Alpacas. Dreams. Homegrown. Reality. Small-Business Support. Teamwork. Inspiration. – Jeannine Hausch of Long Tail Knits partners with Kathy Arnold of Whistler’s Glen and Jeri Hamilton of Black Walnut Alpacas as your one-stop, local and homegrown shop for your crafty needs while providing a touch of inspiration for everyone.
BY: Felicia Naoum
MACEDONIA, OHIO – Not only is Long Tail Knits (LTK) of Macedonia, Ohio a locally owned and operated business, so are materials that fill the shelves at this stream of colorful overflow for all of those who spend their time creating.
After visiting Saturday’s (June 16, 2016) “Meet the Alpacas Event” at LTK, even more layers of this Macedonia treasure box were unveiled. Now, folks, you know where your creation starts, so close to home, in your backyard as locally-made. How gratifying is it to know that not only are you purchasing products in America, you are purchasing them so close to home? Please note—-
This story is so much more than an entrepreneurial dream – it’s even better – it’s a passion, a true passion, deriving from true people who put everything they have into giving you the best they can.
Let’s meet these women – not only do they deserve recognition for their efforts, but they have a story, not just any story, a story that they made into a reality. With that, we could all use a little inspiration from time-to-time, right? Be inspired by Jeannine, Kathy, and Jeri – they are just as sweet as the Alpacas, Lila, a rose-gray colored beauty and Ava, a blonde fawn colored beauty, that graced LTK on June 16th. And, yes, we have a sneak peak of these beauties as well.
This past Father’s Day, these women were gathered together at LTK to allow the community an opportunity to encounter Lila and Ava, while creating a gift for dad – an Alpaca Fiber Bird Nest Bag that children gathered to make!
I had the pleasure of meeting these women and I learned so much. This is a feel good story. Perhaps, because it’s based at home and it involves ongoing teamwork and compassion. It’s based at home and these ladies want to keep it at home. Meaning, they have no desire to step into stores we encounter daily. Jeri is strong about her belief in supporting small businesses. They know their roots, and how far they’ve come. They emit inspiration and joy. They have a continuous goal to bring their community nothing but the best. Let’s hear about it!
Kathy Arnold is the owner of Whistler’s Glen Alpacas, in Hudson, Ohio. Prior, Kathy had a career at Sears with fiber and fabric work as well as spending time in New Jersey designing children’s clothing. Jeri Hamilton is the owner of Black Walnut Alpacas located in Vienna, Ohio. Jeri also spends her days being a schoolteacher to young children! Talk about working hard! Kathy and Jeri also spend time away from the farm as they work closely with the Textile Art Alliance at the Cleveland Art Museum assisting with their continued fundraising efforts for fiber collections. Don’t forget to stay on the lookout for the open houses of both farms. Visit: www.alpacaestore.com for more information! Busy doesn’t stop these women. And, as you may already know from our previously featured story: https://nordoniahills.news/new-purls-of-wisdom-in-town-long-tail-knits/, Janine is the owner of Long Tail Knits (LTK) in Macedonia where she left a long time career to pursue her passion! And, yes, we are so glad she did! Glad all 3 of them did, in fact!
Photos by Victor Milani
See, Jeri proudly informed me that their goal, collectively, is simple yet salient – “We want to allow customers to know where their yarn comes from.” And we learned that and so much more.
Jeri and Kathy work closely together, yet they each have their own farms where they cultivate locally-made products that Americans crave these days. These two ladies have been birthing and breeding alpacas for years. A big part of their process is to shear the fibers of these animals for the creations of your imaginations – homemade scarves, purses, hats, shawls, etc.
While shearing and product creation are exciting for these ladies. The root of their passion goes deeper than a simple end result or sale. The root of their passion is the alpacas.
When asked the best thing about her job, Jeri said, with a glisten in her eyes, “Watching the animals being born. Without the animals, there’s still joy there, but I guess the animals amp it up a little bit.”
Both of these women made it clear to me that they love what they do. Cathy worded it perfectly. Cathy reminded me of how blessed she is to be excited about getting up and working a job that she adores. Cathy had a vision and she is uberly happy every day because her vision is her reality. She wanted a way to do something she loved, while it being something she could operate on her own and she did it. She discovered her love for alpacas and has been with them for the last 16 years. Jeri is just as dedicated with 10 years of commitment to her farm.
The commitment of farm owners Jeri and Cathy are greatly appreciated by LTK owner, Janine. Janine whose Macedonia store is growing with new supplies taking over, said, “It took me a long time to find 100 percent American made.” Now, with Jeri and Cathy as part of her team, Janine no longer has that concern.
We urge those of you who are advanced spinners to check out the Advanced Spinning Class at Long Tail Knits on July 30-31st. Beginners prerequisite required. For those with no spinning experience, you just need to wait a tad longer and attend the Beginners Spinning Class on August 10 also at Long Tail Knits.
More information for the above classes (as well as other upcoming events) may be found at http://www.alpacaestore.com/home and http://www.longtailknits.com.
You may also call Long Tail Knits at 234.808. 4383; Whistler’s Glen at 330.607.8295 or Black Walnut Alpacas at 330.885.0003.
Be inspired. This is only the beginning for these lovely ladies and their lovely animals. They continue to expand. Their creations have changed even in the last two years said, Cathy. Jeri elaborated on this expansion when she shared, “We are blending our alpaca fiber with mohair from the goats.” The end result, you may wonder, is GORGEOUS.
With expansion, they fulfill everyone’s needs assured Jeri as they have something for everyone. For those of you who are crafty, they have the materials you need and for those of you who may not be as crafty, they have the finished products you desire.
Long Tail Knits Owner (LTK), Janine, created the location that holds all of these tools to create at your fingertips – literally! She stores the products supplied by each farm. She is beyond thankful and made her appreciation so very clear. She identifies herself as well as Cathy and Jeri as a “team”. While the 3 of them were each brave enough to venture on their own, they are making huge strides together, as a team, a team that each of them is so very grateful for.
Whether you’re interested in the alpaca fiber for your next creation, or you are inspired by this story to follow your dreams, Cathy has solid advice – “Don’t give up.” After All, these three women never did and look at where they are today.
