Event Central: Goat yoga at CountryMax Stores
After their first class sold out in 24 hours, CountryMax Stores knew they had a hit with a goat yoga class. Now, they host several sessions per year and demand keeps growing. Brian Rapp, creative director, explains why it’s a big draw — and how other garden centers can partner with local organizations to host events in their stores.
How did the goat yoga event come about?
One of our team members has a friend who owns Kaizen Ridge Farm, which raises goats and other farm animals. They introduced goat yoga at their farm in the summer and it was a hit. As the weather got colder, they asked if we would like to host a class in one of our stores. It sold out in 24 hours, so we scheduled another one, and another. Customers can’t seem to get enough goat yoga.
How long have you been offering goat yoga?
We hosted our first class in late October of 2023; now we’re booked a month in advance.
What has the response been like?
Response has been goat-tastic! Every session is sold out at $25 per person. Of course, most of that goes to our partners with the goats. But these classes are great traffic drivers for the stores — and they get the community talking about CountryMax.
How do you promote the event?
Email to our local customers, posters in stores and social media posts — that’s all it takes.
What has surprised you about having goat yoga at your garden center?
The surprise has been the sustainable, repeatable interest in goat yoga. We thought it might be a novelty at first, but people keep asking when the next class is. Even our store managers are asking about it.
Any advice for other garden centers considering such an event?
Finding the right partner makes all the difference. There are a lot of variables in terms of the age and socialization of the goats, safe transportation and an instructor who knows how to work with people and goats. Oh, and the poop! We had to include a “goat poop clause” in the waiver that participants sign. That’s something you don’t read every day.
Photos courtesy of CountryMax Stores.
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