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A cozy product for sale

Business owner sells alpaca fiber apparel at shop

HANNAH KITTLE The Marietta Times Ann Amash, owner of ForeverWear Alpaca, sorts her new fall apparel in her shop and tries on her alpaca hats on Monday.

For those looking for clothing items that are warmer than wool on those fall days that are crisp and cool, ForeverWear Alpaca has everything needed to stay cozy, including scarves, hats and more.

“I had been doing this — making hats, scarves, little purses and things — for several years and I have participated in two art craft shows and I just decided that I have so much stuff that I need to find a place to put all of it,” said Ann Amash in regards to why she decided to open a shop. “I raised alpacas for 10 years, so I have all the fiber I’ve had for these past years.”

Her shop is located in Putnam Commons and is open on Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Costs range from $5 to $100 depending on the product. Socks, for example, are approximately $10, hand-made scarves are from $15 to $35 and sweaters can reach around $100.

With her large inventory of alpaca fiber and a knack for knitting and weaving, Amash hopes her unique store will continue to grow and touch many inside and outside of the community.

“I have a larger inventory now and I like to share what I have with other people; Alpaca is a wonderful, wonderful fiber,” she said. “Right now, the socks are four times warmer than wool socks and they wick away the moisture so your feet stay dry.”

In addition to socks, Amash sells a variety of alpaca items, including yarn, hats, sweaters, scarves, shawls, wall hangings and more. Amash does needle felting, weaving and knitting and said that the alpaca fiber is hypoallergenic.

For the socks and sweaters, she imports items from Peru. However, the hats, shawls, wall hangings and some yarn balls are handmade.

“I think that in this day and age, people forget that if you do something with your hands, it’s very gratifying,” she said, noting that she couldn’t make everything by hand because she doesn’t possibly have the time with all the material she has. “I spin some, but I could never do all of it.”

Business has been good, according to Ted Tackett, business manager of ForeverWear Alpaca.

“We do have great following and are very appreciate of the customers we have,” he said. “(The customers) love the beauty of it; they love the fact that she raised the alpacas and takes the yarn and makes the stuff.”

He said the business is unique in not only the product, but also because of the hand-made aspect of it.

“It’s a local artist at work and that’s really cool,” he said.

Amash added that many sales reach beyond the Marietta area and she connects with people from out of town.

“A lot of the sales are in the area of yarn and people buying ahead; people who are out of town will buy more because they aren’t coming back,” she said. “It’s unique because the items are formed from the alpacas I raised, so you can say it is all homegrown.”

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