Carlos Roman knew when he was young he wanted to be an independent businessman.

And the 1996 Othello High School graduate is well on his way.

Roman, together with his father-in-law, Ambrocio Barajas, owns four Caballero Western Wear stores in four Eastern Washington cities, including his newest store at 515 W. Lewis St. in Pasco.

That store opened in December 2016, and it might just be the most successful of Roman’s stores.

“So far, after a full year, I’d say it’s been an 8 (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most successful),” Roman said. “For 2018, I’m looking at what I could do better.”

Luke Hallowell, the executive director of the Downtown Pasco Development Authority, is already ecstatic at what Roman has accomplished.

“That building has sat vacant for so many years,” Hallowell said. “At least five years, and it has been almost 10 years since the building had a business that was thriving. So it’s been a while. This guy has invested a sizable amount of money for upgrades. Any time that happens, you’re excited when you’re in the development field.”

About 14 years ago, Roman was looking for the right business idea.

“I wanted to find a niché product tailored to your customers,” he said. “I look at it this way: we are all consumers. We need shelter, food, clothing and transportation.”

He concentrated on the clothing option.

“I know my clientele,” he said. “There are a lot of Hispanics in the area who came from small farms and towns in Mexico. They like to dress up for occasions, wearing hats and boots.”

Roman does his research. He knows that someone from Guadalajara may have different tastes in clothing than someone from Monterey.

And boots are a big thing.

Caballero Western Wear offers more than 100 styles of boots made from different animals — ostrich, crocodile, lizard, elephant, shark, python, stingray, eel and a pirarucu fish, a large freshwater fish native to the Amazon River.

Once customers decide on boots, Roman also can sell them a matching belt buckle, cowboy hat or sharp-looking shirt to go with a new pair of jeans.

“I try to tie it all together,” he said.

He’s been doing it for years.

The first Caballero store was opened in 2004 in Wenatchee. In 2006, he and his father-in-law opened a store in Yakima.

In 2013, a competitor in Sunnyside closed. So Caballero moved in and opened a store there.

“Prices were so high in some of those other stores,” Roman said. “I heard there was just no good customer service. I felt we had good prices and customer service.”

Roman employs nine employees for all four stores.

Outside of work, Roman likes to spend time with family at get-togethers or watching movies.

But it is the work that inspires him.

“The love for what I do moves me,” Roman said. “It’s about knowing your clientele, including different types of clients and ages. It’s giving the customer that great value. Giving them what they need at a competitive price.”

And he plans to do it for many more years.

“I see myself just growing this business over the next five, 10 years,” Roman said. “For 14 years I’ve been in this business. Within the next five years, for sure I see another store, possibly two. This will be my legacy.”