Western wear stores in Salinas brace for Rodeo kickoff
jose.romo
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — The California Rodeo Salinas officially kicks off this week, and local western wear shops have been busy getting ready for the big event. Many Rodeo enthusiasts are looking to upgrade their hats, boots, and other western wear.
“We usually start seeing higher customer turnout around this time,” the owner of El Reparo Western Apparel, Rene Martinez Campos, says. They started getting inventory ready two months ahead of the Rodeo. He adds that they initially would ask for a booth at various rodeos, but now they are invited to showcase their products.
He adds that each rodeo they visit is another opportunity to meet customers who can later return to their store.
The California Rodeo Salinas says the event creates more than $11 million in new economic activity over the course of the entire week.
“There’s a variety, a lot of out-of-state (customers), too. So it’s a really big rodeo,” Ruth, Rene’s daughter, says their family-oriented business looks forward to the event every year. “But I mean, you have finalists coming in, so that’s also exciting in itself. And it’s also a way to bring people together, too. So that’s a good thing, especially during this time.”
She adds they work to fit the demands of the customer. “I mean, here it’s agricultural-based, and we try to bring that into the business as well. So just include our community.“
The Rodeo also says that in 2014, it generated $150,150 in transient occupancy tax and $91,406 in sales tax revenues to local and state governments. Last year, they saw a total of 100,351 people in attendance.
California Rodeo Salinas also says they will be conducting a new economic impact study at this year’s Rodeo week. This will update the 2014 numbers from a CSUMB economic impact study. They plan to have new numbers by next January.