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A n enthusiastic sister team runs Felton Feed and Pet Supply, a small shop packed with more products than you can imagine. e sisters, local residents, are Chantal Vaughan and Myshka Everett. e store's main focus is natural, holistic, and organic pet foods. On August 5, Vaughan and Everett—both born and raised in Santa Cruz County—held a party at Felton Feed to celebrate the one-year anniversary of taking over the shop. To thank the community for the warm reception they have received since becoming business owners, they gave their customers goodie bags, discounts, and held a raffle. Vaughan and Everett are the fourth stewards of the shop, which is located across from New Leaf Market. Since taking over, they have greatly expanded the store's selections. Felton resident Shari Taylor originally opened Felton Feed in the mid-1990s. e sisters have been busy increasing the avail- able items in the small animal, horse, chicken and supplement depart- ments. "We regularly attend pet industry shows and read industry maga- zines looking to discover great new—and new to us—products," says Vaughan. ey stock a variety of bird feeders and houses, gi cards from local artists and ceramic pet bowls from a local potter. "We look forward to creating a proper rep- tile/amphibian/aquatic section in the future, as that is something sorely lacking in the Santa Cruz Mountains community." Vaughan and Everett's goal is to provide local residents a trusted place close to home where they can find a great selec- tion of pet products for animals large and small, wild and domestic, at fair prices—as well as caring staff and honest advice. "We love being a part of the close knit community and being able to contrib- ute to local fundraisers, as well as help out with those pet parents that may have fallen on hard times," says Vaughan. "We look forward to being even more active in the community going forward." ey are cur- rently looking for local artists to feature at the shop for Felton's First Fri- day Art Walks. Interested artists should contact Vaughan via email at info@feltonfeed.com or on Facebook/Instagram (Felton Feed). e sisters are a suc- cessful team. 37-year- old Vaughan serves as manager and her many roles include purchasing, customer service, sales and marketing, events, and donations. She has over a decade of experi- ence in retail, sales and management including two recent years in the pet industry as buyer/ merchandiser at Sham- poochez. 41-year-old Everett's many respon- sibilities include finance and accounting, opera- tions, repairs and main- tenance. She is also a mother of three teenage daughters. e oldest, 19, works one day a week at Felton Feed. Another staff member is Aryn Wilder, an Associate at the store. She worked with the pre- vious owners John and Valerie for approximately two years and stayed on through the ownership change. "She has been an incredible asset to Felton Feed—and to us— thanks to her integrity, compassion, dedication and knowledge," says Vaughan. "Plus, her exceptional cattle dog Kai is a welcome presence whenever she is at the shop!" ere are two adorable several-month-old "shop kitties" that live at Felton Feed full-time. Matcha and Goji are littermates that are half Siamese and half Ragdoll; the sisters adopted them from a customer. Since they are named for Matcha green tea and Goji berries, Vaughan and Everett jokingly refer to them as "antioxi-cats." Custom- ers enjoy giving the cats attention; Matcha and Goji love interacting with people and even dogs that visit the store. "ey are extremely well socialized," says Vaughan. "ey are also spoiled rotten, hav- ing several beds around the shop, tons of treats and almost every toy known to cat kind." When the sisters first decided to run a busi- ness together, Everett did extensive research, which resulted in a list of a few places-for-sale to choose from. She let Vaughan make the final choice. "It was a no-brainer for me as I love the little town of Felton and wanted to stay in the pet industry if at all possible," says Vaughan. e rest is history; both sisters are very happy with their decision. "is shop gives us the opportunity to form real connections, get to know our customers on a first name basis, and assist in every way possible when a pet has an issue," says Vaughan. "Being locals helps us to better serve our customers, as Santa Cruz County and its residents are unique," she adds. "You will never be treated like 'just another customer' at Felton Feed." ey have lots of big ideas and dreams for the shop, hoping to create a pet lovers' "hub" in the San Lorenzo Valley and surrounding areas. "We are always looking to grow, and expand our knowledge and product selection," says Vaughan. She and Everett are currently enrolled in an online vet tech course and plan to continue their education. Contact information: www. facebook.com/feltonfeed, www. feltonfeed.com, 831-335-1212, 6221 Highway 9, Felton (Note from Tara—please include Facebook page in the Sentinel article, as the web site is a work-in-progress and doesn't have much info at this time) San Lorenzo VaLLey Sister Act Takes Charge of Felton Feed Photos taken by Cameron Everett by Tara Fatemi Walker SAn LorEnzo VALLEy ChAmbEr monThLy EVEnTS see more inside and online aT www.slvchamber.org/events networking mixers & ribbon Cuttings Environmental Committee meetings business building Workshops & Seminars First Friday Art Walks San Lorenzo Valley history Lecture Series Exploring the San Lorenzo river Tours museum & Gallery Exhibits Leadership Santa Cruz County

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