Old Town La Quinta offers visitors a delightful experience that combines shopping, dining, relaxation, entertainment, and a picturesque view of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF LA QUINTA
When the past serves opportunity on a silver platter, wise people seize the moment. La Quinta business owners Chris and Anita Chmielak exemplify that philosophy with their new restaurant, DSRT CLUB, which honors the late 1930s-built The Desert Club. Steeped in La Quinta history, the restaurant is located in the La Quinta Cove and pays tribute with what Chris describes as “vintage sporty” décor. The Chmielaks live nearby in one of the 50 adobe bungalows built in the city’s first residential development.
The popularity of the couple’s first restaurant, RD RNNR, encouraged them to move it to a larger space in Old Town La Quinta. Rather than abandon their initial investment, they decided to create a “slightly elevated, dinner-only experience” where the corner location has a side patio along Desert Club Drive. That patio has its own history — tied to the inception of a pandemic that threatened their fledgling business.
MAYOR:
Linda Evans
MAYor PRO TEM:
Steve Sanchez
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Kathleen Fitzpatrick
Deborah McGarrey
John Peña
YEAR incorporated:
1982
WEBSITE:
“La Quinta offered up to $25,000 for restaurants to expand outdoor dining,” Chris says. “I went to the city and said, ‘I only have 10 feet on the side. What is the possibility I could use 3 of the other 7 feet to the curb?’”
The city granted the Chmielaks an easement for a side patio and permission to push out the restaurant’s front deck.
“The city stepped up financially and gave us flexibility to stay in business,” Chris says. “We got a lot of support from the community as well. We have full-time residents who dine at our restaurant multiple times a week.”
Art Major a hands-on art center, offering all the materials needed to let your creativity shine.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF LA QUINTA
Similarly, a couple of other local entrepreneurs recently expanded their businesses to locations nearby.
Heidi McArthur bought JadaBug’s Kids Boutique in Indio in 2015 and relocated it to La Quinta. In September of 2022, she opened JadaBug’s Elite Repeat consignment shop around the corner in Plaza La Quinta. She originally chose the shopping center because her research revealed Highway 111 and Washington Street to be the Coachella Valley intersection with the highest traffic count.
“What sealed the deal for me was that the city offered small businesses no-interest loans and grants during COVID. The city looked after us,” McArthur says. “This is the only place I want to do business. I have made connections with city staff and other business owners. We really look out for each other and send each other business,” she adds. “I am very big on community. I want everyone to succeed.”
CITY STATS
POPULATION
Total Population
38,882
Median Age
50.6
Annual Growth Rate
0.73%
Average Household Income
$141,723
Median Household Income
$91,765
EDUCATION
High School Diploma
19.99%
Bachelor’s Degree
24.07%
Graduate/Professional Degree
13.98%
EMPLOYMENT
Retail Trade
11.54%
Healthcare/Social Assistance
10.94%
Education services
9.47%
Accommodations/Food Service
8.78%
Construction
8.23%
Professional/Scientific/Tech
7.09%
Admin/Support/Waste Management Services
6.28%
Arts/Entertainment/Recreation
5.3%
Transportation/Warehouse
5.2%
Finance/Insurance
3.06%
Real Estate/Rental/Leasing
2.93%
Manufacturing
2.69%
Wholesale Trade
1.86%
SOURCE:
Coachella Valley Economic Partnership/Esri
According to JadaBug’s customer Allie Baker, McArthur walks the walk. While at the store, Baker mentioned her idea to open a studio where people of all ages could create art.
“When Heidi learned that a [Plaza La Quinta] space was opening up, she said, ‘You have to do this. I will help you. You will not fail.’ She was a new friend for me and has been my mentor. We even have brainstorming lunches,” says Baker, who runs Art Major Studio, named after her grandfather, Arthur Major.
The newly opened KIKI’s La Quinta is a modern Italian culinary gem.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF LA QUINTA
“This particular area feels very comfortable and accessible, and the response [to Art Major] has been amazing. Residents have delivered cookies and flowers,” Baker continues, adding that she also found it easy to get a business license through the city’s website. In fact, she and her husband, Tony, are so pleased with their La Quinta experience that in August they began renovating a closed pizzeria on Washington Street, about two minutes from the art studio, with plans to open a restaurant as soon as September.
“We’re calling it Kiki’s, after our daughter,” Allie says, explaining that the couple’s 4-year-old has a joie de vivre that they wanted to capture in a restaurant with saturated colors and bright cuisine.
In terms of chain businesses, opening in La Quinta this year are the Coachella Valley’s first casual-dining LongHorn Steakhouse and a WelbeHealth, which helps seniors live at home through a program that includes medical services and a center (with transportation provided) where members can socialize, work with specialized therapists, and enjoy free meals.
As much as residents like to see new and creative businesses opening in their hometowns, they care about the less glamorous aspect of infrastructure as well. Flood control and drainage improvements garnered strong support in a 2023 community workshop even before the Coachella Valley made national news when tropical storm Hilary brought sustained and heavy rains to the desert in August.
JadaBug’s Elite Repeat located in Plaza La Quinta.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF LA QUINTA
Given the storm’s widespread flooding, La Quinta fared considerably well, thanks to $15.5 million invested in drainage improvements since 2016. In 2015, the city prepared a focused study on measures to mitigate the effects of stormwater and has subsequently added funding each year to continue addressing specific areas of concern. The city estimates identified and planned drainage improvement projects to cost $7.6 million.
Current infrastructure developments underway include the construction of the Dune Palms Road Bridge. Expected to be finished in early 2025, the bridge runs 480 feet in length between Highway 111 and Westward Ho Drive. It accommodates two lanes for automobiles, a bike/golfcart path, and a pedestrian sidewalk in each direction. The pedestrian sidewalk will tie into the CV Link trail under the bridge and at two connector trails.
RD RNNR has acquired a new space in Old Town La Quinta to give an elevated dining experience.
PHOTO BY CHAD VAN HORN
The most notable progress in La Quinta’s residential developments has been with the once-delayed Signature PGA West. Woodbridge Pacific Group has completed a trio of neighborhoods encompassing 130 single-family homes and 100 condominiums. But don’t run to your realtor. In August, even before completion, only three model homes were left to sell. The neighborhood names — Citrine, Topaz, and Jewel — align with La Quinta’s “Gem of the Desert” tagline.