From the Andes to U.S. Trade Shows: Our Family’s Wholesale Alpaca Story

For many Januaries, while most of the country was putting away holiday decorations, my family was packing our handmade alpaca pieces for the next wholesale season. Since 2012, Inspired Peru has exhibited at major wholesale gift trade shows in the United States. Often my father, Enrique, has been right there with us, working at his loom and showing buyers how things are made in the Andes.

This post is our look behind the booth: how the trade show calendar works, what different stores look for, the questions we hear at every show, and where you can meet us in 2027.

Why We Bring a Loom to a Trade Show

Most booths at a trade show sell finished products. We bring finished products too, but we also bring a piece of the process. When my father sets up his loom and starts weaving, people stop walking. They ask questions, and they see with their own eyes part of the artistry behind our handmade pieces.

My father, Enrique, weaving at our booth.

My father learned to weave as a child, from his grandmother and his mother. At our booth, he weaves one of the oldest designs found in Peruvian textiles: the zigzag. In his own words:

"It is important for me to show part of my culture and what I learned as a kid living in the Andes."

"As an artisan myself, I always want people to learn about our culture and our history. That's why I like to be at trade shows, so we can explain it to buyers right there on the show floor."

Enrique Arias, artisan

Watch my father weave the zigzag design at our booth.

Two Trade Show Seasons a Year

The wholesale gift calendar runs in two rounds. The winter round opens in January in Atlanta, moves to Las Vegas at the end of the month and continues in New York in late January and early February. The summer round follows the same path: Atlanta in July, Las Vegas at the end of July and New York in August.

The shows run almost back to back. Many times we have flown straight from Atlanta to Las Vegas to start setting up a few days early for the next show.

AmericasMart Atlanta

We have exhibited in the Handmade section of AmericasMart a few times. In January it runs about five days, which makes it the longest show of the season.

Las Vegas Market

We have exhibited at Las Vegas Market, at the World Market Center, since 2014, in the Temporaries Handmade section. It starts right after Atlanta and runs four days.

NY NOW and Shoppe Object

New York is where our trade show story began. We exhibited at NY NOW for many years starting in 2012. In 2018 we were accepted into Shoppe Object, and we have exhibited there since. For years, NY NOW and Shoppe Object ran during the same week. In 2027, for the first time since we started exhibiting at Shoppe Object, they fall on different weeks: NY NOW runs January 31–February 2, followed by Shoppe Object on February 7–9.

Peru Moda, Lima

In 2018 we were invited by PromPerú to exhibit at Peru Moda in Lima, Peru's international fashion and textile trade show.

Our alpaca reindeer was a Best New Product Award candidate at NY NOW, Summer 2017.

Designing for the Season Ahead

Buyers at a trade show are not shopping for today. They are buying for the season ahead, so every show needs new pieces.

• Winter shows (January and February): stores are planning for Valentine's Day, Easter, spring and summer. Buyers look for florals, light colors and pastels, along with pieces for zoo and aquarium gift shops.
• Summer shows (July and August): the focus moves to the holiday season and winter.

That means our year never really stops. For the winter shows, we start creating new designs with our artisan families in July, and the samples are ready to ship in December, just in time for the season to open.

What Buyers See at Our Booth

After many years of trade shows, one lesson is clear: people love big, colorful statement pieces. We always place them where visitors can reach out and touch them, because that is the best way to start a conversation.

Our very first booth, at NY NOW.

Alpaca is a product you need to touch to understand why it's so precious. A photo can show color and shape, but it can't fully show how genuine alpaca fur feels under your hand. Once a buyer touches it, the conversation changes.

Every season we bring our newest pieces along with our best sellers. We also think about every type of buyer who might walk into the booth, so we always bring a range of products at different price points.

What Different Stores Choose

Over the years we've learned that each type of store comes to our booth looking for something different:

• Aquarium and zoo shops love our alpaca stuffed animals.
• Museum stores love our alpaca fur pillows, our teddy bears and our Rainbow Collection.
• Toy stores love our small llamas and alpacas, plus our big giant bears and poodles.
• Home boutiques love our alpaca rugs, frazada rugs and pillows.

