Jon and Laura McCauley, the husband-wife team of Postal Annex in Riverwood, recently celebrated four years of serving the people of the CSRA through their store in Evans.
In 2020, between COVID and the loss of their oldest son, Jon decided he wanted to do something new. “He started looking at business opportunities and had fond memories of doing mail room and fulfillment back in college,” Laura says. That previous experience led Jon to Postal Annex. “They're a franchise out of Southern California and we love that Postal Annex is an authorized shipper with all carriers-USPS, FedEx, UPS and DHL,” Laura explains. “It’s a one-stop shop for customers and allows us to find solutions for customers across any of the carriers.”
When they opened in November 2021, Jon and Laura offered shipping, office services, and a limited selection of cards and gifts. Over the last few years, they have expanded what they offer in-store. “We have fun gift items,” Laura says. “They're small gifts, but they're unique.” They also offer special greeting cards from companies like Blue Mountain, Bald Guys, Printed Canvas, and several others.
Also in-store is Jon’s laser engraving business: 212 Enterprises. “We do the laser engraving on site,” Laura says. “He's the one who does the designs. When people come in to create an item, they're talking to the person who's going to be doing the work.” They offer a variety of items to engrave: wood, acrylic, glass, leathers, hats and hat patches, powder-coated drinkware, and more.
212 Enterprises’ presence in-store only adds to the familial atmosphere that is already present at Postal Annex. Jon and Laura are local and invested in their community. “We live three minutes from the store,” Laura says. “We live in Riverwood and serve the people of the surrounding areas.”
Being local enhances the couple’s ability to offer the best service to their community. “We've built relationships over the last four years with many of our customers and we know what's going on in their lives. Jon recognizes people, knows their names, and remembers their stories,” Laura says. “When some of our older customers don’t show up for a while, we honestly start to worry about them, using our unique connections to check on them.”
The community in the store doesn’t end there. As Christmas approaches, they have several activities in-store. “One of Santa’s elves will deliver Santa’s mailbox for the kids to drop off letters for Santa,” Laura says. This year, the Santa mailbox runs from about November 24th to around December 20th. “We also do what we call ‘What's in the Box?’ and we wrap something up from the store and you have to guess what's in it,” Laura continues. “If you guess the item, you get it.” The box with the mystery item is usually out for a week, but Laura notes that some weeks it’s figured out the first day and other weeks it stays a mystery until Friday or Saturday.
The couple hopes to continue serving and building relationships in the community for years to come. “We're here for the long run because this is our community,” Laura says. “We're invested in the service that we've provided. We want to be that one-stop, that place people come to for shipping and more.”
Postal Annex Riverwood’s services include shipping in the United States and internationally; office services such as faxing, copying, printing, and shredding; private mailboxes for those who want a street address instead of a P.O. box; video digitizing; and gifts-including items through 212 Enterprises.
To connect with Jon and Laura, visit them on Facebook where they have two pages, Postal Annex RW and 212 Enterprises, LLC, or go to their website at www.postalannex.com/location/evans/21005.