Located at Flannery Exchange, Bobo Palm Springs stocks a kaleidoscope of stationery, journals, stickers, washi tapes, and other paper goods. Many items are crafted by indie artists, including founder Angie Chua herself. A passionate traveler with a penchant for journaling, Chua opened Bobo as a space to uplift women of color and LGBTQ+ creators, spotlighting their distinctive designs.
Bobo’s shelves are anything but static. The collection refreshes weekly with small-batch drops, ensuring a constant stream of new finds for paper lovers. On Fridays, the shop morphs into a hub for free creative meetups, inviting locals to journal or sketch without any pressure to buy. Bonus: Greater Palm Springs residents score 10 percent off with ID.
Chua’s goal is simple and refreshing: to rekindle the joys of pen and paper while championing community, creativity, and the magic of handmade snail mail.
Was there a specific moment that sparked the Bobo brick-and-mortar concept?
In our early 30s, my husband and I decided we didn’t want to spend money on stuff. We wanted to spend money on experiences because when you die, you don’t get to take your pouch with you. In that process, I started journaling our adventures, and that birthed our stationery line, Bobo Design Studio. When we moved here, I knew I wanted to have a stationery store.
The whole vibe is in line with Palm Springs. Why do you think the store is such a good match for the desert?
As someone who loves to travel and loves stationery, there’s a big overlap in those people on the Venn diagram — we love to travel to stationery stores. It always killed me that there wasn’t one here. [With] the store, I wanted to tap into the vibrancy and the colors and the [desert] aesthetic. It drove me crazy that this town is filled with artists, but there wasn’t really a store that gave them the tools needed to express themselves. Granted, we’re not an art store, but we want to [provide] access to creativity.
Stationery enthusiast Angie Chua poses in her cheery boutique.
What are the most popular items?
Our journals [and] Wanterlust Passports are always a big hit, especially since we have a lot of travelers that come into town. We sell more stickers than [anything else]. And we get comments that we have some of the best greeting cards in town. They’re real cheeky.
Why is it important to you to provide a platform for women and LGBTQ+ makers?
We’re in an area that has a huge LGBTQ+ population, and when they come into a store, I want them to feel like they’re seen. I also want them to know that there are products that speak to them. Same for women of color. I want to give those types of artists the opportunities that stores gave me when I was starting out.
Why do you think tactile paper goods and these kinds of crafts are important?
There’s this nostalgia around it. Why don’t people send cards? Why don’t people write letters anymore? There’s this whole generation of kids who grew up in a completely digital world who think this is novel. People like to come into a store, hang out, and get to know the community.
