U.P. alpaca farm celebrates six years of unique gifts

NORWAY — “They’re a very gentle animal,” said Rainbow’s End Alpacas and Rainbow Gifts owner Mary Lynn Verley. “They’re normally a very easy animal to handle, to be around. They’re very, very, very docile, very peace loving.”

Verley and her husband have been raising these gentle creatures at Rainbow’s End Alpacas in Norway for nine years. The addition of the Rainbow Gifts shop three years later provided a unique shopping experience for visitors to the area. The shop sells apparel and other gifts, as well as yarn of all kinds, including some made of fiber harvested annually from the alpacas grazing just outside.

“Every package has a picture of who that yarn is,” Verley added. “The yarn does not normally last very long on our shelves. When people come to the store, they love the opportunity to take part of this store home with them.”

While the farm and adjacent shop already attract visitors from all around, they have recently begun expanding their presence online.

“Unfortunately, we are the best kept secret in the Iron Mountain area, and in order to change that and get more people here, we decided to put the store online and try to reach more people than we can in this area,” said Beth Glodowski, who specializes in web sales at Rainbow’s End Alpacas.

On Saturday, Rainbow Gifts will be celebrating its sixth anniversary from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central Time. Visitors will be treated to music and refreshments, as well as knitting lessons and a presentation of interesting alpaca facts. Of course, they’ll also be able to visit with all of those furry friends living at the end of the rainbow.

“They just all have such a personality of their own,” said Verley. “They can be comical, they can be serious. They just — they really are fun to be around.”

“They’re very calming. If you have a stressful day, come and see us, sit on the deck, and just relax,” Glodowski added.

Visit rainbowsendalpacas.net to find out more.