Adam,
Since you're around the area of a few other smiths on this site I would suggest looking up a brian brazeal style striking anvil. These seem to be fairly cheap to build and would probably suit you better then a store bought anvil like a harbor freight, or other cast iron ASO. Also, you might want to get in touch with the blacksmith association down in MS and they'll probably be able to help you through getting started a lot faster.
Jeff