It may not look out of the ordinary, but the Choate's U.S. Post Office at 4747 E. Speedway has a particularly loyal following.
During the last quarter of 2008, the tiny shop that sits behind a paint store had higher sales than any other privately owned post office of its kind in the country.
Choate's Post Office had sales of $1.5 million last year. By comparison, owner Terry Dean said national postal sales were down 20 percent for the year. Then he found out his sales were better than those of any other postal unit with accounting that is independent from the U.S. Postal Service.
The shop doesn't add a surcharge to the price of postage. A percentage of postage sales is returned to Choate's as profit.
Standing behind the counter on a busy Monday, store manager Steve Wilson warmly greets his customers, often by their first names. The shop feels more like a neighborhood barbershop than a post office.
People are also reading…
"The most important thing we believe in is customer service," Wilson said. "We just want people to leave in a good mood."
Choate's customers say they come from across town because of the customer service. Employee Matt Merrell said the relationship is close enough that he often gets food and coffee from regulars.
"Even when the line is out the door, people still come because these guys are so pleasant," said Judie Berendt, who drives out of her way to get to Choate's.
Nowadays, "big-box" stores and chains dominate the business scene, but Choate's customers said they appreciate the close attention they receive from this small business.
Choate's post office has been in business for 22 years and employs four people. Dean began his career with Choate's True Value Hardware, which went of out of business eight years ago. But Dean gathered up his experience of making people feel welcome in the hardware business and took it to the postal business.
"Service isn't something you think of when you think of the post office, but we treat people the way we want to be treated," he said. "It's not always about the bottom line — it's about helping people and making things happen."
Customers were surprised when they heard of the store's high sales.
"Get out of here! That's not possible," Ida Plotkin said when she learned the news. "Well, congratulations and good luck."