GENTRY — Inside the old Backer's Variety Store building, at 232 E. Main Street in Gentry, one won'tfind shelves of merchandise anymore, but a batting cage, complete with pitching machines for batting practice, whether it be for baseball or softball.
Giving kids something to do was among the reasons Kevin and Katrina Cryer opened a new business called Cages on Gentry's Main Street. They wanted to do something for the community.
For a dollar, one can take a crack at 12 pitches. The whole cage can also be rented by the half hour (for $25) or the hour (for $40) to allow extended practice with the bat for individuals or whole teams.
Kevin said he's taken kids to practice batting before but had to drive all the way to Bentonville to spend time in a batting cage. With the Main Streetbuilding empty, he had the idea of filling the building and providing something to do for kids which isn't available to them on the west side of the county. Though there are battingcages at the Reynolds Sports Complex at the high school, they don't have pitching machines available for those who wish to improve their batting skills.
"We wanted to give these kids something to do," the Cryers said. "And it fills a Main Street building too and may help other businesses by bringing people into Gentry." "Now, we've got one less empty building on Main Street," Katrina said, voicing her desire to see Gentry continue to grow.
Kevin said his business could provide an opportunity for coaches or high school baseball players to put on batting clinics for younger players and voiced his interest in working with coaches to make that possible.
The business openedMay 10 and is just finishing up its second week. Patrons were not standing in line to bat, but a few were beginning to come in and try their skills in the cage. Now that school is out and more people are finding out that the new business is there, Kevin is anticipating things will pick up.
He's also got some plans to add new features to his business. Included in the list were video games - especially of the sports variety - X-Box tournaments, Madden games and more. He's even been looking into the possibility of installing some old arcade games, all with the thought of giving Gentry youth a place to go and things to do without leaving town.
Though most businesses are focused on profit, Kevin said he didn't really expect to make much of a profit.
"I know I'm not going to get rich at this," Kevin said; "but, hopefully, it will pay for itself, and maybe I'll make a little."
Cages is open from 2 to 8 p.m. seven days a week. It's also available at other times by appointment, which could prove helpful if a coach wishes toschedule some time with his team.
For more information on Cages or to reserve thefacility, call the Cryers at 212-0062.
Sports, Pages 9 on 05/23/2012