OUR STORY
Our story began during the pandemic. Chris and David had relocated to Palm Springs from San Francisco and met up with friends Gillian and Sierra. While having drinks, we all started to lament over the lack of interesting wine/liquor shops in town, as well as the lack of access to LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and women small business owners. This is a larger issue that goes beyond Palm Springs.
Over the next few months, we began to explore options and developed the idea of a shop that featured those products.
In the spring of 2021, we were offered a space inside of a new retail experience, a modern department store called Mojave Flea Trading Post in downtown Palm Springs.
We currently have two locations in Palm Springs, one with a beer and wine tasting room. We have hosted events and partnered with Palm Springs Pride, the Palm Springs Art Museum, Desert X, GED Magazine, Brothers of the Desert, and many more.
In December 2023, we launched Low Dez Fest, a beer, wine, art, and music festival highlighting LGBTQ+, women, and BIPOC makers and creators.
MISSION
Our mission is to build community, wealth, and commerce through supporting and promoting brands and products from LGBTQ+, Women, and BIPOC entrepreneurs by redefining the corner store, liquor store, and convenience store concepts. We offer a wide variety of high-quality products to a discerning customer base that is primarily young to middle aged professionals, women, LGBTQ+ identified, and people of color. Through excellent, friendly customer service, high-quality and unique products, and by providing an exceptional shopping experience, we strive to provide an alternative to big box grocery stores and chain convenience stores. We believe that by offering a unique variety of products, we are also selling a lifestyle and a new type of shopping experience.
MEET THE TEAM
Chris White
Chris recently retired from his twenty-five year career as a professor of human sexuality, LGBTQ+ activist, and sexual health educator to pursue his dreams of owning a business that aligns with his values and worldview. Over the past twenty years, Chris and husband/business partner, David, have owned a retail business, managed rental properties, and worked together on a number of design and remodel projects. Chris brings years of experience of event planning, operations, administration, and logistics to the team and will lead the operations, marketing, and community aspects of Palm Springs Bottle Shop. With a background in health education and promotion, he brings a passion for responsible and healthy living, community building, education, and conversations over a good drink or two to the team.
David Marks
David has 30 years experience as a professional designer and real estate investor. He spent the first 10 years of his career in Architects’ offices working on custom homes and commercial interiors, then ventured out on his own. David has spent the last 20 years as an entrepreneur: he opened his own design studio focused on interior design, restored several homes and investment properties with his husband Chris White, and let his love of vintage furniture lead him into a side career as a dealer and store owner. Through his studio in San Francisco, David designed some of the Bay Area's most recognized bars and restaurants including several with PSBS partner Gillian Fitzgerald (Casements, WesBurger-n-More, Virgil's Sea Room). Now living full time in Palm Springs, he brings his design expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to Palm Springs Bottle Shop.
Gillian Fitzgerald
Gillian is a spirits expert and cocktail maker extraordinaire and owner of Casements Bar in San Francisco. She has nearly two decades experience creating craft cocktail menus and managing bars and restaurants, and has been integral in opening and re-envisioning a number of bars and restaurants in San Francisco. These include Virgil’s Sea Room, Wesburger ‘n’ More, Mission Bowling Club, Finn Town Tavern, and many more. As a veteran bartender and manager, Gillian brings years of expertise to the Palm Springs Bottle Shop team and is responsible for researching and ordering our unique selection of wine, beer, aperitifs, and spirits for the shops. She is committed to greater diversity in the field, particularly in supporting LGBTQ+, Women, and BIPOC distillers, winemakers, brewers, and distributors. Gillian has her own brand of Bloody Mary mixes, and works as a representative for Olga Vodka, an LGBTQ+ owned brand.
Sierra Mitchell
Sierra, aka Savvy (she/her), is a queer halfrican humalien, hood hippie, San Francisco native. Defiance and perseverance are her modus operandi, with endless kindness and a dash of sass to keep you honest. She has had an interest in building community since a very young age, encouraging all the weirdos to come out and play and let their freak flags fly. Sierra’s first time traveling to Palm Springs was with her partner Gillian, and she absolutely fell in love with the quirky, queer oasis. The only downside was finding a good bottle of mezcal, her potion of choice; other than BevMo, the options were slim to none. She is excited to have partnered with Gillian, Chris and David- the dream team – in opening PSBS. And let’s be real y’all, although Palm Springs is decadent and vibrant with its color schemes, it is lacking color in its people. She hopes to add some, and to help create a safe space where people from all walks of life want to come explore and talk about cosmic vibrations and libations.