Uptown Design District Guide

Downtown Palm Springs is flexing its fabulosity for you! The vintage stores, delicious dining options, and assorted attractions extend beyond downtown.  Along North Palm Canyon Drive, the Palm Springs Uptown Design District is one of the city’s vintage hot spots. Dozens of consignment, resale, and antique boutiques line the avenue. And it’s not just the items inside that are retro – many are housed in cool vintage buildings. It begins North of E. Alejo Rd. and extends to E. Vista Chino.

Explore this dashing destination with us! This two-mile retail stretch focused on mid-century modern art, style, and design.

Uptown Design District Shopping

Midcentury Design

Palm Springs is known worldwide for its midcentury and modern design. We celebrate this every year with Modernism Week. You’ll find many of these design styles and treasures strolling the Uptown Design District’s many vintage and design shops.

Modern Way has sold midcentury vintage furniture and furnishings for over 20 years. It is a must for anyone interested in finding unique midcentury treasures, from rare one-of-a-kind Arthur Elrod furnishings to well-known iconic pieces from Knoll and Herman Miller.

Bon Vivant specializes in vintage accessories for the home and vintage 70s-80s costume jewelry for men and women. They are located in the historic Albert Frey “Kocher Samson” building. The “Kocher Samson,” built in 1934, was the first modern International style building in Palm Springs. Priding themselves on customer service, al La Mod is a curated collection of vintage furnishings and art for the more discerning designer or collector.

Contemporary & Modern

Interior Illusions is a leading local resource for contemporary furniture, art, lighting, and interiors. Christopher Anthony offers a curated collection of vintage and modern home furnishings, seating, original artwork, and lighting.

Grace Home Furnishings provides interior design services and manufactures its furniture line. The Grace Home Collection© of custom upholstery, case goods, accessories, and fabric is designed by owners Michael Ostrow and Roger Stoker and manufactured in California. Each piece is built to order and can be customized in any way.

Modern Elements PS is a mixture of contemporary design and flexibility. It has a wide, well-structured range of functional furniture that is unmistakably stylish and leaves room for individual feelings, indulging tastes, and blending with other shapes, colors, and materials for infinite options.

Uptown Fashions

Iconic Atomic, for example, lives by a simple yet wildly ambitious mantra: “Anything and everything we can find is right for somebody.” Inclusion is their aesthetic, and they welcome midcentury modern enthusiasts alongside millennial hipsters and Gen Z collectors looking for a shopping safari like no other.

Are you fed up with the button-down grind? Loosen up your lifestyle with vintage fashions by the mile! The Frippery rolls out a rainbow of playful ensembles. Colorful caftans, flirty micro-minis, brilliant sundresses—you name it, they’ve got it! Note that they close in the summer and reopen Labor Day Weekend.

An anchor to the Uptown Design District is the Trina Turk|Mr. Turk boutique. Trina’s clothing is inspired by California’s multicultural mix, creativity, craftsmanship, architecture, and landscape. Bold signature prints and dynamic hues add playful character to dresses, tops, bottoms, suits, sets, and swimwear. Trina Turk style incorporates beautiful fabrications and impeccable quality for effortless élan and carefree glamour, ready for your next vacation, weekend brunch, or any event on your calendar. Trina is also a part-time Palm Springs resident.

Right next door is a boutique for another local designer, Wil Stiles.  Wil offers a cheerful and energetic selection of men’s & women’s clothing with a Palm Springs, mid-modern flair.

And for a genuinely elevated shopping experience, book a trip to Seaplane. “There are 10,000 colors in your iris,” explains owner Schuyler Brown. “We grab and celebrate the beauty that’s in the wearer. Seaplane Shirts are made of all the colors of the sea and sky. In these colors, we have exactly what’s necessary to make each person radiant!”

For upscale women’s fashion, stop by Elizabeth & Prince. It is inspired by the pioneering New York restaurant and shopping district, the store’s namesake, Elizabeth & Prince.  It is a lifestyle boutique for the traveler. They view simplicity and nature as the new luxury. Right next door is Candice Held, another women’s fashion boutique. Candice Held is a luxury resort brand designed in Palm Springs and sewn in California. Materials include imported fabrics and silk scarves printed with Candice’s original textile designs. Silk scarves are produced in Como, Italy.

