Universal Sole opened for business on Nov. 21 at its new location at 3254 N. Lincoln. The new setup has been the vision of Universal Sole owner Paul Peters for a long time, and he has been able to make it happen at last.

"Everything I wanted to do is finally becoming a reality," said Peters, whose old store was one block north. The new shop has double the space and much more, including a 50-foot section of rubberized track, complete with a set of starting blocks, so sprinters can actually get in the starting position when they are looking at new shoes.

"It's the real deal," Peters said. "I want people to know we're hard-core."

The new location is at Lincoln and School Street, next to Blockbuster Video. There is some free indoor parking off of School Street.

Peters said the grand opening is set for Dec. 13, when the store hosts its holiday fun run.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10-7 Friday, 10-6 Saturday and 12-5 Sunday. If Peters isn't there, he might be out training. He has two marathons left to get in 12 during 2001!

For more information, call 773-868-0893, or go to www.universalsole.com.

For more store information, go to www.universalsole.com.