Tiskilwa store features alpaca items

TISKILWA — Hats, sweaters, scarves, and gloves made with alpaca fleece are available at Tiskilwa Farms Alpacas Shop, which recently opened in downtown Tiskilwa.

Chad Maupin, farm manager, said the store is open from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“Alpaca fleece is warmer, lighter and stronger than wool,” he said. “You can also wear it next to your skin without the itch factor you get from wool.”

Maupin opened the store in mid-December because they needed more space for the items than what was at the farm in rural Tiskilwa, where 155 alpacas live — the largest farm in Illinois.

“We started the farm 11 years ago, and we do a lot of weekend shows (8 to 10 a year),” he said. “We also do the show at the Bureau County Fairgrounds in Princeton the first weekend in May.”

The items at the store are made from alpaca fleece, some of which come from the alpacas living at Tiskilwa Farms Alpacas. Maupin also gets alpaca fleece items from the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America.

Maupin sheers his alpacas once a year and sends most of the fleece to the cooperative to make the clothing items. He also imports some of the items from South America and some from China.

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