Couple brings Southwest Treasures to the Northwest

Tucked back in a quiet corner of Barclay Square in downtown Sisters is Southwest Treasures, a new Native American jewelry and art emporium. 

Inside, customers and guests are treated to a bright wealth of authentic turquoise and silver rings, belt buckles and necklaces, traditional Hopi and Navajo kachina dolls, handcrafted beadwork, shelves of Southwestern pottery and intricate sand paintings.

Owners Katie and Chuck Devore have lived in Central Oregon for 13 years and opened for business on March 25 after bringing her mother, Gleah, here to Sisters from Cottonwood, Arizona. There, her mother had operated an Indian jewelry shop for 35 years, and when she died three months after the relocation, all her merchandise was put in storage and remained there until this past fall.

"We decided to do the Western Christmas Show in Redmond last November, and my daughter and I set up a booth and did very well," said Katie. "Then we did the Centennial Park Village Christmas Market and the Redmond Bazaar."

After their success at area events, the Devores were intent on searching for a permanent storefront location, partially due to the lack of traffic and poor access to parking at the bazaar.

"We'd looked in Bend and Sisters and settled on Sisters because it's a neat place and the people are really nice," Katie said. "There's a lot of tourists and visitors and many other artists, and we just felt comfortable here."

Making the commitment meant doing her research to discover the best way to capitalize on her retail endeavor.

"I wanted to make sure I really wanted to go forth with this, and in January we went to the Oasis Trade and Gift Show in Phoenix to see what other Native American items were available and selling," she explained. "I met a lot of very interesting vendors there and great people who were so supportive and a great help. I got good advice about how not to buy too much of any one thing because then you limit your assortment. We want to keep a wide selection of hand-picked, quality artifacts and artworks here in a price range everyone can afford."

Katie's husband, Chuck, is half Choctaw, and the Indian heritage and culture is something very dear to his heart.

"We didn't do this type of jewelry where I'm from in Oklahoma, but this is sure pretty stuff," he said. "We're looking forward to being here and meeting more people and joining the Sisters business community. I think this is a pretty good place, and I'm excited to have a great summer. It should be quite busy when the rodeo gets here."

Everything in Southwest Treasures is 100 percent authentic Indian jewelry made by Navajo, Zuni and Hopi craftsmen from New Mexico and Arizona. The leatherwork displayed on the walls is done by Curtis Bitsui, a well-known Navajo craftsman.

Southwest Treasures is located at 190 W. Cascade Ave., Suite #5 in Barclay Square, between BJ's Old-Fashioned Ice Cream and Sisters Mercantile. For more information call 541-549-4444.