SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Baby alpaca wool doesn't feel like wool at all. In fact it's so soft it feels almost like silk - at least that's how Mariella Key, the owner of Alpaca and Natural Fibers, describes it.

Alpaca and Natural Fibers - a store that sells sweaters, mittens, toques, bags and jewelry from South America - is the newest addition to the YK Centre, and Jessika Claros, pictured above, is the stores newest employee. - Nicole Veerman/NNSL photo

She said of everything in her store, which opened on the bottom floor of the YK Centre on Dec. 4, the clothes and accessories made of baby alpaca wool are her favourite. Alpacas are South American animals that look like, and are in the same family as, llamas.

The store, which sits across from Gourmet Cup, is Key's first. Although she lives in Edmonton, she said Yellowknife is the perfect place to open a shop.

"There's a lot of opportunity here for different cool things," she said. "There's nothing like that here."

Key immigrated to Canada from Chile in 1983 after marrying a Canadian man. When she arrived, Canadian women were constantly complimenting her "gypsy" jewelry, asking where they could find some for themselves.

Since then, she has been making trips home and to other South American countries, including Guatemala, Bolivia and Mexico, collecting sweaters, toques, mittens, socks, slippers, jewelry, blankets and other goods made from natural fibres to sell in trade shows and kiosks.

She said although it started as a hobby, she has begun to really enjoy working in retail and going around collecting goods directly from South American artisans.

"That's what's nice about it. It doesn't come from industry or market. It comes from artists," she said. "So by buying from them, I help their community, and by people buying the stuff from me, I buy more (from the artists)."

Key said she will continue to live in Edmonton and will visit once a month with new merchandise.

Jessika Claros, who is also Chilean, is Key's first employee.

While working on Wednesday, she said Yellowknifers have shown a lot of interest in the store.

"People think it's really cool," she said. "They're very curious where things come from."

Claros said it's been a challenge keeping her earnings in her pocket because there are so many items she wants for herself.

She said the best sellers over Christmas were the alpaca scarves, wool socks and children's toques with animal faces.

"People are stopping by because the products aren't very common," she said. "When people walk in, they're like 'Whoa!'"

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