On Services Provided by Wren Owens via Close-Knit Alpacas(tm), The Crazy Golden Egg'capade(tm), The 3-Spree Sprint(tm), Miracle Season(tm), Alpacas in the USA(tm), Make an Offer Monday(tm), and beginning August 2011,
The Secret Meadow(tm).
Fellow Alpaca Aficionados:
I would like to recommend Wren Owens of Close-Knit Alpacas to you as a broker that can help you get things done.
In the economic woes of the past few years, we saw business decline both with alpaca sales and in our farm store. Our websites just weren’t bringing us the traffic that we saw when we first started. After hiring Wren to market and manage the sale of our herd, we saw a great increase of interest in our herd. She took over all the details, large and small, to successfully help us in finally finding all our animals a new home so we could begin our retirement.
She is knowledgeable about alpacas (bloodlines and health concerns), best practices of animal and herd management, and the way to facilitate a sale. She takes the worry away as she handles all the initial contacts and follow-up details with prospective buyers. She really got involved in the details of our herd, each individual animal. You provide her with pertinent details of your animals and she takes over from there. Our experience in dealing with her was completely positive. I wish we had hired her sooner to represent our animals.
Thanks very much to Wren Owens of CKA for orchestrating the sale of Hobby Horse Peruvian Flashpoint! Wren's "MOM's Outrageous Offer" during the first Birthday Bash celebration for the Make an Offer Monday sales program worked terrifically! Wren brought us a sound offer for a wonderful family who is giving our handsome boy, Flashpoint, a good home - something that is very important to us at Hobby Horse Farm. We appreciate the connections made through Alpacas in the USA and enjoy our Close-Knit relationship!
My name is Denise Coonley of Bluebonnets and Bluegrass Alpaca Farm in Crestwood, KY. I am a small farm with 9 alpacas and have been in business for 1.5 years. I started my farm with 5 animals and have purchased 4 more alpacas on-line in the last 11 months.
Last year at this time I was looking to add a herd sire to my farm. I started my search on-line and this is where I ran into Wren Owens, the owner of Close-Knit Alpacas. A lot of the websites I went to just had the basic information about the particular alpaca listed, but Wren's website is full of information. Not only does she have color, bloodlines, etc., the basic stuff, she puts information on her site about the animal's personalities, their quirks, and their behavior. She makes the alpacas seem much more than just a picture on her website.
Being a new business owner with very little knowledge of bloodlines, color, breeding, etc. I was looking for someone who would take the time to answer my questions and explain in laymen terms the things I didn't understand. Wren Owens was that person. Before she would even point me in a direction she asked me several questions and helped me figure out for myself just exactly what I was attempting to add to my herd. For instance, did I need a herdsire with more density or was I looking to add fineness to my girls' fiber? Was I looking to add color or did I prefer the lighter alpacas? What bloodline(s) was I looking to add and did I understand the difference between them?
Once I narrowed down what I was looking for she suggested several animals, but invited me to look over every breeding male she had on her site. She explained to me how the ARI works (the Alpaca Registry, Inc.), that it is DNA based and all the animals are registered with their DNA submitted to the ARI lab for testing and confirmation of their parentage. The ARI is there to keep my investments safe, there would be no way I could get another animal than the one I bought sight-unseen on-line.
I learned that there are many safety checks built into the purchase process. The contract stipulated that I had the option to have a veterinarian check out my animals within 7 days of signing my contract. If the animal failed the vet check my money would be returned, plain and simple. Before I signed the contract, I was given the option to have a fiber sample sent to me and I was given the opportunity to have more pictures sent to me. I was encouraged to ask any and all questions I had about the animal before I attempted to purchase it. Anytime I had a question or concern, Wren returned my call or e-mail quickly and efficiently. All these things happened before I realized that these were standard alpaca industry practices.
I recently purchased two more alpacas, female weanlings this time, and because of Wren's tutelage my purchase was quick and easy. The only reason I did not use Wren again was that these two girls came from a farm that had too many animals and I got a deal I just couldn't beat anywhere else.
I have the utmost respect for Wren Owens and her business practices. I learned so much from her and will model parts of my own business after hers. I will use her again for purchasing alpacas, and when I have animals of my own to sell, I will join Close-Knit Alpacas and have her act as my broker.
