The Post Office Returns to the Local Store

Heather Gable has had it rough. During the recession, sales dropped off at Finger Lakes Coffee House, the business she owns in Van Etten, a small Upstate New York town. She had to lay off most of her employees. At least there’s one recent development to keep her optimistic: In March she opened a post office inside her store. She hopes she’ll be able to sell lattes and bagels to customers who come in to mail letters and packages. “I’d like to hire someone else and be open a few more hours,” Gable says. “This could be key.”

Gable is one of the newest business owners to sign up with the U.S. Postal Service’s nationwide Village Post Office project, which is intended to help the imperiled federal agency save money while giving local entrepreneurs a boost. The USPS has 31,272 post offices across the country. Only about 6,000 generate enough business to cover costs. In May 2012, the USPS announced a plan to save $500 million by reducing hours of service at 13,000 rural branches.