by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Following Friday’s closing of the old Federal Courthouse, the post office boxes housed inside have been moved to Ziba Hair Salon on Hogan Street in the Edward Ball Building. And while nearly 400 people were mindful to trade in their keys last week, long lines formed yesterday morning as the new facility — the Downtown Contract Postal Unit — opened for business.
“We’ve been very, very busy,” said Marie Fillman, a small business specialist who has worked for the United States Postal Service for 22 years. “I would say the majority of people got their keys on Friday but we’ve had about 50 or 60 today. My feet are killing me.”
“Awkward” is a good way to describe the layout of the unit with mailboxes and postal workers providing a stark and near-jarring contrast to the styling products and beauticians cutting hair. It’s even a little difficult to distinguish where one business ends and the other begins. If you stay a few minutes, you can figure it out, but on first glance it looks like a juxaposition of misaligned elements.
Amidst the moans of the crowd, postal workers admitted there would be a few minor kinks to be worked out while the unlikely partnership with the salon settles.
“We’re in a transition period, right now,” said station manager Bill Tyler of the thousand mailbox unit. “It may last as long as a week or two, but we’ll do whatever’s necessary until everything gets sorted out.”
Open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, it will operate like any other post office.
“It’s no different,” said Tyler. “You can do all of your regular mailing and also buy stamps or other postage items. There’s always a large crowd on the first day, but everything should work out fine.”