Thanks for all of your help in purchasing Hershey. We sent a check for the
balance owed a few days ago, so you should have received it by now. The vet
exam was yesterday and we're waiting for her to return our phone call. It
appears that everything with the exam was fine and we're only awaiting the
Brucelleosis results. The vet will be applying for our transport permit from
the state of Vermont, and hopefully that won't take too long. We're very
anxious to meet Hershey and bring him home to our farm.
Thank you so much for making this purchase a pleasurable experience. Good luck
with M.O.M. and feel free to use our farm for a recommendation on your
services.
In addition to selling an alpaca to Ms. Owens, we have employed her as a broker to sell alpacas to other buyers for us, and have purchased herdsire services from her, utilizing stud services contracts and agistment contracts. On this latter occasion I had the opportunity to visit Close-Knit Alpacas when delivering my dam for breeding and when picking her up after successful breeding. I found Ms. Owens farm to be well run and clean and all her alpacas to be in good health. In all of these business dealings, I found her integrity to be good and truthful every time.
As a broker for marketing our alpacas for us, I can state that Ms. Owens was the best of 3 brokers that I have used over the years. She marketed aggressively but with complete honesty and arranged contracts for sale, often with seller financing of our alpacas. I have recommended her services as a broker to several people, and will continue to do so.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you, Wren, for all of the work you have done, and it is with great pleasure that I pay you the [commission] you have coming to you. You are very professional, and I appreciate it very much. I'm so happy about this Wren. Thanks, again!
Having met with Wren, as well as visited her farm and treating her alpacas, I attest that she is an extremely responsible, caring and knowledgeable owner and breeder.
Moreover, she abides to high ethical standards when making breeding decisions in order to avoid health problems of potential genetic origin. She is also a good friend.
It has been great to work with you in the
past as an alpaca broker. We are especially excited about the success you
are having with your innovative MOM approach. The sale of Quechua’s
Dillon thru your MOM campaign was unique but also very smooth. Thanks for
your help. We look forward to working with you more in the future.
It’s good to able to write this to you all. I wanted to publicly express my thanks to Wren for her very professional marketing efforts that helped to sell my two alpacas, Asia and Bandit, during the November M.O.M. Her assistance at all phases of the process were valuable to us, well worth the commission she works for and most certainly deserves, and is a tribute to the value of Alpacas in the USA which all of us are still struggling to bring fully to life and which is, we believe, destined to be one of the best new ideas to hit our industry in some time.
Like many alpaca owners we’re constantly pulled in many directions at once and sometimes what we’d like to make a priority ends up at the bottom of the pile. All kinds of things get in the way: husbandry issues pop up among our alpacas…the needs of and our obligations to our families demand our attention…or we’re just plain exhausted and either don’t or can’t market the way we know we should.
Enter Wren…with her ideas…marketing expertise…energy (which I’ve envied more than once!)…and most of all her genuine care about the work she does on behalf of all of us as she builds a new and exciting way to bring our alpacas to market. In the process of our recent MOM sale she helped us clarify our contracts…shared her well informed marketing ideas regarding ways to market our alpaca…and was generous with her time in her already jam-packed schedule. In addition and maybe even more important, Wren treated us with what felt like heart-felt concern for us as people. This kind of service not only helps Pastoral Profits to prosper and grow, but helps our industry as well.
So our hats are off to you, Wren. We treasure our growing friendship, appreciate your attention to detail, follow up and strict fairness in all dealings, and look forward to a continued mutually beneficial relationship between Pastoral Profits, Alpacas in the USA, and Close-Knit. As you would say, WOOHOO!!!
Paca Peace,
Sandi and Bob Nesbit
Pastoral Profits Alpacas from Front Porch Alpaca Farm
It has been over a year since we have
been in Alpacas in the USA, and I wanted to thank you for all your efforts and
creativity in setting up Alpacas in the USA!
As one of the first farms to join, I have enjoyed the benefits of
selling over 5 alpacas through your contacts and efforts. You are to be
commended on your marketing creativity and ideas for such things as the generic
alpaca impact movie, the suri impact movie, Make an Offer Monday, and the many
upcoming ideas you are implementing to help promote Alpacas in the USA! and the
farms that are members. I look forward
to a continuing bright future for Alpacas in the USA! with your ideas, tireless
efforts and energy.
