Green Gable Alpacas — Local services in Birch Hill

We stopped by Green Gable Alpacas with the intention of shopping and were aware we would not be seeing animals, as their website clearly states that a tour must be booked for that. As an avid crocheter and lover of crafts, I’d been genuinely looking forward to visiting the shop as part of a vacation we’d been planning for months.

The wool from their alpacas was beautiful — mostly finer weights, though I had hoped for chunkier options. The knit goods, like socks, were sourced from South America and Quebec, which made them less appealing to me since I was hoping for knit goods directly from their farm.

Although the website indicates the shop is open to the public without needing to take part in a tour, it didn’t quite feel set up for relaxed browsing. Part of my group was asked why we were there immediately upon entering the parking lot, and they ultimately decided not to go inside after feeling a little unwelcome. When I arrived inside the shop shortly after, carrying a young child, I was informed they could touch anything in the shop except for a particular device. While I’m sure it was well-intended, it caught me off guard and added to an atmosphere that felt somewhat guarded and uncomfortable.

What I had hoped would be a warm, local shopping stop with friends left me feeling like we had done something wrong by coming to visit their shop.

I’m sure the tour experience is lovely — for those booking it, this could be a great stop. But for those hoping to casually browse the shop, I’d recommend adjusting expectations. It may also be wise to call in advance or order...

I had recommended this spot to tourist friends. We arrived to find we could only visit the Alpacas by going on the tour, which was another hour and a half from when we arrived. We could stand at the fence and have and a look but were told we were not allowed to take pictures. 🙄 Sales at the shop were quite pushed, which I do understand, the business needs to make money. But even that, the products were not Island made. Very disappointed

IN RESPONSE TO OWNER: My group was four adults. The person who told us "No pictures" was very clear, as we were all surprised by it and discussed it among ourselves. Though, yes, one member took a couple (literally 2) anyway. I asked if any items were Island made and was told they were made in Quebec. No Island products was another item my little group discussed privately. I completely understand and wholly appreciate the need to look after the well-being of the animals, which is why I recommended your farm. I will admit to going no further than seeing your name in a list of things to do on PEI so was not aware of tours only. Unfortunately, your times did not meet our day's schedule. As for coming back, I was there years ago when the field was open. It's too bad my guests from out of province missed out...

We visited Green Gable Alpacas at 3:45pm on a Thursday afternoon, well aware there were no scheduled events for meeting alpacas. We were simply headed to visit the store and intended to purchase the highly recommended alpaca socks. Unfortunately upon stepping out of the vehicle, the owner was extremely rude, very concerned that there were too many of us in our party (multiple families) and was visibly annoyed at our being there. The sign on the door said “open” so I can’t understand why she did not want our business. We unfortunately left without stepping inside the store as we did not feel welcome at all on the property.

Edit to add: While we may not have been clear about the number in our party, we were clear that we only intended to visit the shop. At no point did we suggest we wanted a tour or to visit the alpacas. The owner is making assumptions about that. I’m not sure why the number of our party mattered to visit the store or why that information was needed to “prepare”, there was nothing to prepare we just wanted to purchase something from the existing store. Nothing on the website indicates reservations required to...