(Cares & Whoas brings together fashion and home decor that embody the rugged beauty and authenticity of western style | Photo courtesy of Cares & Whoas)
“I’m a horse girl,” said Erica Rubalcaba in introducing herself. “Horses have been an active part of my entire life, both personally and occupationally.” Given this focus, as both a horse owner and competitor, it comes as no surprise to learn that the welcome addition she brought to downtown Redmond in 2024 called Cares & Whoas (originally a pop up) “brings together fashion and home décor embodying the rugged beauty and authenticity of western style.”
Turning back the clock about 15 years, Rubalcaba (who had studied design, with an interest in fashion and retail) found herself at a crossroads, and wanted to lay groundwork for a path forward. After meeting the owner of Murieta Equestrian Center in Rancho Murieta, California at a horse show, and getting to know each other, the two women reopened a boutique on the property that offered a limited inventory of equestrian-themed items under the name Cares & Whoas.
“In 2022, while selling our merchandise at a cutting horse competition at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds, I received retail feedback on a wider scale — and local horse enthusiasts loved what we offered,” Rubalcaba said. “’There’s nothing else here that compares,’” typified their comments.
“I’ve loved Central Oregon’s high desert since living here from 2003-2007, and consider Redmond my home,” she added. “So within a few days of the competition, I began asking myself, ‘Why not do something like this locally?’”
Armed with the buy-in of the Murieta Equestrian Center owner, Rubalcaba signed a 90-day lease for space formerly occupied by Green Plow Coffee Roasters during the holiday season. “We named it Cares & Whoas as a tie-in to our original location,” Rubalcaba said.
“It became evident very quickly that customers wanted us to find a way to stay,” she noted, so the lease was extended for a year while undertaking a search for “what would be our next home in Redmond.”
Once a lease was secured at 498 SW Sixth Street, Redmond’s Urban Renewal Agency, awarded Rubalcaba two grants to help her upgrade what had been a print shop “to make it work for us. We pretty much gutted the interior, put in new flooring and redesigned the façade and windows to bring in more natural light, open up the space and highlight the merchandise.”
Occupying about a third of the 3,000 square feet is a private event space called Reata Reserve (“reata” being Spanish for rope). “Whether you’re hosting, launching, celebrating, or creating meaningful connections, this room conveys a warm, intimate feeling that brings gatherings to life,” Rubalcaba said. Just launched this month, Reata Reserve hosted two events in the first week alone.
“I just love this town, which has grown in such a beautiful way, and am honored to be back here,” said Rubalcaba. “The owner of the original Cares & Whoas has entrusted me to execute our vision, and been there to support me the whole way. Establishing the Redmond location would not have been possible without her.”
