VIDALIA &045; Over the past year, Pam Vance and Eboni Campbell have worked the day shift at Hammer’s Drive Thru in Vidalia.

The two enjoy meeting their customers curbside in a barn-like building open on both ends.

&uot;I love it. I love being around people.

You get to meet new people all the time,&uot; Pam said.

The business &045; which sells liquors, beer and cigarettes to customers who never leave their vehicles &045; has operated on U.S. 84 since 1984.

And the concept of the drive-through liquor store may be unique to Louisiana.

&uot;We have people from out-of-town stop in just to take pictures. They say they’ve never seen anything like it,&uot; Pam said.

Aside from packaged liquor and beer, Pam and Eboni also mix drinks in Styrofoam cups for customers &045; but only in compliance with the state’s open container laws.

&uot;It’s not an open container if the cup has a lid and the straw has not been inserted into the cup,&uot; Eboni said.

Clerks have to attend classes and complete three months of on-the-job training at Hammer’s before they are allowed to mix drinks.

Eboni, who has two children, does not drink or smoke herself.

&uot;I try to set a good example for my kids,&uot; she said.

There is also a brisk trade among teenagers for sodas and icees. But Pam and Eboni said they are careful not to sell alcohol or tobacco products to underage buyers.

&uot;We card a lot. We card everybody that we don’t know and we think might be underage,&uot; Pam said.

The store also sells a few snacks and grocery items such as bread and milk.

But the convenience of the drive-through service is the overriding attraction for customers like Alan Byrd, who stopped in on a recent Saturday morning to get a pack of cigarettes.

&uot;I just woke up actually, and I’m not dressed to get out yet,&uot; Byrd said.