As Redmond expands, downtown has continued to grow in lockstep with the population. Businesses have continued to fill up the storefronts along 6th and 7th Street ranging from clothing to food, fitness and services. And, more is to come as businesses continue to target the historic central district.

According to a November press release from Chuck Arnold, Redmond’s economic development and urban renewal program manager, over 17 new businesses opened downtown since the start of 2022 — bumping the occupancy rate up from 88% in 2021 to 94% in 2022.

“The occupancy numbers are really a strong indicator of that growth we’re seeing,” said Meghan Gassner, urban renewal program analyst for Redmond. “There’s a lot more of a variety than I think we’ve seen before.”

In March 2022, the Junction Roastery and Social Club opened in the historic Patrick Building and quickly became a hub for the city. On any given day, the coffee shop fills with people discussing their lives, businessmen discussing deals or city staff talking shop.

In April 2022, Central Oregon Media Group opened a new office downtown for the revived Redmond Spokesman and hired a new editor along with newsroom and advertising staff. In August, the paper saw a redesign and bumped the number of pages from six to 12 — beefing up its opinion pages and giving more room to local news.

The last year also saw the opening of three clothing boutiques including Born to Be Wild and Cares & Whoas. The Desert Prairie Boutique opened in the historic First National Bank building on 6th Street at the beginning of 2023.

The Village Squire — an easily recognized motel at the intersection of Highway 126 and Highway 97 — found new owners after the blighted property saw a deluge of police activity. Moe Aria and Haseeb Shojai, the new local owners who own multiple businesses around town, aim to turn the property into workforce apartments.

Food and beverage shops were also regularly added to downtown Redmond’s current offerings. Rincón Azteca and Los Brothers brought Mexican fare while Shalom Coffee brought an extra jolt of caffeine next door to Kobold Brewing.

General Duffy’s opened The Annex and The Annex Kitchen which offers items including steak sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, buffalo wings, chicken-fried steak and more.

High Desert Music Hall, meanwhile, brought Abe Capana’s Detroit Deep Dish Pizza to its Backline Lounge.

The Doghouse Brewyard recently opened and offers local brews, grub and an off-leash dog park. Meanwhile, the Blacksmith Public House is nearing completion on its 4,000-square-foot smokehouse and mercantile between General Duffy’s and Wild Ride Brewing. Blacksmith will include smaller businesses including food trucks, a possible coffee shop and new location for Sisters Smokehouse, which opened this month.

According to smokehouse co-owner Jay Wymer, the shop sells house-made sausage, jerky and pepperoni along with sandwiches and gelato.

“We’re really excited about it,” Wymer said in December. “We’re going to be a sort of downtown mercantile for Redmond.”

In March 2023, Summit Bank announced the opening of a new branch in the downtown core. Craig Wanicheck, president and CEO of Summit Bank, said it decided to open a location in Redmond due to the city’s location along two major highways, the Redmond airport and a business-friendly environment.

“We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of this building in Redmond,” Wanicheck said in a March press release. “This is an important step in our growth strategy.”

Real estate companies are also jumping into downtown Redmond including Cascade Sotheby’s Realty and a soon-to-open location for Harcourt’s Real Estate. Meanwhile, those who just purchased real estate can now find home furnishings at Cascade Mattress & Furniture and kitchenware at Aromé, which both opened in the last year.

For those looking to take care of their health, there are new offerings including Focus Dance Studio, Jamie’s Sun Spa and High Desert Vision. For those looking to take care of their pet’s health, there is a new local pet supply store in the form of Local Paws — which was started by Mark and Jessica Tiersma after they realized there were no community pet stores in town.

“We thought we really needed a neighbor pet supply,” said Jessica Tiersmaa when the store opened in October. “If someone’s going to open a pet store in Redmond, why not us?”

But, despite Redmond’s growth, the city has struggled to attract more family-friendly activities downtown. According to Arnold, finding more family-focused businesses has been a priority for at least a decade and has become more important as the population has grown.

The Downtown Urban Renewal Advisory Committee, Arnold said, has funds and incentives for any such business that wishes to open a location in the downtown core.