Readers' Choice: Jerry's Sporting Goods Wins Hearts of Sports Fans

You want bats, balls, gloves, running gear, soccer stuff, then the favorite place in Santa Cruz is ts, according to voters in a Patch survey.

The store, which is on Soquel Ave., across from , took over the space that Harley Davidson gave up almost two years ago.

According to its website:

"We are a family owned and operated sports and “active lifestyle” equipment store providing great customer service to Santa Cruz county since the late 70’s. Our qualified and knowledgeable staff is ready to assist you with specialized service, making sure you are purchasing the right product for your active lifestyle.

"We opened our doors to the public on December 11, 1978. The East side of Santa Cruz has always been “home,” although the store has occupied a number of different locations on Soquel Avenue around the mid-town area. The move into our most recent location at 1148 Soquel Ave. fits us perfectly as its where our roots have always resided."

Beside just goods, the building has some sports: two batting cages where little or big leaguers can practice their stuff, on or off season.

The store has donated the money from the cages one day each week to Bryan Stow's recovery fund. During the slowest season for baseball last year, between December 7 and Christmas, they opened the cages for free to anyone.

No wonder people love them.