The U.S. Postal Service delivered as promised.
There is a new post office operator at the Holmes Beach contract mail office in time to maintain continuous service.
Mail, Etc. opened July 1 at 5354 Gulf Drive.
The new contract postal unit serves Holmes Beach after another CPU lease expired June 30, USPS communications program specialist Enola Rice confirmed June 27.
The business manager is Diana Rowe. The postal operator is Laura Ritter.
“The transition occurred Saturday,” said Rowe, along with a meet-and-greet.
What business will occupy the front portion of the postal outlet is yet to be determined, Rowe said.
Rowe said she and her partner decided to see if they could keep the postal contract in Holmes Beach when they heard the previous operators were retiring. They chose Mail, Etc., as their corporate name.
Longtime employee Sue Phillips was retained, Rowe said.
“She’s worked at the post office here for many years,” Rowe said.
Mail, Etc. provides service to in-store box customers along with full-service shipping, printing, fax and notary services.
Mail, Etc. is open from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays.
The operators succeed Julie Quinlivan and Sally Woodward, whose run ended June 30.
Quinlivan and Woodward notified USPS of their plans to retire April 28 after roughly 18 months of operations.
“We’re retiring and that’s the end of the story,” said Quinlivan. “We were happy to provide the service.”
USPS had at least three confirmed applications.
Rebecca and Eric St. Jean, who have owned and operated Island Mail & More at 3230 E. Bay Drive for nearly four years, confirmed they applied for the contract.
But contract business units are not allowed to provide private mailbox services, third-party delivery services or any competing services similar to those offered by USPS, which disqualified Island Mail & More.
Island Mail & More received many calls from customers about moving their post office boxes, St. Jean said. “Now, it’s not an issue.”
Customers will retain their post office boxes at Mail, Etc.