A needlepoint design titled "Tucson: The Old Pueblo" is available at The WEST boutique.

James S. Wood / arizona daily star

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Get ready, Tucson: The rodeo's on its way. The 82nd annual Fiesta de los Vaqueros is slated Feb. 17-25 — it's time to break out the Western wear.

Unless you're ready to wear cowboy boots and fringed leather jackets at other times of the year, however, you probably want to look for something more versatile, something with just a hint of the West.

That's what you'll find at The WEST, a unique boutique at 5615 E. River Road.

Operated and staffed by members of The WEST Inc. (an acronym that stems from the group's former name: Women's Exchange Specialties of Tucson), it grants funds to several local nonprofit organizations that primarily work with women and children. Annually, The WEST Inc. gives out between $50,000 and $100,000. Since 1981, it has disbursed $2 million.

That means you're doing good while you spend. It also means you don't pay sales tax on the things you buy.

Keep in mind that this isn't a place with several of the same items in a range of sizes, so if a toast brown felted-wool sleeveless vest sporting a black horse applique ($46.50) sounds like something you'd like, make haste now. The gently beaded vest sports a bit of crewel embroidery and teams well with a long, black gored and flared skirt ($16.50) and long-sleeve black T-shirt ($33).

The WEST also stocks other items that celebrate Tucson's Western heritage.

For the needleworker, for example, there's a needlepoint design — "Tucson: The Old Pueblo" — by Tucsonan Brenda Hart, a nationally known designer and an associate member of The WEST Inc. The finished work measures about 6-by-9 inches and is suitable for framing. Featuring a stylized view of the surrounding mountains with buildings representing the modern skyline and old pueblo homes in the foreground, the kit comes with a blank canvas and a stitch guide $70. The thread pack sells separately and is priced at $58.

Don't forget baby. Another The WEST member, Sue Burg, designs and knits infant sweaters, caps and blankets. A tan and white cardigan of 100 percent New Zealand wool sells for $41. A striped hat that goes well with the sweater is priced at $15.

For the older child — age 3 and up — The WEST offers a backpack trimmed in red and made of quilted denim and a plush cowhide-print fabric. The flap features a three-dimensional applique of a horse's head, complete with mane. The price: $29.

You needn't wait until Rodeo Week to try out the recipes in the cookbooks stocked by The WEST. Three that looked particularly interesting were "Tucson Cooks!" — $24.95 — published by the Primavera Foundation and featuring recipes from the Tucson Originals, locally owned restaurants; "Southwest Lite: Full-Flavored, Healthy Cooking," $16.95, by Bob Wiseman, published by Northland Publishing; and "The Prickly Pear Cookbook," $14.95, by Carolyn Niethammer, published by Rio Nuevo Publishers of Tucson.