Meet the Makers: Home and Play at JT Trading Post

Part of our ongoing maker series — this time we're spotlighting the vendors whose work makes everyday life a little better. The home goods you actually use. The game that brings people around the table. The soap that turns a regular shower into something worth looking forward to. And yes — the toys for the dog who deserves good things too.

These are the vendors people discover slowly in the corners of the shop — and then come back for every single time.

Cliffies Woodworking — Handmade Wood Goods

Cliffies Woodworking makes the kind of pieces that anchor a table and anchor a home. Every board is handcrafted in dark walnut, olive wood, or hardwood with resin inlay details — locally made, one of a kind, and built to last for years of real use.

The signature pieces are the charcuterie and serving boards, and no two are exactly the same. The Joshua Tree Charcuterie Board in Dark Walnut at $120 is the piece made for this place — a beautiful dark walnut board with the Joshua Tree silhouette that looks as good on a kitchen counter as it does loaded up at a dinner party. The Twentynine Palms Charcuterie Board in Dark Walnut at $120 is the companion piece — same quality, different desert town. The Walnut Board Ocean Blue at $125 and the Walnut Board with Hexagon Handle in Ocean Blue at $175 bring in resin inlay work that gives each piece its own color story. The Walnut Heart Handle Board with Grey at $115 and the Handled Charcuterie Board in Green at $130 are the statement pieces — handled, substantial, the kind of thing you pull out when people are coming over.

For something more accessible, the Long Walnut Board with Copper Gold at $75, the Olive Board with Hole Handleat $45, the Walnut Rectangle Board at $45, and the Walnut Rectangle Board with Rust at $50 are the everyday options — still handmade, still beautiful, easier to gift.

Beyond the boards, Cliffies also makes Wood Wine Bottle Holders starting at $150, a Wine Glass Carry at $35 for the picnic in the boulders crowd, and even a Cliffie Trucker Cap at $30 for the fan who wants to rep the brand.

Every piece is available at JT Trading Post in store and online at jttradingpost.com.

Invasion JT — Invasion: Joshua Tree Card Game

The Invasion: Joshua Tree Card Game is exactly what it sounds like — a card game made right here in Joshua Tree, by people who live here, for people who love this place. At $30 it's locally made, locally designed, and one of the most genuinely fun finds in the shop.

Good games are underrated gifts. They last indefinitely, they bring people together in a way that screens don't, and a game with the right energy for the place you're playing it feels like it was made for that specific moment. The Invasion card game is that — the one that comes out at an Airbnb on a Friday night when the wind is up and the stars aren't visible yet and everyone decides to stay in. The one that becomes a tradition on desert weekends.

The maker behind Invasion JT also opened Hi-Orbit — an escape room in Twentynine Palms that's genuinely worth seeking out. If you've never done an escape room, Hi-Orbit is a great first one. If you're an escape room regular, it's an even better one. Creative, immersive, and built with the same local energy and love for this place that went into the card game. A perfect activity for a desert weekend when you want something a little different.

It's also a great souvenir with a twist — instead of a magnet or a t-shirt, you bring home something you'll actually play. Something that keeps the Joshua Tree energy going long after you've left.

Find the Invasion: Joshua Tree Card Game at JT Trading Post in store and online at jttradingpost.com. And if you're in 29 Palms, check out Hi-Orbit.

Desert Moon 25 — Handcrafted Bar Soap

Desert Moon 25 makes small-batch bar soap with ingredients that belong in the desert — botanicals, clays, and oils that do real things for your skin. Every bar is handcrafted and priced at $10, which makes them one of the easiest and most satisfying things to pick up at JT Trading Post.

The High Desert Sage Bar Soap at $10 is the one that smells like being here — sage, earthy, clean, the scent of the landscape in bar form. The Pine Bark Bar Soap at $10 brings in a woodsy, grounding quality that works beautifully in the dry desert air. The Earth & Clay Scrub Bar Soap at $10 is the exfoliating option — clay and grit that polishes off the dust and the week in one go. The Patchouli & Sandalwood Goat's Milk Bar Soap at $10 is the rich, creamy option — goat's milk base, deep botanical scent, the bar you reach for on a slow evening. The Nag Champa & Rhassoul Clay Bar Soap at $10 rounds out the lineup — a classic incense-inspired scent with the detoxifying properties of rhassoul clay.

At $10 a bar, pick up a few. Keep one for yourself and give the rest away. There's no easier gift in the shop.

Find Desert Moon 25 soap at JT Trading Post in store and online at jttradingpost.com.

Mojave Dog — Desert-Inspired Toys for the Best Co-Pilot

The dog comes on the desert trip too. And the dog deserves good things.

The dog toy section at JT Trading Post is genuinely one of the most lovable corners of the shop — desert-inspired toys for the pups who hike the trails, ride shotgun through the park, and sit patiently outside while you browse the market.

The UFO Dog Toy at $15 is for the Joshua Tree dog who has clearly seen some things out in the desert at night. The Lil' Bully Dog Toy from Mojave Dog at $18 is the rugged option — built for dogs who mean business. The Joshua Tree Dog Toy at $15 is the classic — a plush Joshua tree for the dog who lives here and knows it. The Evening Saguaro Plush Crinkle Toy with Squeaker and Morning Saguaro Plush Crinkle Toy with Squeaker are both $12.99 — perfect for the dog who likes something with a little noise to it. The Little Brown Boot Dog Toy at $16 is the western-inspired option — small, sturdy, charming. And for the dog who just needs a stuffed friend, the Bighorn Sheep Stuffed Animaland Jackrabbit Stuffed Animal are both $20 — the local wildlife, in plush form, safe for even the most enthusiastic chewer.

These are the toys people pick up for their own dogs and then grab a second one for a friend's dog because they're that good. Find them in store at JT Trading Post.

Why It Matters

The vendors in this blog are the ones that fill out a life — the board game for the night in, the soap for the morning after, the serving board for the gathering, the toy for the dog who came along for the ride. None of them are flashy. All of them are worth knowing about.

When you buy from these makers, you're putting money directly into the hands of people who built something real. That's what JT Trading Post has always been about — and it's why we keep showing up.

Browse all of our vendors at jttradingpost.com/collections and come find us in store seven days a week — weekdays noon to 5, weekends 9 to 5.