A storied chapter of local retail history draws to a close as Tuverson and Co. says farewell

The glittering stretch of El Paseo in Palm Desert has long been defined by its world-class showcase of style, a palm-lined boulevard where international fashion brands and designers display their creations alongside local business owners and tastemakers.

Yet, long before the El Paseo became a bustling destination of high-end storefronts, Tuverson and Co. was one of the very first boutique storefronts to leave a permanent mark, opening in 1974 and helping to shape El Paseo into a legendary destination of curated sophistication.

Tuverson and Co. was an eclectic luxury homeware boutique, specializing in high-quality goods such as fine tableware, gifts, luxury linens, bedding, bath items.

For more than half a century, it stood as a sanctuary where old-school Palm Springs glamour met the contemporary resort lifestyle, a place where a beautifully set table wasn’t just about dinner, but about elevated living. Now, after decades as the one of the longest-standing boutiques around, the store has dimmed its lights for the final time.

When the store’s matriarch and founder, Sharon Tuverson, first arrived, the sleek modern shopping plazas had not yet taken root. She and her late husband, Art Tuverson II, simply fell in love with the area, buying a home just a few streets up on Bursera Way and settling down.

Two years before her granddaughter, Andrea Tuverson-Ewell, was even born, the doors to Tuverson and Co. opened, “She’s just really been an icon of all things beautiful and classy,” Tuverson-Ewell, said.

“She has always been very into high end, beautiful, exquisite things. She’s always put together whether she just woke up or whether she’s going to pick flowers. She just has this iconic presence about her where she’s put together from head to toe with the jewelry and the outfit,” she said.

She was a tastemaker, armed with a sharp eye for design. She would travel to trade shows and conventions throughout the world, picking out things she knew would be “classy, tasteful and beautiful for her clientele in Palm Desert.”

Once Versace launched its tableware line, she secured it for her shelves, same with Barefoot Dreams. She even spotted modern trends like the Jellycat line of plush stuffed animals and stocked those in her store too.

That dedication turned the boutique into an extension of the valley’s living rooms and a staple for high-society milestones. Generations of local families registered for their weddings at Tuverson and Co., and the store was one of the first stops for families shopping for their new home.

Over the decades, the shop’s guest book transformed into a who’s who of midcentury and modern celebrity, welcoming the likes of Lucille Ball, Bob and Dolores Hope, Arnold Palmer, and in later years, country music superstars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

Yet, for all its celebrity appeal, the true heart of Tuverson and Co. was always tethered to family and community. To step inside was to enter a space run by a tight-knit group of devoted employees, a reminder of a bygone era of retail before Amazon and before the high employee turnover rate in big box stores.

“When you dig your roots deep that creates an extended family feel that you have helping you run your store, which really is her baby,” Tuverson-Ewell said. “When she has an employee, they are there for the long haul.”

For the family, the store was a source of immense pride, a physical monument to a name that has been passed down through generations, from Sharon’s late husband Art Tuverson II all the way to Tuverson-Ewell’s nephew Art Tuverson V, now in high school.

“I’m just so proud of her for weathering so many different decades, and creating such a beautiful legacy for herself and her family,” Tuverson-Ewell said. “Just having the family name up there is really cool”.

The decision to close the doors at the end of May was not an easy one, but the founder decided the time had come. In an era dominated by faceless internet giants and one-day shipping, maintaining a deeply personal, hands-on brick-and-mortar boutique has become an uphill battle for independent mom-and-pop operations everywhere.

The community, sensing the end of an era, responded with a bittersweet rush of support, purchasing almost the entirety of the remaining inventory just weeks into the going-out-of-business sale.

Sharon told her granddaughter prefers to remember the boutique as it always was: brimming with light, color, and exquisite treasures. When family members visited her home during the final sale and encouraged her to visit the shop to see the outpouring of local love, she told Tuverson-Ewell: “Oh, honey, I can’t go in the store. It makes me so sad… I just don’t want to see it empty.”

Though the storefront is closed, the aesthetic spirit of Tuverson and Co. will endure throughout the desert and far beyond. It lives on in the homes of local patrons, and most deeply, within the traditions of her own growing family.

Every Thanksgiving, Tuverson-Ewell still dresses her table with the fine linens gifted to her by her grandmother over the years.

“The legacy lives on in that holiday where the family comes out of the woodwork and you celebrate that,” Tuverson-Ewell said. “She created such a beautiful legacy.”

Gathered around those tables, the different generations blend together, framed by the lasting heritage of a grande dame who taught the desert how to live with style and grace.