vidalia &8212; Opening a sporting goods store seemed the right thing to do, the owner of a new shop in Vidalia said earlier this week.

Susan Meyers had spent more than 20 years in the sporting goods field but never as her own boss. The opportunity arose, and she is glad she seized it.

&8220;I had decided to take a year off from work,&8221; she said. &8220;But I found out staying at home was not for me. We started talking about what kind of store we could open.&8221;

Hometown Sports, 1640 Carter St., is next door to Meyers Electric, where her husband, Johnny, has worked in the family business for nearly 30 years.

The two of them bought the land, built the building and opened the store in April.

Susan Meyers said she decided to make LSU items a major focus of the store while also carrying items related to all the other major universities, including the Mississippi ones.

&8220;I decided to hit LSU hard, and I have done well with that,&8221; she said, pointing to all the items with the LSU insignias.

She also has bought with the Louisiana schools in mind and can outfit students in Vidalia, Ferriday, Monterey and Ridgecrest in their school uniforms.

The inventory is heavily tilted toward the kinds of things that sell regularly. &8220;I wanted to put things in here that would move,&8221; she said.

Because she has good contacts with wholesalers who can ship overnight, she is confident customers will be happy with their service, she said.

Already, some regular customers are stopping by. &8220;They say they&8217;re glad we&8217;re here, glad they don&8217;t have to cross the bridge,&8221; she said. &8220;Some of them are saying when the new Wal-Mart opens they&8217;ll never cross the bridge.&8221;

Johnny Meyers said he has been pleased at how their friends and neighbors have reacted to Hometown Sports. &8220;The people who come in here have had good things to say about it,&8221; he said.

Susan Meyers said some people have been surprised that a woman would open a sporting goods store. &8220;But this is what I know,&8221; she said. &8220;And most people have said they are just glad to see me do this.&8221;