Some time ago, we were looking for a gelding to be a companion to a female on her way to get bred or maybe to keep a cria company when it was time for weaning. For obvious reasons, he had to have good temperament. Also we wanted an animal that would be pleasing to the eye. We came across Close-Knit Alpacas website. We found two beautiful geldings they had for sale. When I spoke to Wren, she told me that she would sell me one of them, but because they were best buddies she was willing to reduce the price (significantly) just to keep them together. I felt how much she cared for her animals, and agreed to buy both if she assured me that their temperament would work for what I needed them for. Wren did tell me everything that she knew about the two animals, which all turned out to be accurate and true. A couple of weeks later, Jack delivered Cooperman and Crackerjack. They are two wonderful geldings that have added a lot of joy to our lives, and lived up to our expectations. Not only are they calm and polite, but they are very beautiful as well. The whole experience has been a positive one.
Kevin and I wanted to send along a token
of our appreciation for helping us find our forever friends. Mahogany (once known as Jeopardy) and Corazon
(once known as Advantage) are a very special addition to our family. We never thought we would be able to find
such beautiful alpacas with such perfect personalities for our special little
farm. Our guests just love them and
Kevin and I enjoy working and living with them more than we ever thought we
would. A few times a week we take them
out for walks around our property. They
seem to enjoy it almost as much as we do.
I can not believe how beautiful Corazon’s fiber is growing in and
Mahogany’s color just shines in the sun.
They are both so easy to handle.
I can almost cut Mahogany’s toe nails by myself! And shots are a breeze! As a new alpaca owner, and someone that just
wanted some special pets, these two are the best fit!
We thank you, Wren, for helping us find
these special little boys and putting us in contact with Patti. From the moment that I contacted you and
inquired about getting some companions, you were able to help us find the right
match.
We hope you like the photo of one of
your best success stories. Happy
holidays and may the new year bring you many more successes.
Thank you, Wren, for adding something
special to our lives.
Wren Owens was recommended to me as a broker/boarder when I found I had to relocate and disperse my herd. As a broker, Wren has definitely worked steadily and diligently to find homes for our alpacas. She is always accessible by phone or e-mail, and contacts us regularly with sales updates or just to talk as a friend.
Wren’s professionalism with handling negotiations is beyond all expectations. She is a liaison between buyer and seller and somehow protects the interest of both. She is very comfortable with paperwork and numbers, and helped tremendously in making the transactions work smoothly. Her commissions earned were just that, earned. Her hard work and time involved made all offers end in sales, both parties happy with the outcome.
All our girls and the cria they birthed while in her care are now sold and moving on to their new farms. When one of our alpacas needed extra care due to an abscessed tooth, Wren took on the added responsibilities without complaint and made sure the needed measures were attended to. The vet reported she had healed more quickly than was expected.
Wren loves marketing and talking to people about alpacas and the industry, she is very innovative and energetic. We truly appreciate her hard work and success of selling our herd.
I just had to say THANK YOU and tell you how grateful I am to have found You & Close-Knit Alpacas.
I knew I wanted to get started in the Alpaca business and I knew I wanted Huacayas.
I knew I wanted to find someone who was very informed about Alpacas, loved what they were doing and kept a neat, clean, well maintained farm.
Well my plans came together the day I visited Close-Knit. You didn't even know I was coming and yet the farm was everything and more as far aswhat I had been looking for.
You dropped everything that you were doing to show me around the farm. I told you what I had in mind and you showed me some beautiful Alpacas.
I couldn't be more pleased with the animals I bought from you. They Are My World! I love all 6 of them.
Thank you seems so small for all the help you gave me.
Who knew it could be so easy?! When I started researching alpaca, I was daunted by the number of websites and the conflicting information on them. How was I going to find the bloodlines I wanted, at the prices I could afford? And how in the world was I going to coordinate not just the purchase, but the transport, and all the education I needed on day-to-day alpaca tasks? Lots of farms offered post-purchase support, but I was looking at purchasing animals from several different farms; their advice and philosophies didn't match each others', or the outlook I was slowly developing for myself based on the research I was doing and my business and personal goals.
That's when I discovered Alpacas in the USA, and Wren Owens of Close-Knit Alpacas. All of a sudden I had the help and advice of the leader of a large community of alpaca farms, all of which shared a philosophy of health and harmony that matched mine! Wren was able to put together exactly the start-up package I was looking for, at a price that fit my budget, from among the dozens of farms she personally knows. I started learning from Day 1 of working with her and the other farms; by the time my first animals shipped to me, I was trained on alpaca health, vet visits, transport selection and considerations, and quarantine procedures. Any time I have a question to this day, Wren and the farms of Alpacas in the USA are there to support me with advice that has never gone wrong.
