Just weeks after downtown Sykesville received the 2026 Great American Main Street Award, a Carroll County alpaca farm has opened a retail storefront in the heart of the historic district.
Black Barn Alpacas, co-owned by couple Yussy and Travis McManus, celebrated the grand opening of The Shoppe by Black Barn Alpacas on Saturday at 7606 Main St., offering clothing, yarn, home goods and gifts made from alpaca fiber sourced from the farm’s herd.
The new store marks the first downtown retail location for the agritourism business, which operates a farm about 15 minutes from Sykesville and is known for alpaca encounters, tours and seasonal events.
For the McManuses, however, the store represents the latest chapter in a business that began during an uncertain moment hundreds of miles away.
Like many Americans in 2020, the couple found themselves reevaluating their future during the COVID-19 pandemic. Travis McManus had spent his childhood raising cattle. Yussy McManus grew up with horses. After years working in corporate careers, they began discussing what kind of farm they wanted to build. Living on 16 acres in Texas, they wanted to reconnect with the agricultural lifestyles they had grown up around.
“We both felt really drawn to go back to farm life,” Yussy McManus said.
They considered several livestock options before stumbling upon alpacas.
“Why not alpacas?” Yussy McManus said.
The couple visited a local alpaca farm, and the decision came quickly.
“It was love at first sight for us,” Yussy McManus said. “We loved how sustainable they were. We loved how kind and gentle they were, and then also the luxury fiber that they produced.”
Travis McManus said he and his wife were drawn to Sykesville after visiting the town shortly after moving to Carroll County.
“We walked up and down the streets and thought, ‘This is a really neat little town,'” Travis McManus said. “For two years, we manifested wanting to get here.”
The business began with about 20 alpacas and has since grown to approximately 150 animals after relocating to Maryland nearly three years ago.
The business has expanded beyond raising livestock into agritourism, educational programming and retail.
Visitors can tour the farm, attend birthday parties and seasonal festivals, meet the alpacas and purchase products made from the animals’ fleece.
The brand-new storefront carries products including socks, sweaters, blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and yarn made from alpaca fiber. According to the owners, the fiber is naturally hypoallergenic, and the animals are shorn annually for their health, making fleece harvesting part of their routine care.
To celebrate the opening, four young alpacas, named Stevie Ray Fawn, Goldpiece, Diadi, and Vincent stole the show, greeting visitors outside the store. The animals, each about 1 year old, regularly participate in public appearances and livestock shows.
Yussy McManus described Vincent as the farm’s “social director.”
“He loves to come up and meet new people,” Yussy McManus said. “He loves snacks.”
The owners hope the downtown location will complement the farm’s tourism business while introducing more visitors to alpaca products and the animals themselves.
“This is something we want to do for a long time,” Travis McManus said. “We hope to be here for 25 years or longer.”
