NATCHEZ &8212; Customer response already has proven their decision was a good one, said G. Bradley Harrison, owner with his wife, Genny, of the new UPS Store on John R. Junkin Drive.

&8220;Everybody has been so pleased,&8221; said Harrison, who recently moved back to his roots with his wife and their daughter, Christi.

&8220;Genny and I bought the Mellen House and we were ready to move up here, and she said, &8216;this town doesn&8217;t have a UPS store,&8217;&8221; Harrison said.

The family moved from Baton Rouge, where Harrison will continue to maintain the main office of his investment company, with his Natchez investment office located in the same building with the UPS Store.

&8220;This is a fabulous location,&8221; Harrison said. The store is located in the area formerly occupied by Cellular South. &8220;Everyone is pleased.&8221;

Natchez always has been home to him, Harrison said. &8220;When we first got married, we thought of moving here, but we didn&8217;t. When Christi was about to turn 5, I said I want to raise her in the town I was raised in.&8221;

It did not take Harrison long to build the team he wanted &8212; Ron Smilo, who worked in management with International Paper for 15 years and another large company after that, is store manager.

Henry Butler, known by many for his years of working at Sports Center, is assistant manager. &8220;Everyone who hunts and fishes knows Henry,&8221; Harrison said. &8220;And he&8217;s a certified UPS packer.&8221;

Smilo said the store has a good atmosphere, mainly due to the types of services offered. &8220;We&8217;ve already exceeded our expectations on sales,&8221; he said. &8220;And the customer count is increasing.&8221;

What does a UPS store do? Most everyone knows about the shipping, but the store also packages; offers mailbox services and freight services; has copying, finishing and printing services; sells office supplies and packaging and moving supplies; and offers notary services.

&8220;And we&8217;re pioneering a new concept,&8221; Smilo said. &8220;We&8217;re offering inventory management for small businesses.&8221;

Small companies may store their inventory at The UPS Store, call and provide shipping directions and the store will take over from there.

&8220;We have a bay, a large storage area,&8221; Smilo said. &8220;They can call and we will box and ship the order for them.&8221;

The UPS Store is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The telephone number is 601-304-2331.