March 4, 2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs) - In San Diego’s high desert backcountry off I-8 East, a forgotten hot spring oasis awakens to a new future. Jacumba Hot Springs’ revival at the hands of a tribe of youthful designers and creators brings promise to town.

Inspired by all the changes, David Lampley has opened a vintage clothing shop directly across from the town’s hot spring lake. Since its heyday as a retreat for Hollywood in the 1930s, Jacumba has attracted a long list of international visitors.  

“We’ve been calling Jacumba the corner of humanity, “ says Lampley, who chose Jacumba for his longtime dream of owning a business because he always liked the area. The Impossible Railroad Trading Post is named for a defunct rail line that used to bring revelers and health seekers to enjoy the town’s healing waters, fresh air, star-filled nights and the old hotels, now gone. The old tracks and train cars are a short stroll away from the shop’s front door, itself only a few hundred feet from the towering spectacle of Mexico’s border fence.