But even the regulars were having to take a second look when they entered the store on Thursday.
Instagram famous Hephner the mild-mannered alpaca and his owner Robert Fletcher stopped by to have a stroll around the store, and lend a hand to serve a few customers on his way through town.
They came through Deni during their road trip to raise money for mental health programs.
Shop owner Mark Ritchie described Hephner as “well kept, extremely tame, with a soft white coat and just so gentle natured”.
“The staff and customers enjoyed patting him.
“He was loving the attention, and is obviously very used to people.
“After he had a stroll around the shop I took him behind the counter to help serve a few customers - he was great”.
Hephner’s mother was named ‘Playgirl’, which is how he got his name.
Thanks to an Instagram page in his honour, a star was born.
In July, owner Robert came up with an idea to raise money for mental health charity BeyondBlue, a cause close to his heart having lost a friend to suicide.
After TV stints, Royal Show wins and becoming a dad, Hephner’s popularity served he and Robert well and off they set on a pub crawl across New South Wales.
Deniliquin was lucky to be a brief stop on his journey and the fundraising has been overwhelming and exceeded expectations so far.
If you would like to follow his journey you can visit Hephner the Alpaca on Facebook.
~ Anyone requiring crisis support can contact Accessline on 1800 800 944, Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14, BeyondBlue on 1300 224 636 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. Information is also available at www.denimentalhealth.org.au.
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