If you'd like help choosing the right mix for your store, visit our wholesale page or email us at sales@inspiredperu.com.

What Buyers Ask Us at Every Show

"Do you ship from Peru?"

If there is one question that comes up at every show, it is this one, and it matters a lot to buyers. For a store placing a first order with a brand it has never worked with, shipping from overseas means higher freight costs and more uncertainty.

Our answer: Inspired Peru is a U.S.-based company. Our pieces are handmade by artisan families in Cusco, Puno and other regions of the Peruvian Andes, and wholesale orders ship from within the United States. For a retailer, that means no international shipping and no customs paperwork on your end. You don't need a customs broker to receive your order, and that makes it much easier to say yes to a first order with a new brand. If your company prefers to receive goods in Peru and handle the import into the United States yourselves, we can do that too.

"Can you customize products for us?"

Yes. Because we are the makers, we don't require large quantities for custom work. In the wholesale world, a custom or white-label piece often costs more, because the maker has to develop a new design with new samples and reviews. When we create a custom piece for you, we don't charge extra for using colors or materials different from the ones we usually work with. We also offer white labeling and have done white-label work for many companies.

"Can we meet the artisans and see the workshop?"

Yes. It's part of the relationship between our clients and our artisans. We love it when clients travel to Peru to meet our artisan families and create products together, right there. It's the best way to see what our skilled artisans can do, with the inspiration of being in the Andes, surrounded by our culture, natural materials and ancient techniques. Just let us know before you plan your trip, and we'll arrange the visit with you.

Every Piece Is Signed by the Artisan Who Made It

Every Inspired Peru piece ships with a Certificate of Authenticity, and every certificate is signed by hand by the artisan who made that piece. Not a logo or a stamp, but a name. When a certificate is signed "Enrique," it means my father made that piece himself.

For a store, that certificate does a lot of quiet work. It answers the question customers always ask about a handmade piece: who made this? It gives your staff a true story to share, and it goes home with the customer, inside the gift. Each piece also comes with an Artisan Story Card, with a QR code customers can scan to learn more about the artisans behind our work.

Learn more about our Certificate of Authenticity or meet the artisan families behind our work.

Tips for Buyers Shopping a Trade Show

After many seasons on the other side of the booth, here are a few simple things we've seen make a big difference for buyers:

• Don't forget your business cards. We see buyers run out all the time. Pro tip: keep a photo of your card on your phone. Many vendors, including us, can simply take a picture of it, which saves paper.
• Not ready to order at the show? Take pictures. Photograph the pieces you like with the vendor's business card or brochure in the same shot. Buyers talk to so many companies in a day that it's impossible to remember who made what.
• Ordering at the show? Keep a copy of your written order. Take a copy with you or ask the vendor to email it to you. We do this as standard practice, and it helps you keep track of your spending across the show so you don't overbuy.

Working Directly With Peruvian Artisan Families

Inspired Peru is 100% Peruvian-owned and has worked with artisan families in Peru since 2011. Today we work with more than 35 indigenous Andean artisan families, and each piece is made by hand by a single artisan. My father still makes some pieces himself.

When a store carries our pieces, it is carrying the work of real artisan families in Peru. That is the story we tell at our booth, and it is the story your customers will take home.

How to Order Wholesale

There are two ways to start ordering our wholesale alpaca products:

• Email us at sales@inspiredperu.com to set up a wholesale account or ask any wholesale question.
• Order on Faire. We were one of the first brands to join Faire. You can find us at inspiredperu.faire.com.

You can also learn more on our wholesale page.

Where to Meet Us in 2027

We will be exhibiting at Shoppe Object, February 7–9, 2027, at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in New York City. Our booth number will be posted here once it's confirmed.

If you are a buyer, come find us. Touch the pieces, see the work up close and ask us anything. And if you can't make it to New York, email us at sales@inspiredperu.com. We'd love to hear from you.

Carlos Arias, founder, Inspired Peru