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Sink your toes into Home Grown Rugs of Grand Junction

Brittany Markert
bmarkert@gjfreepress.com
Home Grown Rugs sells hand-woven alpaca-fiber rugs at Kathy Joseph's farm (GLC Alpaca Place), which is located at 908 23 Road in Grand Junction. The rugs are stain resistant, hypoallergenic and soft on the toes.
Submitted photo |

GO&SHOP

WHAT: Home Grown Rugs

WHEN: Daily

WHERE: Joseph’s farm (GLC Alpaca Place), 908 23 Road, Grand Junction; Shabby Chic, 2575 Hwy 6&50, Grand Junction; Interiors, Etc., 602 Main St., Grand Junction; The Scarab, 201 Main St., Minturn.

COST: $$

INFO: http://www.homegrownrugs.com

Home Grown Rugs in Grand Junction creates unique floor coverings out of alpaca fiber, typically harvested from the neck, legs and belly of the animal. An added bonus — it’s stain resistant, hypoallergenic, and lasts decades (anywhere from 50 to 100 years even).

“It’s a bit coarser, but it is more durable,” Leah Reynolds, co-owner of Home Grown Rugs, said.

Home Grown Rugs explained that coarse is used in reference to size not texture or feel. Alpaca fibers are graded by the diameter of the individual fibers. The grade of the fiber determines the best use for the fiber. The size of the fibers increase in most alpacas as they age. Those thicker fibers are better suited to products like rugs where you want an added durability in the product.



According to Reynolds, she met her business partner, Kathy Joseph, about a decade ago due to their shared interest in raising alpacas in the Grand Valley.

“Back then, it was just a breeder market,” she explained. “We then started to get interested in using all of the fiber.”



Together, they came up with a way to use “second fiber” — or fur that’s not traditionally used to make yarn due to its coarse texture — to create rugs in 2012. Now they ship off at least 1,000 pounds of fiber yearly to a “looming” company in Paint Rock, Texas, where each rug is hand-woven, mixing colors and design.

And more than 180 rugs have since been sold to folks near and far, both owners confirmed.

“What’s nice is we can use the fiber from any aged alpaca,” Reynolds said. “From really young to some that are 18 years old, we still use them since the fiber gets more coarse as they get older.”

Two styles are available, Joseph added — contemporary and southwestern. And rug colors are neutral, ranging between black, gray, beige, and brown.

Rug size ranges from small to large; and a wholesale cost ($630 for a five-by-seven rug) may be given if items are purchased directly from Joseph’s farm — GLC Alpaca Place, located at 908 23 Road in Grand Junction.

“No two are alike,” Reynolds said.

Want to shop? Rugs are also available for purchase at Shabby Chic (2575 Hwy. 6&50, Grand Junction), Interiors, Etc. (602 Main St., Grand Junction), and The Scarab located at 201 Main St. in Minturn.

For more information, visit http://www.homegrownrugs.com.


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