After one of the slowest summers since they opened their shop, Gallivant, in downtown Palm Springs, the last thing Albert Berrettoni and Jef Ralston needed was a vehicle crashing through their front window.
But on Saturday, Oct. 3, a man trying to leave a parking stall in the La Plaza shopping center accelerated over the curb and burst through the window of a storefront that's being turned into a takeout spot for Bill's Pizza. The car then continued into the window display of Gallivant and crashed into a pillar in front of the store.
"To be honest with you, I thought it was a bomb, or I thought it was an earthquake," Berrettoni said on Monday at the shop, which is a small lifestyle and travel boutique.
He said the crash was so loud it reminded
him of the May 2025 bombing which occurred about a mile to the north and destroyed the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic. That explosion could be felt throughout downtown and beyond.
Berrettoni said his business partner, Ralston, had been standing in the spot where the vehicle crashed through the window moments before Berrettoni called him away.
"All of a sudden we saw grass and everything coming towards us," he said. "And then we ran outside. The car had came from a parking spot about three spots (away)."
The Palm Springs Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to multiple reports of a vehicle crash at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday. A male driver was trying to leave a parking stall when his foot slipped onto the accelerator, police said.
The only person hurt in the incident was the driver, who received minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Police determined alcohol and drugs were not a factor in the collision.
The first storefront the car crashed into is currently empty, but is being turned into a takeout space for the neighboring longtime restaurant Bill's Pizza. It and Gallivant were the two businesses to sustain the most damage. Firefighters also propped up the ceiling over the sidewalk out of concern the support pillars had been damaged.
Roman Ocelo, who owns Luigi's Barbership next to Gallivant, described the collision as "scary and sad." He and other eyewitnesses said the driver had appeared elderly.
"It was very fortunate that no one was hurt because some families were walking out front," he said of the moments before the crash.
Now, local businesses hope the collision won't negatively impact sales.
October in Palm Springs typically sees an influx of tourists following the slow summer months. Berrettoni said the past few months had been the slowest summer since the store opened around four years ago.
He and Ralston started the shop after years of working together at a Los Angeles-based production company. Their shared love of traveling led to the inspiration for Gallivant.
But in the aftermath of the crash, that dream faces a new challenge.
Berrettoni said the store lost between $5,000 and $10,000 in merchandise and the cost of repairing the window hasn't yet been determined.
Still, the local community has banded together to try and help the store get back on its feet. The owners of the nearby Best Bookstore in Palm Springs organized a GoFundMe fundraiser, which as of Monday afternoon had raised over $5,000 in two days. The funds will be used to repair the store and recoup lost sales.
"People care about the community, and they're stepping up, which is a great thing," Berrettoni said. "It makes you feel better about everybody."
Sam Morgen covers local government for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Car crashes into Palm Springs shops, sounding like ‘a bomb’
