Park Postal, a retail mail and parcel center in the heart of Madison Park, has seen a streamline of new, friendly faces since its opening on Nov. 29.
"We opened [then] so we could be ready for the holiday shipping rush," said Micahel Culwell, co-owner along with Mark Doran.
Since then, the business has been booming. Park Postal, 4111 E. Madison St., was extremely busy in December and busier in January and February than its co-owners expected.
"With the limited amount of advertising that we've done, the business is doing very well," Doran said. "Now that the community is starting to understand what we offer, it is growing by the day."
Culwell and Doran decided to open Park Postal after Pharmaca, a pharmacy across the street, decided to stop its postal services.
Pharmaca manager Amy Schoenhoff said the service was discontinued because "we couldn't grow working with the U.S. Postal Service because it wasn't profitable for us. But the main reason was we were trying to run two businesses in one. It was detracting from the focus of our core business, which is health and wellness."
A 'UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY'
Both Culwell and Doran have had previous experiences in making shipments.
"Mark and I were both home-based reps. I was in charge of shipping medical devices all over the country," Culwell said.
Doran is still currently a manufacturer's representative for several companies that make high-voltage electrical and fiber-optic equipment. Having been involved in similar jobs, they have been able to apply their previous knowledge to their new business.
Culwell and Doran realized the need for a mail and parcel center was strongly desired by nearby residents after Pharmaca ended its services. "We felt with the increasing number of home businesses, the older population and the self-contained community that Madison Park is, really presented a unique opportunity for this type of business," Doran said.
A FULL-SERVICE BUSINESS
The closest post office is East Union Station in the Central Area, at 23rd Avenue and East Union Street.
Customer Maria Bridge says, "I try to avoid local post offices. The lines are always out the door! Park Postal is quick and efficient in their services. If you're in a hurry, they go the extra mile to get you in and out the door quickly. You certainly don't get that kind of service at the U.S. Post Office.... Park Postal provides full-service that is quickly fleeting in our society."
For a community that has many retired people who either don't like to drive or don't have vehicles, Park Postal's location and services are quite convenient.
Bridge also claims the need for Park Postal is undeniable. "More than a matter of convenience for me, for the elderly in our community, it provides them with mailing options they didn't have previously. With Park Postal, our entire community has options on how we want to ship items."
While Pharmaca was convenient for neighbors, it provided limited services and could not ship anything out internationally. Park Postal, however, provides many services including domestic and international shipping, DHL, FedEx, full-service packaging, mailbox rentals, printing and copying services, notary services and greeting cards from Madison Park Greetings.
Park Postal packages most anything. "A lady came in with an assembled bike, so we disassembled it, packaged it and shipped it to her son in San Diego," Culwell said.
A GRATEFUL CUSTOMER BASE
The friendly atmosphere has brought a broad range of visitors. Youngsters from Jackie's Preschool in Madrona came in to send Valentines to their parents. While there, they also received a tour of the station.
"My kids even like going to Park Postal because there is always a lollipop waiting for them!" Bridge said.
Not only has Park Postal fulfilled a community need, it has become a place synonymous with satisfaction and smiles. "Within the first few days we opened, a lady came in with fresh-baked cookies," Culwell said.
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