Meet Owners of Windmill City Super #1

Shop and Style Locally at Windmill City Super #1

By Kevin Perry

Hometown pride is a valuable commodity. It shapes who we are and how we see the world. But we often take our origins for granted, opting instead to flaunt souvenirs from exotic vacation spots that we have been fortunate enough to visit.

But now, our adventurous spirit and fierce loyalty are colliding, and this stylish symbiosis is happening at Windmill City Super #1. “The whole vibe around the shop is just like a gift shop for locals,” explains Glen Coy, who co-owns the hip enclave with his wife, Ashley. “We want people that live here to walk in and be happy to wear something. But, we also want visiting tourists to get excited about the same thing.”

Reiterating his slogan (because it’s way awesome), Coy declares, “So, we like to describe it as a gift shop for locals.”

Desert warmth courses through Coy’s veins. He is a prince of the Inland Empire, proudly recounting his lineage: “I’ve been here since 1984. My family moved here when we were babies, so I’ve pretty much lived in the city of Palm Springs forever, but my wife is from Vancouver, British Columbia. She’s been here for ten years now.”

The creative duo gleaned inspiration for their deceptively simple concept from every corner of the globe. “We spent a lot of time traveling the last couple of years, pre-pandemic. And every time we go to a big city, we notice that there’s a cool version of a tourist gift shop. And we just felt like Palm Springs was missing that. We always played around with the idea of making our version of that for Palm Springs. Our friends also opened Las Palmas Brewing, which is downtown on the strip. They had mentioned to us that a space next door was opening up. So, we kind of just jumped at the opportunity.”

Indeed, friendship is the lifeblood of Windmill City Super #1, in addition to the nudge from their brewery pals, Glen and Ashley conceived of their store as a collective for like-minded visionaries. “Artists and people that make products can have a place to sell their products and their art. We just found there was a lack of it. There’s nowhere for that to be done. And we’re hoping to be that spot in Palm Springs.”

The passion project is paying off, populating the space with equal parts retail appeal and gallery esteem. “I’ll kind of break down the product mix,” announces Coy. “Our whole business idea behind it is one-third of products that we’ve designed are ideas that we came up with and produced and have been doing for the last five years since we’ve had the print shop. Another third is collaborations with local artists and friends of ours. We have a lot of friends that do art. So, we’ve contacted them to collaborate on projects and products. We feature them around the shop. We put their name on every piece they design and give them money back at the end of every month, based on sales. Then, the third is just friends’ products. Whether it’s a local pottery person or someone making local coffee beans, we also sell that in there. So we say it’s equal thirds, our stuff, friends’ stuff, and stuff that we’ve made with friends.”

The collaboration is surprisingly cohesive, spawning apparel that captures Palm Springs’ resort vibes while resonating with authentic hometown bona fides. The ubiquitous Windmill City logo resembles a Rastafarian palm tree, chillaxing on the lapel of their enticing array of shirts and sweats.

Customers can peruse various clothing items alongside bags, posters, keychains, drinkware, and other party accessories. Truly, the store’s inventory is fueled by the Coys’ endless curiosity. “We’re always looking for designs,” invites Glen. “So, if anybody has any product or design ideas that they want to send us, I just tell them to reach out to our Instagram because that’s the whole idea behind it. Sometimes, people are intimidated by approaching us with ideas, but the ones we’ve done have worked so well and are straightforward. So we’re always looking for new product ideas and designs. So people can always reach out.”

Accessible, inviting, and imaginative. What a perfect reflection of Palm Springs: the gift that keeps on giving.

463 N Palm Canyon

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