The Little Post Office That Could

Rarely is a community so fond of an eyesore. But there is something about the Hawleyville Post Office that people just don’t want to let go of, even though the place looks tired and run down and is a little too cool in the winter, a little too hot in the summer, and a little too cramped all the time.

In a time when modernization is synonymous with dehumanization, especially at the US Postal Service, the Hawleyville Post Office is a throwback to a time before “going postal” became the archetype for anger and frustration brought to the point of violence. Through the efforts of its genial postmaster, Mark Favale, this homely little post office has built for itself a reputation for friendliness, service, and thoughtful consideration of the needs of its patrons. It has the best selection of stamps of any post office in the area, and if you have questions or need assistance with mailing a special package, there is no better place to get help. People feel welcome and respected there, and they have rewarded the little post office with their loyalty.

One such loyal patron, Maureen Colbert-Wilhelm, tried to organize a “fix-up-the-post-office day” last year and discovered that it is not so easy to do a good deed these days. There was the inevitable red tape and “going through channels” and various other impediments that arise when dealing with a huge bureaucracy and its landlord, which in this case happened to be the Housatonic Railroad. Protracted talks between the USPS and the railroad over the future of the facility led Ms Colbert-Wilhelm to fear that her goodwill gesture may have raised the awareness of the poor condition of the post office building to the point where postal service bureaucrats would conclude that it would be best to simply close the facility altogether.

Fortunately, what is obvious to its loyal patrons is also obvious to the USPS: the Hawleyville Post Office is a going concern, and as such it won’t be going out of business anytime soon. This week, a representative for the postal service said that the little postal facility may need to move into better accommodations, but “there will never be a time when Hawleyville will be without a post office.” He added the decision was “only good business.” (The little neighborhood post office grossed $737,000 last year.)

Now that the USPS has acknowledged the commercial value of the Hawleyville Post Office, we wish it would also embrace its value as a model of courtesy, competence, and extra consideration for postal facilities everywhere.