Studio Time

This August 24th we are doing a pop up shop at the Artfonfa art exhibition. 

I attended a couple of Artfonfa art shows this year. I loved the vibe, the people and  the creative atmosphere. I wanted to be part of their next show and the perfect theme came around - "All That 90s"art exhibition. You already know that we are inspired by the 90s. So it is the perfect show for us to have fun and create some 90s vibe at our pop up shop. 

It is a free event, but you must make an RSVP or pay $20 at the door at the day of the event. 

Click here to make your free reservation. 

So far there is about 1,900 people that have made their reservations. So you know it's going to be a dope event. 

The Coachella Valley isn’t known for much other than the festivals that come once a year. In my years of coming in and out of the areas of the Valley, I noticed that the culture of the valley was being robbed. If a tag came up it was buffed. There was no real art scene to speak of (at least none evident). Everything out there is polished to serve an older demographic. In comes Pete Salcido of Flat Black Shop, owner and operator of the graffiti art store in Palm Desert Ca. In my short time knowing Pete I have watched him pump life into the Coachella Valley with events, art shows, and art workshops. He literally went from 0-60 in a short amount of time. Now you can go to Westfield mall of Palm Desert and see art displays! Not art that’s boring (aka hotel art) but art that speaks to the youth and a demographic that has long been ignored in the area. Now Pete along with the Palm Springs Public Art Commission opened a temporary graffiti park in Downtown Palm Springs. That would have been unheard of in the past.

Last year I was going through a problem that alot of people were also going through: rent increase. My rent had gone up an extra $400. I had just left a company I used to work for so a secure paycheck wasn’t there anymore. Stress was setting in, which drove me to adapt and find alternatives to fight the rent increase. So, I started researching about rent control and gentrification.

That’s when I started becoming aware of rent hikes in cities like Santa Ana, Boyle Heights, all over LA and Inner cities of Orange County. People are losing their homes due to rent increases. People are becoming misplaced and have nowhere to go. Senior citizens are not able afford the rent hikes. Putting them at risk of becoming homeless. .

Neighborhoods are no longer being recognized because they became trendy hipster spots with $2,000 studio apt. that some of us can’t afford. .
That is what inspired this design. This is happening now and if there is no rent control, the homeless problem will keep increasing. Identities of neighborhoods will be lost. .

Don’t get us wrong, we are all for safer neighborhoods, but not at the cost of people losing their homes, place of business, and roots within their neighborhoods. Making the current residents the outsiders