For vintage women’s clothing, preLoved Palm Springs is a collection of labels for the fashion-conscious. You’ll appreciate the many styles that always stay in fashion.

Uptown Vintage Shopping

Art Galleries

Show off your signature flair with a print from The Shag Store. This Palm Springs ushers you into a candy-colored cocktail party reality, where groovy figures cavort amidst midcentury architectural splendor. In addition to its eye-popping art, The Shag Store sells merchandise contoured to tickle any mod connoisseur’s fancy.

Experience the incredible roster of cutting-edge contemporary visual artists at Rubine Red Gallery. They specialize in the 1950s-1960s midcentury estate collections.

Find Fun Gifts

Give the gift of YAAS at Just Fabulous, a welcoming haven filled with cards, coffee table books, and home décor.  They also have limited edition photographs and artwork.  Buy your friends or family keepsakes from your vacation, or save them yourself. We won’t judge!

The Shops at Thirteen Forty Five is like a boutique mall with an eclectic mix of new and vintage items. It’s located in an iconic E. Stewart Williams designed building. Be sure to stop in the Back Yard.

Read about more Vintage Shopping

Delicious Eats

Let’s face it: visiting all the establishments above can tuck you out—hence the phrase “shop ‘til you drop.” That’s why you need the proper food to fuel your Palm Springs adventure. So let’s start with breakfast, shall we?

Uptown Goodness

Sometimes, you just want a burger and bacon. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s very satisfying. Cheeky’s is renowned as the home of the bacon flight: five festively flavored varieties of your favorite a.m. side dish, elevated to new heights of yumminess. Or indulge your sweet tooth, courtesy of their strawberry lemon loaf festooned with cream cheese frosting. Don’t forget a splash of sunshine sangria to wash it all down!  Get ready for an avalanche of flavors because we’re just getting started.

Right next door is Birba, an Italian restaurant serving handcrafted cocktails, handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, elegant salads, and their famous gluten-free cauliflower pizza in an inviting tree-filled patio. (Note Cheeky’s and Birba’s summer closure).

1501 Uptown Gastropub is serving a half-pound 1501 Burger with tomato onion jam, cave-aged cheddar or gruyere, smoked bacon, romaine, and dill pickle on a brioche bun served with house fries or horseradish slaw. Doesn’t that sound good? Pair it with one of their craft brews or inventive beverage pairings.

Just past downtown, as you enter the Uptown Design District, is the casual restaurant Chicken Ranch, which features free-range and locally grown chicken. The menu includes their popular rotisserie chicken, sandwiches, and salads. Comport sides include thick-cut fries, rotisserie roasted yams, and a loaded baked potato. They also offer a vegetarian fried chicken sandwich.

Continue your culinary quest at Eight4Nine, which has the largest outdoor patio in the Uptown Design District. The white and pink motif  is fun and playful, creating a dining style that’s casual and elegant. The cuisines are contemporary American and continental and include seafood. It’s great for groups, with several private dining rooms.

Trio has earned its title, Where Palm Springs Eats.  This locally owned restaurant serves hearty American-style dishes like red wine braised short ribs.

Jake’s Palm Springs may be small, but it makes up for it in taste. Dine al fresco in its charming courtyard or intimate dining room and enjoy a casual, upscale European-style bistro experience. Note that it closes during the summer.

Chef Andrew Copley brings his award-winning skills to his well-established Uptown restaurant, Copley’s on Palm Canyon. Enjoy upscale American cuisine and dine under the desert’s bright stars. The menu has something for most tastes, but they are mainly known for their duck and lamb dishes. Their pound cake is also a signature.

Workshop Kitchen + Bar is also owned by an award-winning chef, Michael Beckman. In addition to luscious libations, they’re sizzling up dry-aged ribeye steaks to your specifications. The walls are concrete, and the fries are cooked in duck fat.

