Goats raise spirits in Coupeville Liquor Store

A “bah-ing” noise forced customers at the Coupeville Liquor Store to do a double-take Monday as they walked into the Main Street business.

It wasn’t a sound effect or a comical store clerk; baby goats were resting in a playpen by the cash register.

Heidi Castaneda, a liquor store employee and Coupeville farm owner, said she totes her one-week-old goats to work every Sunday and Monday.

“They’re good for business,” said Castaneda as she bottle-fed the kids, Alfred and Alfredo. “A lot of people have never seen a goat close up.”

Castaneda said she began adopting barnyard animals about three years ago—including peacocks, sheep, and chickens—and occasionally brings the newborns into the liquor store. Having the animals close by allows time for constant feeding, she said, explaining that the goats are fed every three hours, and it leaves an impression on the customers.

“They’re pretty amazed,” she said. “They want to see what’s next. They want to see all the babies.”

Castaneda is the owner of Woof Woof Woods, a dog walking and kennel-free boarding company, and she plans to open a raw milk dairy this spring. The dairy will include goat’s milk.

Her hope for Alfred and Alfredo, as with many of her other animals, is to adopt them out, possibly to a customer at the store. But she specifies, “as pets, not meat.”

The Coupeville Liquor Store is located at 306 North Main St.

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