By Karla Brown – President/Principal/Senior Broker, The Colorado Group, Inc.

BOULDER — Paka Apparel Inc., known for its everyday clothing and activewear made from Peruvian alpaca and other natural fibers, has leased 5,165 square feet at 2010 Eighth Street in downtown Boulder for its North American headquarters.

The space will house company offices, product development and repair services, and host community events.  Karla Brown with the commercial brokerage The Colorado Group, Inc. assisted Paka in securing the space, which also served for many years as the design headquarters for the Smartwool brand.

The move comes a decade after founder Kris Cody launched the company from his University of Virginia dorm room, inspired by a backpacking trip to Peru. “Getting the keys to our first real U.S. home exactly a decade later feels surreal,” Cody said in a company release.

Paka has more than 20 full-time employees in the United States and Peru, where it operates a flagship retail store in Cusco.