I’m a well-wishing Luddite: I still prefer to give and receive physical greeting cards for birthdays, holidays, thank-yous, and other occasions, rather than e-cards. Stores that specialize in greeting cards are more difficult to find as correspondence leans digital, so I’m grateful to have one in a shopping center I visit frequently: Smoke Tree Greetings at Smoke Tree Village in Palm Springs.
The store is packed with racks of cards for all occasions. Whatever the tone or sentiment you seek — goofy, sappy, sincere, sarcastic, cute, artistic, solemn, fancy, plain, wordy, minimalist — you’re likely to find it, or at least enjoy the hunt. If you desire a card that boasts “I’m sending this from the desert,” this spot sells locally made and inspired cards (including boxes of holiday cards) decorated with palm trees, cactuses, midcentury modern buildings, flamingos, and other familiar icons.
Smoke Tree is also fully stocked with gifts and another old-school favorite: jigsaw puzzles, including many with local themes, such as “Pets of Palm Springs” and “Cactus and Succulents.” A post office is nearby in the same shopping center, so you can pick up stamps while you’re there.
