Chester Overlock has just spent the last 45 days in a mad dash to reimagine the space, prep it himself, and open the doors to his new shop, Current Home, on the corner of Amado and Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs.
“I’m excited to be here,” he says. “I’m going to make a difference in this town.”
That sounds about right as Overlock has been there and done that.
photo by Jim Powers
Current Home owner Chester Overlock with his dog, Hercules, in front of one of the store displays.
An artist himself, Overlock recently relocated himself and his shop from Sedona, Ariz., where he spent years turning heads with recycled, sustainable, organic, and natural wares.
Inside Current Home, several of Overlock’s own works feature sideways paint cans stacked in a tower, layered with lids that have rusted to perfection. Works by other local artists blend with a curated selection of green-themed items. Some dangle from the ceiling while others seem to sprout from the floor. Each projects an unexpected use of earthy materials, from exotic woods and wine corks to hand-blown glass and repurposed metal.
Photo by Rikk and Lisa Marie Hart
Current Home offers floor to ceiling fascination, often through materials that come from the earth.
Equally unexpected are the affordable price tags. “I have a very firm belief that if you are a green business, you can’t be elitist — and nor can the pricing,” Overlock says. “I want to be accessible.”
As master of carrying “cool things you won’t see anywhere else,” Overlock attests that if he sees the same product somewhere nearby, he’ll let the stock run its course and not order it again.
Photo by Rikk and Lisa Marie Hart
Home goods and accessories promise recycled, sustainable, organic, or natural origins.
“I want to show items with character and a great story behind them,” says this former set designer who collaborated on John Waters’ films. The stories are ones he’s happy to share, launching into engaging conversations with anyone who shows interest.
Above customer’s heads, chandeliers of wine bottles and test tube vases mingle with punched metal lanterns and pendant lamps made of whiskey barrel stays.
Photo by Rikk and Lisa Marie Hart
Wood and glass steal the show in many of Current's compelling displays.
All matters of fascinating lighting join quirky home décor such as wall letters of recycled sandpaper and Tennessee-made candles poured into recycled wine bottles. Dabbling into the realm of accessories, the shop displays organic wood cuff bracelets by a Sedona cabinetmaker and purses fashioned from vinyl billboards and salvaged intertubes.
“These purses are guaranteed for life,” Overlock exclaims with genuine awe and enthusiasm. “What is guaranteed for life anymore? Not even life is guaranteed for life.”
As thought provoking as its owner, Current promises a fresh stream of earth-mindful curiosities.
Current Home, 292 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, (760) 507-9988
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