by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
In October, UPS Store owners Terry and Vikki Wilkins will mark their four-year anniversary. And, those four years have been a roller coaster ride. Business hasn’t just gone up and down. It has fluctuated dramatically as the buildings surrounding their Hogan Street store have emptied and filled.
“Since mid-May when VyStar opened, the Ed Ball Building filled up, we are about back to even,” said Vikki Wilkins.
“Now with that building full, sales are up. We are looking forward to the Dalton Agency opening soon,” said Terry Wilkins.
The husband and wife team haven’t worked together at the store since day one. Their professional union came about as an accident — one that wasn’t very good. Terry had opened the store and Vikki was still working part-time at a dentist’s office and part-time helping Terry at the UPS Store when their house caught on fire. Hurricane Frances was cruising through the area and one night on the way home they noticed smoke coming from their neighborhood.
“A candle was left burning,” said Terry.
There was extensive damage and Vikki spent a great deal of her time shuttling between the store and home to meet insurance adjusters. Terry and Vikki realized they enjoyed working together.
“The writing was on the wall and we enjoy it,” said Vikki.
“She just stayed working here and it worked out great,” said Terry.
Today, the UPS store is part shipping facility, part post office, part copying and fax service. Part nearly everything.
“You really have to offer lots of services,” said Vikki.
Aside from shipping and postal services, copying is becoming a big part of their business. Terry said a few law firms come into town four times a year and have them do all of their copying. All as in 80,000 to 100,000 copies. That kind of job entails taking the files apart, copying them, creating a PDF file and putting them back together.
“They will come in on a Thursday and drop off six to eight boxes and want everything back by Monday,” said Terry. “We will stay to 11 o’clock on Saturday and Sunday night to get it done.”
The store also offers fingerprinting services. Terry said they fingerprint 2-5 people a day, many of whom have jobs that now require fingerprints. Vikki said the Jessica Lunsford Act requires anyone working on School Board property to be fingerprinted as a condition of employment.