GradComD Professor Tom Dolle's Pop-Up Store in The News

The idea to launch Destination PSP came about four years ago when Jeffrey Bernstein and Oscar Chamudes moved to Palm Springs but had a tough time finding just the right souvenir to send to their families.

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“So we said, ‘Why don’t we just make it?’ ” recalled Bernstein, who along with Chamudes, Clark Bason and Mark Esposito started the Palm Springs-based company a little more than a year ago.

“The idea was to create products such as souvenirs and collectibles inspired by the Palm Springs lifestyle,” Bernstein said.

Over the past year, the four partners have expanded on that concept to include product designs reflective of the entire Coachella Valley. They recently opened a pop-up shop inside the Raymond-Lawrence retail incubator at 830 N. Palm Canyon Drive in the Palm Springs Uptown Design District and, in recent weeks, they’ve begun displaying their wares at the weekly Village Fest event.

Everything from clothing and mugs to serving dishes, large spa and pool towels and many other gift items emblazoned with unique valley-oriented designs can be found at the pop-up shop, as well as online at destinationpsp.com.

The four partners and creative collaborators said they simply share “a love of Palm Springs.” But they also wanted a company that is civic-minded, works with charitable organizations and strives to enhance the image of events and companies across the valley.

Destination PSP also strives to be green, paying a manufacturer in Riverside County to create recyclable gift packaging made from materials derived from sustainable tree farms.

Getting the company off the ground has been a team effort, with each individual bringing his or her own expertise to the table, the partners said.

Bason draws on his experience from creating (and eventually selling) the special event company Artistry in Motion, now the world’s premier supplier of customizable special effects confetti, streamers and confetti canons.

Bernstein and Chamudes brought their insight into online ventures, as well as the entertainment industry and the fundamentals of business operations. Esposito was a choreographer and dancer on Broadway in New York with an eye for detail — which makes him a natural for being meticulous about monitoring inventory.

A key to the venture are artists who create original designs, such as “re-purposing” the “PS I Love You” brand and offering a new look for distinctive collections called Desert Modern Oasis, Rainbow, Palm Springs Living, and “Icons, Legends & Lore,” Bason said.

Tom Dolle, creative director, also has a design firm in New York and is a professor of design at Pratt Institute. Glen Hanson is another formidable artist.

Chamudes said the company will constantly refresh its designs on a wide range of items. The company incroporates images of things such as the Palm Springs tram, mid-century themes, golf and tennis venures.

Destination PSP has provided a line of products with a mid-century vibe for events like Palm Springs Modernism Week and the 2012 Palm Springs Pride festivities.

Bason said Destination PSP really started to gain traction when it debuted a special line of merchandise for the Palm Springs International Film Festival and found a retail home at Raymond-Lawrence.

The company has introduced a line of Melamine and acrylic products such as serving dishes and dinnerware and “poolware” featuring mid-century designs that echo the patterns used in concrete blocks that are the hallmarks of mid-century architecture.

“The idea is we’re doing more than just creating souvenirs,” Bernstein said. “We’re also trying to brand Palm Springs. We wanted (items) that are unique to our area.”

Michael C. Green, managing director of the Palm Springs Cultural Center, said he chose Destination PSP to produce T-shirts for the local farmers’ market not only because of its unique designs but because its products were high-quality with sustainably produced packaging included in a competitive price.

Bernstein said Destination PSP is continuing to create products with original designs that are not typical of items that many tourists, snowbirds or residents might find on trips to St. Louis or Atlanta or some other city, for example.

Bason said creating products that reflect “the true renaissance in Palm Springs” is a niche market that the partners thought they could fill.

“There’s really nothing in Palm Springs to reflect the Palm Springs lifestyle that’s upscale and beautiful,” Bason said. “It’s a lifestyle.”