Jim and Ruthie Borrell would never have guessed that they would return to the place where they spent their honeymoon 32 years ago to live and open a business.

But they have done just that. They are the new owners of ShipOnSite in the Broad Street Plaza at the corner of West Illinois Avenue and Broad Street in Southern Pines.

Both avid golfers, the Borrells traveled from Pennsylvania to Pinehurst in 1973 for their honeymoon. Six years later, they moved to Sanford, to work and raise their three children.

"We found the small-town atmosphere of Sanford wonderfully nurturing for our family," Ruthie Borrell said, "but after our youngest left for college, we decided to move to our dream spot -- a golf course home -- and we built a home at Longleaf."

They decided that Southern Pines is the perfect place for both golf and work.

"We were looking for a business opportunity and learned about ShipOnSite through an ad in The Pilot," Jim Borrell said. "After talking to the business owners, we decided it would be a wonderful opportunity for us in providing shipping services and eBay selling assistance in Southern Pines."

Company founders John and Kathy Brewer have begun to market the ShipOnSite business model beyond the original Raleigh area. The Southern Pines store, the company's 20th, opened March 2.

To the Borrells, one of the most attractive parts of ShipOnSite is that it is not a franchise. Each store is independently owned, giving the owners freedom to develop customer services and product lines that specifically fulfill the business and shipping needs unique to their customer base.

ShipOnSite is a shipping business with DHL, FedEX and the USPS as the main carriers. The location of the store at 135 W. Illinois Ave. was chosen because of its convenient location and ample door-front parking.

"We searched for a site that is easy to get to, easy to park and easy to get packages into the store," the Borrell said.

The store offers packaging materials for sale, or it can package the shipment for the customer.

ShipOnSite also carries several lines of unique greeting cards, gifts and various office supplies. It also sells stamps with no mark up.

Business services such as business card printing, copying, fax services, passport photos, notary, mail box and hourly office rentals are also offered.

What makes ShipOnSite unique in the shipping business is its companion business, AuctionsOnSite, an eBay trading assistant service, according to the Borrells.

"We call AuctionsOnSite 'eBay the easy way,'" Borrell said. "You bring us an item; we research it for market value, professionally photograph the item, list it effectively, and ship it to the buyer if it sells. All our customers have to do is bring us the item. We do all the work and then send them a check. There is no risk to the seller because we pay the listing fees if the item doesn't sell, plus our customer's privacy is protected. And, because we are a shipping business, our customers can feel confident that their items will be properly packed and shipped."

AuctionsOnSite is a consignment service, with sellers earning about 67 percent of the selling price of their item. Items that sell for more than $1,000 will net the seller about 75 percent. Automobiles have a flat rate of $500 for cars costing more than $5,000.

AuctionsOnSite also offers an eBay in-store "Buy It Now" display area where customers can shop and buy items from the floor.

Store hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The telephone number is 692-2710. Information is also available on its Web site at www.ShipOnSiteSouthernPines.com.

A grand opening was held Friday, March 30.