Alpaca garments and Peruvian dancers headlined the May 11 grand opening of Alpaca Headquarters in its new location at 312 Third Street in San Juan Bautista. The store sells clothes, art and accessories made in Peru. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
“Everything is Peruvian,” said owner Julia Brodersen.
Grand opening attendees dined on Peruvian snacks like papa a la huancaina, which is cheese, smashed saltine crackers, Peruvian chili and cream poured over a cold, cooked potato.
As the name Alpaca Headquarters suggests, products in the store like clothes and purses are made of alpaca wool, which Brodersen said is equivalent in quality to cashmere. Other clothes are made from organic cotton, also from Peru. Brodersen attended fashion school in Peru and designed all the store’s clothing.
“We have a lot of organic items,” Brodersen said.
The colorful necklaces and bracelets are made from orange peel and tagua nuts. After carving the nut into the desired shape, it is painted and placed—like beads—on string to make the jewelry.
Alpaca Headquarters also offers jewelry made from alpaca metal (or alpaca silver) which is hypoallergenic and soft, said Heather Brodersen, Julia’s daughter and store co-owner.
To promote the store’s wares, Julia and Heather participate in small fashion shows throughout the year in places including Gilroy and San Juan Bautista.
For chess and history enthusiasts, there is a Peruvian-themed chess game located near the register. Instead of traditional game pieces, this version matches the Incas, a South American empire that began in Peru, against the Spanish. The store also offers handcrafted wood and ceramic art.
“We plan to bring more,” Julia said. “This is only the beginning.”
Julia said she received support from the community and city leaders like Mayor Cesar Flores, who told her that he is thankful she opened something different in San Juan Bautista because it will attract business.
With a new location and plans to grow, Julia said she is continuing a family tradition spanning over 100 years. She was born in Peru and at a young age helped her family create and sell artifacts to tourists in the city of Lima. After getting married 27 years ago and living in Peru for two years with her husband, a Gilroy native, they moved to Santa Clara County where she continued the tradition by opening Inca Line in San Juan Bautista. She closed the store after 15 years in order to take care of her husband, who was having health issues.
About four years ago, the mother-daughter duo decided to open Alpaca Headquarters in the Bear Flag Gallery mall on Third Street.
With everything going well for her family now, Julia is again focused on her business.
“I can’t complain,” Julia said. “People love Peruvian things.”