About

Who We Are

At Alpaca Barber, we are focused on providing alpaca and llama shearing services with the highest levels of customer satisfaction – we will do everything we can to meet your expectations.

With a variety of offerings to choose from, we’re sure you’ll be happy working with us. Look around our website and if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us. We hope to see you again! Check back later for new updates to our website. There’s much more to come!

Why Us?

We are a local, husband-wife team from Lakeview Michigan servicing farms across the mitten and beyond. We are both fiber artists who understand the importance of preserving usable fiber length and grades. We provide a gentler approach to animal handling, treating your herds and flocks as if they were our own, with the care and respect they deserve. We strive to create a relaxed, stress-free environment on shearing day and provide you with top-notch customer service. If you are interested in a different shearing-day experience, contact us today to schedule your appointment!

Meet the Team!

Hi! I'm Katelyn Goff, most people call me Katie. My parents started Alpaca Barber in 1997. Being home-schooled meant that growing up I was able to travel with my family every spring as we went from farm to farm shearing alpacas and llamas, and the occasional sheep or goat. I learned young how to handle the animals, grade the fibers, trim top-knots and toenails, and care for the equipment. In the spring of 2006 I began shearing in earnest with my dad, Dave, and have been going strong ever since! When a minor injury knocked dad out for the latter part of the 2011 season, he decided to retire a little early from shearing. My fiance and I finished out the season, got married over the summer, and officially took ownership of Alpaca Barber on December 22, 2011. One of my favorite things about shearing alpacas and llamas is meeting new people and catching up with old friends. My least favorite thing is probably the stress of scheduling, or spit. I really hate spit!

Hi! I'm Matt Goff! I married into the world of alpacas in 2011 when I married the love of my life, Katie. I like to say Katie is the brains of Alpaca Barber, and I am the brawn. I began my adventure into becoming a shearer in the spring of 2010. I helped Katie and her Dad out at as many farms as my work schedule allowed that year, learning about the animals, shearing, and the machines as I went. Dave taught me the fine (though smelly) art of trimming teeth and toenails. Part-way through the following spring on a particularly long day of shearing, I was decided it was time to give this whole 'shearing thing' a try when Katie needed a break. Under the watchful eye of Dave, I sheared my first alpaca. Later that same year when Dave's injury needed time to heal without the constant battering of shearing, I quit my full time job to take over the shearing with Katie. Since then, I have become an alpaca owner and I have also learned to spin, knit, and weave. I may have preferred to become a cattle farmer, but I am glad to be on this journey with my wife!