INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Settled in 1821, Carthage is a small town in Rush County along the Big Blue River. The original settlers were Quakers who became Abolitionists, and, as a result there are several Underground Railroad sites around the town. With a population of 928, Carthage is 26 miles south of Anderson, and 31 miles east of Indianapolis.
On Thursday, March 28, 2013, the 37th Village Post Office in the Greater Indiana District will open at noon at Pavey’s Grocery, 12 N. Main St. Carthage, IN 46115. An open house will follow from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
John Pavey and two of his brothers own seven grocery stores in the area including the Carthage location. “We started out as a country store, and have found a niche in small, rural towns,” Pavey said. “We’re more than a convenience store, we offer fresh produce, meat and milk, and we’ve also set up gas pumps at each of our locations.”
Pavey said they decided to partner with the Postal Service as a way to offer an additional service and convenience to their customers. “We’ve always sold stamps, and now our customers can pick up a book of stamps, or get some Priority Mail boxes after the Post Office has closed for the day.”
The store opens from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Pavey said he was looking at the idea of opening more VPOs at his other locations.
The new postal center will be opened by the U.S. Postal Service’s Manager of Post Office Operations Carmen Jennings. Several USPS and local officials will be present at the event.
In 2011, 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.
Additional information about the Village Post Office is available at www.uspsvillagepostoffice.com.
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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
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