A new interior furnishings and gift shop, Welcome Home, is open downtown at 229 SW Sixth St. The store opened early June, after renovations that began earlier this year concluded.

Kelli Drgastin, manager and co-owner, has been in the Central Oregon retail industry for the past eight years. Drgastin’s mother had a store in Bend for 12 years before she retired. When that happened, Drgastin decided to move to Redmond and open a store.

“I love retail,” Drgastin said. “My customers are everything.”

When Drgastin was still in Bend, she was asked by a fellow vendor at Revival, a store there, if she would like to partner and open a store in Redmond. Drgastin agreed, and Tanya and Greg Murren, co-owners, set to work renovating the Sixth Street location. The Murrens’ own Collage Greetings, which occupies the upstairs and rear part of the location on Sixth Street. After renovations were completed, Drgastin and her mother set to work on setting up the store.

“It’s exceeded our expectations since we opened,” Drgastin said of her first month of business.

Welcome Home offers an array of upcycled furniture made by Greg Murren, interior decorations, and gift items, including Trapp Candles, of which Drgastin is the only vendor in Central Oregon.

Drgastin moved to Central Oregon about eight years ago to help her mother with her store in Bend. She came from San Diego, where she sold items at swap meets. After moving to the area, and experiencing snow in June for the first time, she decided she wanted to stay.

“When I moved here, I didn’t think I would stay,” Drgastin said. “But the first June I was here it snowed. … There is nothing more beautiful than freshly fallen snow, I love it here.”

Being able to interact with her customers and make new relationships nearly everyday is what makes being in the retail business enjoyable for her.

“I’m always excited to open the store in the morning,” Drgastin said. “I’ve never been more content in my life.”

Drgastin also offers handmade linen products, like place mats, aprons, and drapes, which were a popular item at her mother’s store. They are reversible and can be machine-washed, which made Drgastin’s mother known as the linen queen of Bend.

“If you want anything to improve your home, this is the place to visit,” Drgastin said. “If you want anything to beautify your house.”

Drgastin is appreciative of Murren’s offer, and is grateful for the opportunity to have a store in Redmond. She said the customers are different here, some stop by just to say hello and have a conversation. She is also appreciative of the business community, which she said has been supportive throughout her opening.

“I meet so many good people,” Drgastin said. “And there are people that come in just to talk or say hi, and that just warms my heart.”

Welcome Home offers a variety of goods, all of which are new except the upcycled furniture. Drgastin said that is what makes Welcome Home different from many of the other stores downtown — many of which are antique stores. She said many of her customers are glad to see a different type of store downtown.

“It’s not antiques. People wanted something different,” Drgastin said. “Our store has furnishings and home interior items, linens, and some gift items. Just a little bit of everything.”

— Reporter, 541-548-2185, cbrown@redmondspokesman.com