Indianapolis, IN — The tiny town of Birdseye (population 415) in southern Indiana got its name, so the legend goes, when the Rev. “Bird” Johnson was selecting a location for the first Post Office and declared “this spot suits Bird’s eye.”
On Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013 another Post Office connection will be established when the 54th Village Post Office (VPO) in the Greater Indiana District opens at Birdseye General Store, 207 Ingle St. Birdseye, Indiana 47513.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony takes place at 3 p.m. (Central Standard Time) and an open house will follow from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Kelly Wiseman and her husband, Steve, bought the store in 2008. Known as “Kelly G.” when she worked for WBKR radio in Owensboro, KY, Wiseman said they decided to partner with the Postal Service and set up a VPO in their business as an additional service to the community. “The hours at the Post Office have been reduced, and we’re open 11 hours, seven days a week, so we thought it would be a great asset to the community to be able to pick up stamps or the Priority Mail boxes when the Post Office was closed for the day,” she said.
Birdseye General Store opens from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. seven days a week with the exception of major holidays.
The new postal center will be opened by the U.S. Postal Service’s Manager of Post Office Operations Jeff Leffler. 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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