She sells camoflaged & all terrain golf carts

PINE ISLAND-All Diane Ferretti wanted was a quiet little vehicle to help her get around her large Greenville property. What she ended up with is a booming business selling golf carts. A golfer herself, Ferretti loved the peaceful, slow little carts she used on the green. "When I found a second hand cart to use as a utility vehicle at home my girlfriends fell in love. They wanted one too." So she located several for them. The demand grew and before long Ferretti was ordering carts by the trailer load.Now, two years after she opened Orange County Golf Carts on the corner of County Route One and Liberty Corners Road, Pine Island, she is already in the export business, shipping carts to Russia. Locally, Ferretti is selling not just to homeowners for yard use, but to horse farms, seniors who use them in housing developments and hunters who want the new, all terrain 4 x 4 golf carts, detailed with camouflage, for use in the woods. Since October a number of sales have been for Christmas gifts. "For one local buyer we detailed a cart to look like a NASCAR as a gift for his NASCAR-avid Dad." Carts can also be converted to resemble Hummers and the classic 1957 Chevy. Ferretti deals in new and used carts, and ones that run on gas or batteries. Prices range from $1,000 to $14,000 for models with all the bells and whistles. The accessories include mowers and snow plows, canopies, cabins with heaters, stereos, and kits to convert carts for road use. In most states they are strictly off-road. "What people love about them," says Ferretti, "is that they are small, silent, economical, and environmentally sound. And because they normally go at about 14 mph, they are safe." Ferretti's golf carts can be seen at Orange County Automotive in Pine Island and, as a Christmas promotion, in the Galleria Mall. For more information check out www.orangecountygolfcarts.com or 258-4444.