Presidents’ Day and Modernism Week bring boosts to Palm Springs businesses

The extra long Presidents' Day weekend and Modernism Week created the perfect storm for local businesses. Restaurants, hotels, and boutiques in downtown Palm Springs all saw a spike in customers.

Modernism Week is a world-class, eleven-day celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion, and culture. Officials with the event say more than 120,000 attendees each year visit the great Palm Springs area to participate in the over 350 events they offer.

Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein says the celebration is an integral part of Palm Springs culture.

“Modernism week really encourages people to explore the city," said Burnstein. "To go out and take the bus rides, to dine, to shop, to really experience all the Palm Springs has." He isn't just the current mayor, he's also the owner of Destination PSP, a store that sells mid century modern apparel and items.

“This is one of the biggest weekends for our store, and really, for a lot of the businesses downtown, especially between between Valentine's Day and now," Bernstein said.

“People are coming from all over the world," said Mayor Bernstein. "We've had people from Europe, from Asia, from all across the country. And every year they come and every year, there's new people as well. And that's how they discover our city.”

Some stores are also using the influx of customers to give back to the community. Trina Turk on Palm Canyon Drive is one of them. They take part in Modernism Week events every year. And it's only fitting because their storefront was created by Albert Frey,  a Swiss-born architect who established a style of modernist architecture centered on Palm Springs

“We threw a charity event for Mod Com and we were able to give 25% of our proceeds back, which was super exciting," said Matthew Mays, a sales associate for the store.

"There's ton of details in the store that really speak to the true Palm Springs culture. So it's nice to throw an event inside of a space that truly epitomizes the city. It kind of brings you back in time," said Mays. Trina Turk and Mr. Turk are nestled in the direct heart of Downtown, and are popular shops for eclectic clothes, home-goods, and swimwear.

“Everyone is looking for their new spring outfit. We just got in all of our new seasonal items and great spring looks. And people have been loving them," said Mays. "We also have a residential department that has everything from candles, to bedding, to art installations. All things that you get to put in your home and make it a beautiful."

It's also a great place where you can pickup something uniquely Palm Springs.

“People have permission to be who they want to be in Palm Springs," said Mays. "So people that aren't used to wearing fun colors are so drawn to it here. So it's always great to see and introduce things that people would not normally wear into their wardrobe and see their new energy that they get with it.”

Trina Turk will also be hosting several Modernism Week events in the coming days, including a Fanny Penny event on the 22nd, and an Austin Fields event on the 24th. During those days, both artists will be doing signings and showing their work. They will also talk with the public about how they created their prices, and where they drew inspiration from.

Art galleries, like Cicada Fine Art, are also seeing a boost in sales.

“Yes, traffic has been very busy today and all of the weekend actually," said Christopher Cummings, the Gallery Director and Owner. "We've had quite a few house favorites from Kaline Carter to Baldwin. We've got an eclectic collection of over eight incredibly talented artists exhibiting. I feel like there's absolutely something for everybody.”

Cummings says this weekend was the busiest he's had since the gallery opened back in November.

"The works echoing mid century modernism, of course have been our customers' favorites," said Cummings. "Carter does a series of small mid century modern homes pieces, and I have a hard time keeping those guys in stock when it's Modernism Week.

Cicada Fine Art will also be hosting its official ribbon cutting ceremony during Modernism Week. It's taking place on Thursday at 4:00 p.m., and Cummings says its something he's been looking forward to for a long time.

"This is just the perfect time to do it. I had collections in the gallery from Toronto, Germany, from France really all over. It's pretty incredible how modernism has spread to be more than just an Americana thing but really a global thing," said Cummings.

Restaurants, like Tommy Bahama, are benefitting from the influx of customers as well. The Modernism Week Tour Bus picks up and drops of tourists on their corner of Palm Canyon. And they're more than happy to welcome back customers with an award0winning Mai Tai and a smile.

The boost in business is only going to continue, at least for the next six days. Modernism Week kicked off on the 15th and runs through the 25th.