A different kind of pet store
Sunday, January 17, 2010
A different kind of pet store
For Michael Knick and 8-year-old son Jakob, the 90-minute trip from Covington to see a Roanoke dentist always involves a side trip to see Winky.
The 44-year-old white-faced capuchin monkey draws fans to Pet City, a family-run pet shop on Williamson Road. Though it sells a variety of pets and supplies, the Roanoke business is known for the more than half-dozen creatures such as Winky that are on display for visitors to see.
“Is this the same monkey they’ve had forever?” Knick asked one November afternoon. Winky has ruled the roost at Pet City for more than two decades.
“Wow! That’s cool,” Jakob said.
Winky’s sidekicks include a newly adopted iguana, a family of ring-tailed lemurs and a trio of weather-forecasting parrots. Perhaps the least exotic of the bunch is the store’s cat, Baxter.
