Sink your toes into Home Grown Rugs of Grand Junction
bmarkert@gjfreepress.com
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: $$
Home Grown Rugs in Grand Junction creates floor coverings out of alpaca fiber, typically harvested from the neck, legs and belly of the animal. The material is stain-resistant, hypoallergenic and lasts decades (anywhere from 50 to 100 years).
“It’s a bit coarser, but it is more durable,” said Leah Reynolds, co-owner of Home Grown Rugs.
Reynolds said she met 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 said. “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.
More than 180 rugs have since been sold to folks near and far.
“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. 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.
For more information, visit http://www.homegrownrugs.com.
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