Pretty with Purpose
Bainbridge and Renger’s Window Gems Save Birds…
What if a cleverly-made, aesthetically-pleasing decal had the potential to save hundreds—if not thousands—of birds? Turns out, such a product exists, and it’s made by a thriving, values-driven business in Mount Shasta founded by Kendra Bainbridge and Eileen Renger. “I have a degree in biology,” says Bainbridge, who works as the wholesale director and comes to Window Gems with a lifetime centered on nature. “My mom was a biologist, so I’ve actually always enjoyed the outdoors. Then, I worked at the Forest Service for a while doing botany, so I have all kinds of fun interests.” Bainbridge also owns Raven Tree, a wild bird nature shop in Mount Shasta.
Renger, the company’s product designer, brings a different but complementary skill set to the endeavor. “My background is in architecture, but I never did become an architect,” she says with a laugh. Instead, she spent years self-employed, either doing landscape, lighting design or other crafts. “I had an Etsy shop where I sold my sewing, creating fuzzy fun things,” says Renger. Renger grew up in the Santa Monica Mountains in what she describes as a rare pocket of the Southern California wilderness. “I always ran around barefoot, being a wild and crazy kid in nature. So that’s something Kendra and I have in common.”
Bainbridge and Renger met through their sons, who were in the same kindergarten class in Mount Shasta. They started out on walks as “exercise buddies” before a chance moment changed the trajectory of their friendship. “I’d gotten this sparkly, rainbowy prismatic vinyl. Long story short, it was not what I thought it was going to be, so I ended up cutting some circles out of it to put on our glass door so the birds wouldn’t run into it.” Bainbridge immediately noticed it at Renger’s place. “I’d had similar decals in my shop previously, but they were nowhere near as durable. So, when I saw this idea, I knew that it could be a viable product, and we could start testing.”
The duo began by hand-cutting decals and testing them on Bainbridge’s windows. “The ones we made are still on there today, so we know they last for years,” says Bainbridge. The pair first launched Window Gems on Etsy just before COVID. “There was a silver lining to COVID for us,” explains Bainbridge. “People were staying at home and would see birds crash into a window, so they’d hop online and order.” The immediate response was unexpected—and explosive. “We blew up pretty fast,” Renger agrees.
The growth also fueled another outcome of the business that they’re particularly proud of. “Our employees are mostly women who get to work at home. We pay well, and they get to choose how much they do, when and how they do it,” says Renger. She notes that during peak demand, they’ve had as many as 15 employees, though the company currently functions comfortably with eight employees who spread out the work so no one is overwhelmed. “You can’t produce Window Gems all day or else you’d go nutty,” Renger says.
What’s also at the heart of the business is a sobering statistic: Up to a billion birds die every year from window collisions. “More birds collide with windows in the spring and the fall because the sun is a little bit lower in the sky. That increases the reflection on the windows,” Bainbridge claims. But Window Gems addresses this problem through cut decals uniquely styled in embossed, prismatic vinyl that never fades. “That prismatic texture never goes away. We’ve had some up since 2018, and they’re still making rainbows.” Those rainbows formed by the prismatic texture are part of the product’s mass appeal. “They’re not only functional, but really pretty,” says Bainbridge. Renger adds, “We want saving birds to be so fun that people want beautiful decals on their window.”
Education is truly at the heart of the mission, and now each package includes bird facts within the packaging. This was required by the National Parks when they became clients, but it’s also a sentiment wholeheartedly embraced by the founders. Bainbridge loves reading from one of the labels. “Birds have four photoreceptors in the back of their eyes compared to three that humans have, which means they’re extremely sensitive to color and can see more colors than we can even imagine.” She reads another favorite: “Hummingbird eggs are the size of jelly beans.”
Today, Window Gems products are sold in more than 500 shops across the United States and Canada, with growing international reach. And through it all, the partnership remains lighthearted. “We’re pretty chill and have a great time,” says Bainbridge. Renger nods in agreement. “Of course, we’re serious about the business but we get a little silly sometimes.” And, their production isn’t leaving Mount Shasta any time soon. As Renger puts it, “We get to work where people vacation. Why would we leave?” •
www.windowgems.com
