RUTLAND, Mass. - For people looking to avoid the hustle and bustle of downtown shopping, one local farm offered a Small Business Saturday experience you can't find on Main Street. 

At Alpaca-Llips Farm in Rutland, people stopped by for a Small Business Saturday Open House to pet and feed over half a dozen alpacas and llamas, also checking out some of the farm's products for sale. 

It's all the culmination of a lifelong dream for Faith Mayer, owner and operator of the farm. When the former newspaper reporter was looking for a career change more than a decade ago, she decided it was time to pursue her passion. 

"I love alpacas because I can't believe this is my life," Faith said. "I can't believe that for over 30 years, I jokingly said I was going to be a llama farmer, and here I am."

Faith has been operating the farm since 2014, with help from her husband John and her daughter Abby. 

"I was in seventh grade when we started the whole farm life, but my mom and I started alpacas when I was in fifth grade," Abby said. "Pretty much my whole grown-up life has been around alpacas, so I know them pretty well!"

They started with four alpacas and two rescue llamas, and the business grew from there. 

"The community has been extremely supportive of us, they've been terrific about helping us to grow, about telling their friends, and showing other people where we are," Faith said.

While people come to shop, they stay for the real stars of the show: Flaff, Gunsmoke, Grayson, Asher, Phinean, Phoenix and Cal.

"We welcome a lot of different groups here to learn about alpacas, learn about living on a farm, living out here close to nature," John said. 

"We spend time traveling to nursing homes with our alpacas, we do local school visits, we have kids out here for field trips," Faith said. "There's a lot of things beyond just the product."

Occasions such as Small Business Saturday help to get the word out about their wide range of alpaca wool products like socks, hats, gloves and stuffed animals. For many folks in the Rutland area, they've become a household name. 

"Our products are well-known, people speak about us, people know my name," Faith said. "Kids come up to me in the grocery store and say 'You're the llama lady!"

The event was one of many Small Business Saturday promotions throughout Worcester County, including a sale with local vendors at Redemption Rock Brewing. Free parking was offered all day at Union Station Garage, Green Street Lot, Water Street Lot and Millbury Street Lot.