Family-owned business in Coachella celebrates its Chicano culture with pride for future generations

Six-year-old Benjamin proudly pushes his custom one-of-a-kind ice cream popsicle cart.

It was built by him and his dad to celebrate the vibrant lowrider car culture.

“Well the cream car I think it’s pretty cool, it’s candy-painted and sparkly,” Benjamin said.

His dad, Jose Tapia, grew up with lowrider bicycles and in between American and Mexican influences. His shop ‘Benjis’ Bike and Fitz’ in Coachella is a powerful statement of cultural pride.

“During 2020. During the pandemic, I got laid off for work. So we were forced to get creative with our time. My wife and I started talking about it. We said let's sell something,” Jose said.

Baggy jeans, oversized t-shirts, and flannels for men, women, and kids. They’re symbols of what it was like growing up Mexican-American in the 80s and 90s.

“This clothing represents a culture. A culture that we definitely love and we love to keep passing it on to future generations,” Jose said.

But there are more than just Chicano clothing pieces here. Jose also assembles eye-catching lowrider bicycles.

They’re adorned with vibrant, candy-colored paint, and unique patterns, that represent day-to-day neighborhood life.

“I feel like I'm driving a 64 Impala. But on a bicycle, you know. So we route right down the street, we definitely do catch a lot of attention from people,” Jose said.

Vanessa Tapia says the art and culture of the lowrider scene and Chicano fashion has come a long way.

“It was so short and associated with bad stuff. But as you can see, like we're a family business. There's nothing bad going on here. You know, we're just here like doing our thing, trying to bring the lowrider community back together,” Vanessa said.

Today, the family says they're proud they’re helping change the stigma linked to the unique world of self-expression. But more importantly, teaching their son the value of reclaiming their history.

“Make sure that he's also watching his dad building the bike so he can start learning by himself and so he can, you know, make it a hobby and eventually take over the business," Vanessa said.