Every era in Indio has had its place. In the 1960s, it was McMahan’s Furniture, a family-owned chain that lingers only in faded photographs. For decades before and since, it has been Yellow Mart, where generations of families have found their workwear, school uniforms, and camping gear.
Today, it may well be the entirety of downtown Indio, as the city celebrates a creative, grassroots renaissance that now includes, quite literally, The Place. The 15,000-square-foot community marketplace opened this summer on Oasis Street, where newcomer neighbors like Rosemary Hi-Fi listening lounge, Saguaro Coffee, and Culture Cannabis Lounge sit steps from Indio’s Food Truck Fridays and the new Indio Public Library.
Many brands that fill The Place in Indio are local originals.
The ribbon-cutting in July marked more than a new storefront. It symbolized another vibrant building block in the city’s “Progress You Can See” transformation. “People who’ve lived down the street for 30 years, when it’s been empty, are now walking by and seeing this collective of artists and entrepreneurs,” says The Place owner Nicole Massoth, noting a sense of gratitude among locals for the revival, largely propelled by young innovators who grew up in the desert. “People are happy to spend their dollars this way, because they feel like they’re doing something good with it.”
Brenda Beltran, a Coachella Valley native who now oversees The Place’s art direction and social media, remembers shopping at nearby Yellow Mart as a kid. “My dad would get his work shoes, jeans, long sleeves for construction. I’d get my school uniforms. That was the main reason to come downtown,” she recalls. The Place opens a new type of door to Indio’s retail identity, balancing a modern marketplace of independent brands with high-touch experiences and a space for all ages to gather and find a bit of inspiration.
As you enter, the first thing you might hear is a piano. Anyone is welcome to sit at the ivories and play, a fitting overture for a marketplace built on openness. Exposed ceilings hint at the “come as you are” ethos behind the expansive layout of branded shop displays and themed multi-brand vignettes. Even the name, a suggestion from the building owner, stuck. As has its nickname: The Place to Be. “At first I thought, we have to change it,” Massoth says. “But then we realized it’s perfect. It can be whatever each individual wants it to be. A place to play, to explore, be curious, create. It’s the place for all the things.”
Massoth remembers visiting Indio five years ago for Chinese food with friends and seeing real possibility in the downtown that was all but shuttered aside from Yellow Mart. With a background in corporate finance, luxury fashion, and retail consulting, she previously worked with Palm Springs’ Mojave Flea Trading Post and was part of the team that opened Market Market. Beltran found her footing managing Mojave Flea’s pop-ups and stores. Together, they bring cross-generational experience and instincts for developing a destination centered on artistic expression, inclusivity, and acknowledgment of the area’s cultural heritage.
“We both do a lot of everything,” Beltran says.
“We were both raised blue collar and have a similar work ethic,” Massoth adds. “If the trash has to get taken out, either one of us is taking it.”
Inside The Place, more than 100 brands fill the shelves, racks, and alcoves. Jewelry, artwork and ceramics, new and vintage fashion, fresh flowers, skateboards, and LPs commune with paper goods, yarn, and art supplies. More than half the brands were birthed in the Coachella Valley, including well-established names and some hatched right here at The Place. Vendors become an integral part of the business through a square-footage fee or revenue share, in turn finding support from fellow entrepreneurs and a community that values individuality and believes in shopping local.
The creative variety of products on display complements the roster of classes and events.
The Place receives guidance from Miguel Ramirez-Cornejo, economic development director for the city of Indio, while supporting its sellers — covering operating expenses as they develop their brands. “It was never about curating the right brands or deeming which items were ‘cool,’ ” Massoth says. “It was about aligning with like-minded people. We’re building long-term relationships, so we’ll grow our successes together.”
Those relationships extend beyond the freshly painted walls. Events invite new faces to pop in. Classes range from cake decorating to felted-animal crafts, with more programming on the way. A design library, donated by noted New York creative director James Spindler, offers 30 years of reference books. “We want you to know you can come and learn, be inspired, and hang out,” Massoth says.
For Beltran, the change is palpable. “Growing up, businesses couldn’t stay open because there weren’t people to swing by. It’s been a long time since downtown was full. Now it’s fun to see things popping up — and it’s not big box at all. Downtown Indio is keeping it local.” Students from the nearby College of the Desert Indio campus wander in after class, grabbing stationery, pens, or a snack and cold drink from the case. Bottles of Angry Emu hot sauce, produced in Indio, are a bestseller.
The future, Massoth notes, is about growth — even if that means their in-house brands eventually outgrow The Place. “It would be my dream that everyone has so much success that they’re taking over the eastern Coachella Valley in their own brick-and-mortars,” she says. “Their successes are our successes. If it’s endless and keeps going from here, then I’m doing my greatest dream.”
Like McMahan’s and Yellow Mart, The Place integrates with historic downtown Indio and the community by prioritizing connections before transactions, a place to rediscover oneself in a city that’s doing the same.
