford Mercantile on Cutler Street displays folk art and country primitive objects for the home. It’s one of the shops participating in the Warren Walkabout today.

The Providence Journal / Mary Murphy

It used to be that Warren was the town that everyone groaned about driving through to get from Barrington to Bristol or vice versa. Now Warren is the “It” town, and everyone’s talking about how wonderful its waterfront is, how authentic the historic buildings are, how charming the shops in and around Cutler Mills are — and how you still get stuck interminably at the Market Street light at certain times of the day.

Forgetting about the light, there is a lot to love about this little East Bay town, and today’s a good day to discover Warren if you haven’t done so already. The Warren Walkabout townwide annual open house is today from noon to 5 p.m. Shops and businesses, including artists’ studios, will be open with special enticements such as giveaways and goodies, and the Taste of Warren restaurant sampling event is at the Warren Fire Station (1 Joyce St.) from noon to 3 p.m.

Once you’ve gotten through that blasted light, a left turn onto Child Street (Route 103) quickly brings you to Cutler Street, the epicenter of Warren’s creative energy. Many of the artists’ studios that will be open today are inside the brick Cutler Mills buildings, and the Imago contemporary art gallery is right there, too. The Market at Cutler Mills is the neighborhood food market, and at the back of its parking lot, Basically British is a unique combination of tea room, restaurant and antiques shop.

Also on Cutler Street is Bradford Mercantile, a shop specializing in country primitive decorations for the home, including Americana-style furniture, candles, potpourri and gift items. Opened about a year ago, the Mercantile has an “Old Sturbridge Village” feel, displaying in a comfortably homey setting a wide array of items such as small braided rugs (about $32), gently weathered milk-paint hutches (about $1,350), seasonal swags to hang over a door or make a wreath of ($15), as well as folk art and artifacts, linens, pottery, painted wooden bowls, tin ware, baskets, sconces, lamps and more.

The Mercantile is just one of dozens of Warren shops that will be putting out a special welcome mat today.

If you need a lamp, don’t miss Altamira Lighting’s Autumn Studio Sale at 79 Joyce St. from 10 to 5. You’ll find plenty of bargains on the studio’s beautiful table and floor lamps crafted from resin, metal and ceramic (see www.altamiralighting.com).

For more information on the Warren Walkabout, visit www.discoverwarren.com.

Bradford Mercantile is on the Web at www.bradfordmercantile.com. 7 Cutler St., Warren. (401) 289-2102. Open Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. A special Holiday Open House event is Nov. 9 to 11, for Veterans Day.

kimbrie@projo.com