The Bombay Beach
Preservation Society
Against the Home-Depot-ification of Everything
An organization dedicated to preserving the authentic character of Bombay Beach—its hand-painted signs, sun-worn surfaces, and the stubborn spirit that makes this place worth fighting for.
The Problem
Bombay Beach has a look that can't be bought. It was earned—by decades of sun, salt, and the people who stayed.
Now that look is under threat. Vinyl fences. Prefab structures. Corporate signage. The same materials you'd find in any subdivision in any city in America, dropped into a place that matters precisely because it resisted all of that.
Every hand-painted sign replaced with laser-cut aluminum erases something real. Every pristine suburban addition makes this place a little more like everywhere else—and everywhere else is not what people come here to find.
This isn't about poverty tourism or forcing anyone to live in discomfort. It's about aesthetic intention. About choosing character over convenience. About understanding that some places are worth preserving exactly as they are—rough edges and all.
The Principles
What we stand for:
- I. Patina is heritage. Rust, weathering, and wear are evidence of survival. They belong here.
- II. Imperfection is identity. The crooked, the handmade, the rough—these are what make Bombay Beach itself.
- III. Source matters. Before you build, ask: does this look like it belongs here, or like it belongs anywhere?
- IV. The handmade over the manufactured. A hand-painted sign has soul. A vinyl banner has none.
- V. Folk art is a living tradition. Add to it. Build on it. Let it keep growing.
Report a Violation
Seen a vinyl fence going up? A prefab shed? Corporate signage where a hand-painted sign used to be? Let us know.