INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Delong is a hamlet in Fulton County that’s close by several busier towns. And for the people of this rural metropolis in Central Indiana not losing a postal presence to those larger places was crucial. That is why the owners of the local convenience store decided to partner with the U.S. Postal Service and open a Village Post Office (VPO) in Delong.
Tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 14, 2012, Delong becomes the ninth VPO to open in the Greater Indiana District. The VPO is in the L & B Country Oasis, 9109 Olson Road, Delong, IN 46922.
Lynn Walters, owner of L & B Country Oasis said they decided to sign up with the Postal Service as a VPO to keep a postal presence in the town, and also as a convenience to the community.
“We’re sort of the ‘if you build it, they will come’ of Delong,” Walters said. “We’ve been here 20 years, and we see ourselves as providing a community service, and that’s what I see we’re doing with this VPO. I also wanted to make sure to keep my address and ZIP Code — they mean a lot to me,” Walters said.
The store opens from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. As the store is open later than the Post Office during the week, and open on Saturdays and Sundays, Walters sees this as convenience for those who wish to buy stamps or get postal products outside postal hours.
The new postal center will be officially opened by Manager of Post Office Operations Tangela Bush and several USPS executives and local officials will be present at the event. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 12:30 p.m. and an open house will follow from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Last year, the Postal Service introduced the VPO model as an alternate retail location for postal products and services, especially in rural communities.
VPOs are operated by local businesses contracting with the Postal Service, and offer a range of popular postal products and services including stamps and flat-rate packaging.
Delong is the 53rd VPO to open nationwide. Two more VPOs are slated to open in the Greater Indiana District in September — Burlington on Sept. 24 and Spiceland on Sept. 25.
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