I could not ask for more…but with Close-Knit and Alpacas in the USA, I continue to get more anyway. Flexibility for changing business needs and timelines, help finding the perfect dam or herd sire, the ability to have my fluffy babies be professionally boarded and be treated with the love and respect they deserve in the process…it just doesn't get any better than this.
Quality, diversity, education and support; put it all together, and you get easy. Wren and the others helped make my first steps (and some of the later ones, too!) into this lifestyle incredibly easy, and that makes choosing to work with them an easy choice. If I had it to do all over again, I would make that same choice in the blink of a cria's eye.
Working with Wren Owens and Close-Knit
Alpacas has been easy and rewarding.
Wren is very knowledgeable about the
alpaca industry. She is very well connected, and knows the industry thoroughly.
Wren has helped us to sell our animals without any trouble. She knows how to
get the maximum value for your animal, and her fees for her services are more
than reasonable.
Wren is a very savvy marketing expert,
and is constantly developing new ways
to get her clients alpacas noticed. Her 'Make an offer Monday' program has been very successful in its short run, with
each running so far resulting in alpaca sales.
Look for more marketing
initiatives like this from Wren to help you sell your alpacas.
Wren is always just a phone call away any time you need assistance or have
questions with any aspect of alpaca breeding and sales. I cannot recommend
Wren Owens highly enough for top quality alpaca sales and services.
Give Wren a call with any question, no matter how small, and she will go out
I want you to know that it has been a delight working with you. We are all settled in now with our little herd and could not be happier. They all have such neat, yet different personalities. We enjoy so much just being out in the pasture and watching them as they play, lounge around or roll in the dirt. They are everything you said they would be.
Thank you so much for being so kind, personal and willing to explain all that you have to me. I still have much to learn, and am sure I will make many mistakes, but with your help, I believe we will make it okay. Also, thank you for the many phone calls back and forth and the interest you have shown in me, to help me as I learn to make the best I can with Darrell's and my new venture. Hope to be able to work with you again, as money allows.
I am sooo happy with my 2 girls!
Thanks for MOM & making it possible for me to own these girls! If not
for MOM, I wouldn't have had the confidence to make an offer
for a little less than the asking price, so I wouldn't
have had the opportunity to have these girls, at a price my budget
would allow!
My girls are just as you represented them
and look better in person than in the pics!
I really appreciate the help with
the transport that you gave me!
Thanks for an opportunity that I couldn't
have had without your help!
THANKS SO MUCH!! for helping our family to find Dillon. He's perfect for our venture! He's a perfect size, gorgeous fiber, sweet face and sweet disposition. We got a great price on "Make an Offer Monday" and he's worth every penny! You were so quick to notify us about our winning bid and it was all very exciting!
My
name is Serenna, and I started in the Alpaca Business in Sept ’06. That was when I purchased my first 3
alpaca’s. From there I started to really
get into the fiber industry. I have 3
beautiful little girls (humans!) and was not able to spend a lot of money on an
alpaca and I also loved doing things with my boys (my suris!), for example
visiting schools, fairs, parades, etc.
Well then, after having my three suri boys for about 5 months, I decided
to purchase some more. But what I needed
was very special. I got on the web and
found Wren.
I
decided to call her about some alpacas.
Needless to say, she was an angel sent from heaven. Wren explained what she did and asked me what
I wanted. What was so nice was that she actually listened to what I said and
said that she would gladly help me.
What
I needed were some more boys that were good PR animals, because I do a lot with
little kids. With my 3 little girls, I
did not want an animal that was a loner or stubborn. Wren took the time and contacted other farms
for me. She found the 5 perfect alpacas
I was looking for, and at an awesome price.
Next, the purchase went very smoothly, with no headaches whatsoever. Also, with the purchase, Wren did not
pressure me into any animal or anything that I did not want. She was very easy to work with.
After
my purchase of these 5 beautiful, perfect animals, I called her on many
occasions with questions and concerns.
Each time I called her, she was not too busy for me. She
would listen and help me with my situation.
One
situation was when my well collapsed and heat pipes blew, which all happened on
the same day, plus we had one child in the hospital. I was desperate for money to pay for
everything. I called her and said that I
had to sell my herd for the money. Wren
said not to rush into that decision because God will help you through this
situation. She was a good listener that
day. I talked to her about my problems,
not about alpacas, and she listened and talked with me. She gave me some options and suggestions, and
boy was that a huge help. Wren was like
a support person through that time and I could count on her to help and
listen. She helped me through that personal
problem with no complaints. She was
there.
