Good old America is here. "Palm Springs," Midcentury vintage furniture store 

Palm Springs has been selling mid-century vintage furniture in Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya City for about 10 years. Mid-century means "middle of a century". In the interior world, it mainly refers to furniture and buildings designed in the 1940s to 1960s. At Palm Springs, they directly purchase only items that they are satisfied with, one by one, from the United States and Europe.

This time, we interviewed the owners, Umihiko and Miwa Nagasaki, about the history of the shop and their thoughts on mid-century furniture.

 Started from warehouse in the middle of the field.

A Palm Springs store in Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya. About 5 minutes on foot from Osu Kannon Station.

The interior of the store is lined with furniture from the mid-century era purchased from America and Europe.

Palm Springs celebrates its 13th anniversary this year. First, we asked them about the birth of the shop.

Umihiko: "In fact, I had no plans to start a store at all. I used to work for a company that made furniture, and I wanted to work in furniture restoration. But there were no such jobs, and there were no such stores. I happened to know a Japanese person living in the U.S., so I said, "Let's just go there!" and went to the U.S. to buy. ”

Miwa: “Since he went furniture shopping first, we needed a place for the time being, and we needed some space to move the furniture, so we decided to rent a warehouse in the middle of a field in Kitanagoya City. Basically, we are a give-and-see type of person. We just go there and think about it. Our style is to do, see, and then think."

Original Palm Springs store

Umihiko: “We had a lot of space, so we decided to open a shop for the first time. But it wasn't that easy to sell.

Miwa: “As a store, it was in a bad location and did not sell well at all. In the meantime, time went on and on. Neither of us had much experience in sales, and neither of us had any experience at all in interior design. We just had a love of furniture and a desire to restore it. But after about a year, we realized that no one would come to us even if we were operating in the middle of a field like this, so we rushed out to Osu.”

Decided to relocate to Osu

In addition to furniture, they also handle accessories such as lighting, clocks, etc.

About a year and a half has passed since the store opened in Kitanagoya. A Nagasaki couple decided to move to Osu. They used to operate in another location in Osu, but they moved to their current location about 7 years ago.

Miwa: "By coming to Osu, I really felt that it was different. Many people left right away, but the chances of getting to know the store have increased dramatically. But The damage from the warehouse days still remained, and we were desperate to make up for it. We wanted to move to a bigger store, but it was quite a challenge.”

Umihiko: "So, we were thinking about moving only if there was a good place."

Miwa: “I had said I would take my time and look for a place over the next year or so, but the day after I started looking, I came across this place and fell in love with it. I thought it was fate. At the time, we were still renting a warehouse in Kitanagoya for storage, but it was difficult to get people to come to Kitanagoya to see our furniture. We decided to take the plunge and relocate here."

Named after a place of memories

Next, we learned about the origin of the store name, “Palm Springs.” Palm Springs is a retro resort area located about 170km from Los Angeles. Many modern buildings remain, and it is also famous as a vintage city.

Miwa: "The name Palm Springs came from what happened when I went to America for the first time."

Umihiko: “We arrived there and bought a map for now and rented a car. I wanted to see the Grand Canyon, so I said, "Let's just go east!" and I drove on. It was getting dark, and the first town we stayed in was Palm Springs. ”

Miwa: "It wasn't a tour or anything like that, we went there without any plans at all. However, when we stayed in Palm Springs, we felt that we could do it even we were abroad, and that's how we decided to name the store. But I had no idea at the time that Palm Springs was a city famous for vintage, and now I think what a wonderful name we named it. I feel that there is a link with all of us - the furniture, the period, the building."

Umihiko: "But when I was asked the name of our store in America, and I answered 'Palm Springs', I was a little awkward because I was asked 'Are you running such an amazing store in Japan?' (laughs) "

Want people to know America at its classiest, in its best times.

Miwa: “He does most of the buying, but he only sees mid-century stuff like this. It's not about what will sell or won't sell, it's about what he likes, and his antennae seem to go off. Even when I ask him, "Do you think this would sell?" he says, "Hmmm." and doesn't react anymore. He does most of the buying, but he only sees mid-century stuff like this. It's not about what will sell or won't sell, it's about what he likes, and his antennae seem to go off. Even when I ask him, "Do you think this would sell?" he says, "Hmmm." and doesn't react anymore. "

Umihiko: “To begin with, men of our generation like America. There are many people who like motorcycles, cars, and the American atmosphere. However, when you actually go to America, you will find that such things are only a part of the picture, and the beautiful part of America like mid-century furniture is not introduced at all. I learned that America at its best, at its most elegant, is the most fascinating. "

Miwa: “For better or worse, in the past, the only information that came in was through the paper media. I had an image of what it would be like in the U.S., but that was only part of the story. Of course, I think that culture is good, and I don't dislike it, but as we were able to learn about a more refined part of America, I thought it was important to keep that part of the culture alive and pass it on. "

Umihiko: "There is a quality that is unique to this era. There is nothing else like it before or after. What's good about it is that it's the only one. "

Purchasing is hunting. Effort to find things.

How to buy in America

Palm Springs purchases mid-century-era furniture from around the world, including the United States and Europe. They check, clean and repair the purchased furniture by ourselves. We also asked about such purchases.

Umihiko: "We buy about 3-4 times a year. We spend about 2 weeks visiting dealers and going to flea markets."

Miwa: “It takes about two weeks for the container to fill up. I think there are many people who would like to post furniture on social media and ask, ‘Do you want this?’ Hoever, we don't buy it if he doesn't like it. We don't buy anything at some stores. So, if you don't spend time, we won't be able to gather enough. ”

Umihiko: “I only have a few items that I really want. Purchasing is like hunting. I also look for what customers say they want. Compared to the past, vintage furniture has become more expensive and depleted. Even at local flea markets, it is getting harder to find. But that makes my customers happy, so I make an effort to find things."

At Palm Springs, they always accept requests such as "I want this product from this manufacturer" and "I want something similar to a sold product". Even if they don't have it in the store, they can introduce it from the stock, or they can get it in the next purchase, so please feel free to contact them.

▼You can check the stock products from here before they are displayed in stores or on the web store.
http://www.palm-springs.jp/stock.html