Where to Shop for Sporting Goods in Middletown

Years ago, William Pederson ran Bill's Sporting Goods on Main Street, in the storefront now occupies. Now that spring is in full spring, many parents are searching for sports equipment for indoor and outdoor pursuits.

We culled the city's shops that offer items like baseballs, ballet slippers, basketballs and the like. Vote for your favorite by clicking on the directory listing for the business (in blue) and clicking on the number of stars you feel their service and inventory warrants.

Your neighbors will be thankful!

Earlier version:

The calendar says spring has arrived, and so does the return of the robins. But other telltale signs that the weather is getting warmer — and outdoor activities more popular — are the countless baseball mitts and bats, footballs and basketballs strewn about your home and yard.

When it comes to buying the gear necessary to play in the game, or pursue your favorite outdoor hobby, where is your favorite local place to shop for sporting goods? This is your chance to share with Patch readers the best place to go in your town or in your area by checking out Middletown Patch's directory.

If you shop in nearby towns, check out the Patch directories in these towns for suggestions:

Berlin Patch

Meriden Patch

West Hartford Patch

Share your suggestions and give us your opinions and we'll tell you who the best of the best is based on your nominations and votes.

As a reminder, here's how our Readers' Choice feature works:

• We'll ask a question about your favorites.
• We invite you to post your nominations in the comments below.
• We hope you'll also spread the word about this to your friends on Facebook and Twitter and get them involved.
• Submit comments until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Then:

• We'll take the nominees and post a poll first thing Thursday morning.
• After the poll starts on Thursday, you'll be able to vote till Friday at 9 a.m.
• On Saturday, we announce the winner.

This review is all about you — your ideas, your feedback and your voice — so we hope you will chime in and check back.

Here are the full .