But humans can’t have all the fun. For something more casual, walk your furry friends over to Boozehounds, a pooch-friendly dining destination that doesn’t skimp on treats for doggy moms and dads. NomNomNom on miso Chilean fish & chips and sip on signature cocktails like Aunt Donna’s Dirty Poodle. It’s made with saké, whiskey, yuzu Meyer lemon shrub, and chocolate bitters. Woof and a half!

Asian Inspired

Sandfish has pioneered the art of sushi and whiskey duos to delight your palate.

Mexican Fiesta

Located just south of the Uptown Design District next to Blue Coyote, Tac/Quila is a culinary gem that delights visitors with its vibrant Mexican cuisine. Owned by the same team behind the popular Farm and Clandestino, Tac/Quila offers a unique dining experience that combines traditional flavors with a modern twist.

Uptown Diner

John’s is the right choice for a quick, casual spot with an extensive American-style menu.  Come as you are, order at the counter, and they will bring your order to your seat. It’s not fancy, but it’s good, and you won’t go away hungry. An extensive breakfast menu includes all your favorites, including steak, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and burritos. The extensive lunch menu focuses on burgers, sandwiches, and salads. The Chicken Avocado Club is a favorite.  900 N Palm Canyon Drive.

Craft Cocktails

The owner of Workshop + Kitchen, Michael Bechman, also opened Truss & Twine, located right next door. This upscale cocktail bar celebrates the history of drinks in America from the Golden Ages through today’s modern classics. The creative bar bites are prepared before guests in a small open kitchen at the bar.

Lace up for great times at Bootlegger Tiki, a Polynesian kick in the heart of Uptown. Spirit-soaked inventiveness flows freely through every menu item, from the pineapple perfection of Devil’s Paradise to the citrus and cucumber dynamism of Hotline Bling. Drinkin’ accomplished!

Located just next door is Tailor Shop, a rather hidden speakeasy. If you sit at one of the banquettes, one of the bartenders may come around with a cart and make your cocktails tableside. If you get hungry, there’s a small snacks menu filled with excellent sushi (Tailor Shop is owned by the people who run Sandfish) and other small dishes like snow crab deviled eggs and Wagyu carpaccio. It opens at 5pm, so a great place to stop before dinner.

There’s also an Airstream cocktail bar in the Uptown Design District at the Flannery Exchange called Bar Chingona. Order your cocktail and sit outside on their large patio with amazing views of the San Jacinto mountains. It opens at 6 pm, Thursday – Sunday.

And for those who want to pick up a bottle of wine on the go, Hyphen offers a carefully curated selection of delicious, high-quality natural wines. Check their Facebook page for wine tasting announcements. You’ll discover the owner is quite passionate about his wines!

Stay & Play

Go Big

Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs combines the chic, midcentury aesthetic with Margaritaville’s casual-luxe island feel. Enjoy island-inspired drinks, chaise loungers, cabanas, and day beds. They offer family-oriented programming. You’ll find another welcoming Uptown courtyard at 7 Springs Inn & Suites. Barbecue by day and access the wonders of Palm Springs by night!

Casual typifies your stay at The Infusion, where you can relax and rejuvenate. Curl your toes in their pebble garden as you gaze up at the mountain views above.

Go Boutique

You can marvel at the majestic architecture at The Weekend, a resort that embodies serene restraint with splashes of vibrant colors.

Arrive Palm Springs corrals a gourmet café, ice cream parlor splendor and gift shopping galore. Without stepping off the property, you can swim to the bar, cozy up to the fire pit, and snuggle up in your resort suite.

Gay Stays

Canyon Club is a clothing optional hotel flanked by friendly lawns and topiary mazes. And nearby Descanso boasts a legacy of bonding that can’t be beaten. “There’s something extraordinary about being at a property with many gay men,” declares General Manager Kent Taylor. “I’ve watched people make friends floating around that pool for life.”

The new kid in (Up)town is Trixie Motel, named for RuPaul royalty Trixie Mattel. The décor is a bracingly pink embrace of excess, and its construction inspired a new reality show on the Discovery+ network. You’ll be treated like the star you are, honey!

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