Another
time I was in a position where we had to move (due to my husband’s work) and I
had nowhere to put my boys because we could not find a place that had any
property that was in our price range.
So, I picked the phone up again and called Wren, and like usual she was
right there to help me. She gave me a
suggestion to find someone nearby who was interested in the alpaca business and
have that person take my herd in for the time being to see if really having
alpacas is what they want, like leasing the herd, just until I was able to find
a place for them with us. She saved my
herd again.
Wren
is a genius. She always has the right
thing to say at the right time. What I
like most is that she helped me without jumping the gun and trying to sell my
herd. She knows how much I love my boys
and this business, and she would do everything to help me keep them. She listened to me and understood what I
wanted and what I loved to do, and she took that
information and ran with it.
There
is so much that I am going to do with this business because of Wren helping me
through it all. I know that I can count
on her being at the other end of the phone to help me. She is very knowledgeable in this business,
and she enjoys what she does. I would
recommend her to anyone who wants an alpaca and is looking for one. She will help you find what you want and
need, not what someone else wants you to have.
Wren will listen and help in everyway she can. She is an angel sent from heaven.
I am so excited I had the opportunity to sell three boys
during your Birthday Bash Make-An-Offer Monday! They have loving new
owners who are very excited! You are wonderful to work with and very
talented with your marketing techniques. What a great benefit for members
of Alpacas in the USA! Thanks so much for your program. You have
been so helpful!
I met Wren Owens of Close-Knit Alpacas in the spring of 2006. At that time we were searching for a broker to help us sell some of our alpacas. We contacted many alpaca farmers looking for a broker that we could trust to help us. Wren came very highly recommended, both for her honesty and exceptional marketing skills. She came to our farm, examined our animals, giving us a fair market appraisal. We listed the alpacas that we wished to sell with her at that time. Wren sold two of our alpacas and we used a standard contract for the industry and included a Cognovite/Promissory Note while we held the financing for the deal. I continue to list alpacas with Wren and strongly recommend her to others looking for a fair and honest broker.
I attest that Wren Owens of Close-Knit Alpacas and I have had a business relationship for the past three years. She guided me in the very beginning of my business as a buyer/investor in the Alpaca Industry. her knowledge and understanding of this industry is top notch. Wren's heart and soul goes into the care taking of these animals.
I have always been nothing less than impressed with the professionalism of her business. She has held the position of my buying agent, my selling agent and also boarded my animals for me. I have always been able to trust tht my animals were in the very best of hands. The care she has given them could never be surpassed.
Throughout the years, I have had many contracts with Wren to include seller contracts, buyer contracts to include financing, stud service contracts, and boarding contracts on my animals. I have always trusted these contracts, and they have always been written to reflect the industry standards and protocol.
Wren is a very caring and ethical alpaca farm owner/breeder and i would always trust the care of my animals with her.
I just wanted to take a few minutes to let you know how much I appreciate doing business with you. In the past, I had purchased all of my alpacas from one broker. While I have been very satisfied with each of them, and I still have all 8 of them, I have had some difficulties with that broker. Each female that we purchased came with a free breeding to the stud of our choice. Unfortunately, none of the females that we had the broker breed became impregnated by the males of our choice. We then purchased males of our own and have since had very positive results with our breeding program.
With the purchase of Tico and Rosie from you, our program is now well on its way to being successful. The pictures and information that you gave us on both of these animals was enough to convince us that we were getting quality for the amount of money we had to spend. While Rosie is a much older female (13), we have found her to be a wonderful buy. She has turned out to be one of my favorite females and I am positive that she will give us a beautiful "grey" baby in the fall! Both alpacas fit into our herd quite nicely!
The fact that we had problems over the first alpaca we contacted you about made all the difference in our faith and trust in you. I was very pleased with the way you handled the situation when the seller started contacting me regarding the sale rather than you. While that may be done in some cases, I feel that when buyer contacts a broker, all negotiations concerning the animal should be done between the seller and the broker. I really appreciated the fact that I could rely on you to contact the seller "for me" and keep the communication between the two of you. While that particular purchase did not work out for us, you went above and beyond to find us not one, but two alpacas for the price we offered for just the one!
I truly hope that future alpaca owners will take the time to get to know their broker before they purchase animals. A reputable broker like you is worth their weight in gold! Thank you again so much for all that you did for us! We are impressed with your honesty and the fact that you will point out both the good and bad aspects of purchasing a particular alpaca. We will be doing business in the future!
