INDIANAPOLIS, IN — With a population of about 980 people, Ashley is a small town in northeastern Indiana that sits between two counties — Steuben County to its north and DeKalb County to its south.  The town was laid out in 1892 when the Wabash Railroad was extended to those points.

Named after Ossian D. Ashley, president of the Wabash Railroad from 1890 to 1902, Ashley was the division point for the railroad until 1907. The hustle-and-bustle of many busy little shops and offices still leaves its mark on the town. Some of the buildings are still standing that these active businesses once occupied. The town boomed until 1907 when the company moved its division headquarters to Montpelier, OH.

Ashley will hit another milestone on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 when the 76th Village Post Office (VPO) in the Greater Indiana District opens at Ashley Food of Indiana Inc., 700 W. State Street, Ashley, IN 46705. Ashley Food of Indiana Inc. is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

The ribbon-cutting event will take place at 10 a.m. (EST) and an open house will follow from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Sara Brown, owner of Ashley Food of Indiana, is very pleased to partner with the Postal Service in this venture. Her family also owns stores at two other VPO locations — Fremont Foods and Hamilton Village Foods.

"We’ve been selling postage stamps for years at our stores, so it’s a logical next step to open a VPO as a convenience to our customers who can drop off their mail or pick up the flat-rate Priority boxes, especially when the Post Office has closed for the day,” she said.

The new postal center will be opened by Manager of Post Office Operations Larry Chandler. Several USPS and local officials will be present at the event.

Another VPO will open in nearby Hamilton (Hamilton Village Foods) at 11:30 a.m.

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.

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