‘Awesome’ idea helps bring Printed Palette clothing shop to Flower Hill in Del Mar

Something awesome has landed at Flower Hill Promenade’s Row Collective.

The Printed Palette opened on Friday, Dec. 5, a shop filled with clothing for kids, women and men stamped with charming drawings and hand-lettered phrases such as the one that launched it all: a kid’s shirt emblazoned with “It’s Awesome Time.”

Boutique owners Alissa Samperio and Kurt Hummel’s style is easygoing, fresh, cheerful and nautical; take for example their “Beachy Keen” and “Life Anchored” prints. Their unique designs are inspired by whatever is happening in their lives — which at the moment is a whole lot of happiness. The couple will be married early next year and are living out their dream jobs.

“This is what people are supposed to do in life, do what you want to do,” Samperio said.

It wasn’t always that way.

Samperio and Hummel are both from Redlands in San Bernardino. Hummel moved to San Diego in 2004 to start a custom screen-printing company and Samperio joined him in the business venture in 2005.

Together, they ran the screen-printing business for nine very long years.

“We didn’t like doing custom stuff. It was stressful and it wasn’t for us. It didn’t leave us any room to be creative, and we were thirsting for it,” Samperio said.

Printed Palette was born one sleepless, stressful night when Samperio scribbled a few designs and threw them up on Etsy.com. The orders came flying in, and they were asked to join the Queen Bee Market in Oceanside, which brings together all kinds of artisans. Right before the market, Samperio had the idea to make a few children’s clothing items with their designs.

“One person blogged about one of our kid’s shirts, and all of a sudden we had tons of followers on Instagram — we got 100 followers in one day,” Samperio said. “I knew that’s what was going to help us grow.”

Social media helped their business expand and eventually they opened their first brick-and-mortar shop in Carlsbad. That fateful kid’s shirt “It’s Awesome Time” has remained one of their most popular designs.

About eight months ago, Hummel was able to finally let go of the screen printing business and focus on Printed Palette.

“It was glorious for us,” Sampiero said of the lowered stress and increased happiness from having Printed Palette become their main source of income.

Samperio hopes the move to Flower Hill’s Row Collective will result in more foot traffic, as they had very little in their live-work loft in Carlsbad.

In the Flower Hill boutique, Hummel has built a tree made of wood scraps in the middle of the shop.

“The things he comes up with in his head amaze me every time,” Sampiero said. “He can build anything … he’s pretty handy.”

Their doors opened Friday with shelves fully stocked. They promise something new in the store every week, going with “What’s New Wednesday.”

They have funky and sweet baby and children’s attire, like an adorable onesie with a print of a fox that reads “Bright eyed and bushy tailed”; Ikat-print leggings, and a little girl’s shirt that reads “Mermaids have more fun.”

Many of the men’s T-shirts have nautical themes, such as “Shave the Whales,” with a print of a whale with a hipster mustache. Another shirt carries a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”

For women, the shop carries T-shirts, wrap dresses and even a pair of Aztec-print shorts.

A huge variety of 8-inch-by-10-inch prints of their unique designs are always available. Right now they have holiday-themed prints in a multitude of colors. Their designs also come as wooden signs for the home.

As at the Carlsbad location, they plan to host monthly “Palette Parties” where people can come together for a DIY project. In the past, they’ve gathered up to 24 people to sit and complete a fun craft project and hang out.

Their first event at Flower Hill will be a Stocking Stuffer pop-up shop with 20 local vendors from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13.

They will have a photographer for free photo ops with a wooden boat that Hummel made, a free tote bag with purchase, a raffle, sweet treats and snacks, and a holiday wreath workshop from Bloom Babes.

The Printed Palette is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Visit theprintedpalette.com.