Eureka! U.S. Postal Service and Scrapper’s Edge to Celebrate Grand Opening of Nation’s 700th Village Post Office

Scrapper’s Edge The Copy Stop and Scrapbook Shop in Eureka is set to celebrate on August 4, 2014 the grand opening of the nation’s 700th Village Post Office. Village Post Offices, or VPOs, are usually located in established businesses, giving them the added retail advantage of providing customers convenient access to the postal products and services used most often by consumers.

David Stowe, District Manager, San Francisco Postal District, Mary Hopkins, Postmaster, Eureka, CA and Sondra Kirtley: Owner, Scrapper’s Edge will be on hand for the opening celebration.

Located in Eureka, Calif., the Scrapper’s Edge VPO will offer Forever stamps, prepaid packages and Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and envelopes. It is the nation’s 700th VPO since the program was launched in 2011.

Scrapper’s Edge is the perfect place for residents and visitors to pick up stamps and mail letters, packages, memorable photos and postcards in downtown Eureka. It is also a great place to shop for office and shipping supplies and arts and crafts materials. Customers can also take care of their printing and business services while mailing and shipping at the VPO. Scrapper’s Edge is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

As the U.S. Postal Service continues to evolve to better meet its customer needs, it is rethinking how to provide more convenient access to postal products and services. One concept developed is the Village Post Office. VPOs are part of the Postal Service’s “Approved Postal Provider” network – retail outlets for postal products and services. Approved Postal Providers are operated by third parties and complement the Postal Service’s own network by offering customers expanded retail access to postal products and services at convenient hours and locations.

To date, there are 700 VPOs open in the United States. The Scrapper’s Edge VPO is the first to be opened in Humboldt County.

source: USPS

According to USPS records, the first Village Post Office Debuted in Malone, WA on August 11, 2011. The Postal Service paid Red’s Hop N’ Market about $2,000 dollars a year to become the new Village Post Office. Malone’s old post office closed the day before the opening in Red’s Hop N’ Market.  The post office operations move across the street to Red’s Hop In Market.

It took more than a year for the first 100 VPOs to open.  The second 100 opened their doors over a 3-month period, and the next 100 opened within 10 weeks. USPS has opened 300 Village Post Offices in 10 months. Village Post Offices are opening in gas stations,  coffee shops, grocery stores, libraries and more businesses in 47 states.

Below are timelines of USPS reaching the 700th mark of opening Village Post Offices:

USPS breaks 600 mark with opening VPOs inside 2 Kansas City, MO libraries (May 6, 2014)

USPS opened two new village post office (VPO) locations inside Kansas City, MO libraries. The new VPOs opened inside the Lucile H. Bluford Library and North-East Branch Library. Customers will be able to buy stamps, mail packages and open a P.O. Box.

USPS celebrates 500th VPO opening

USPS is marking the milestone opening of the nation’s 500th Village Post Office (VPO)(January 28, 2014.

The new facility opened in a hardware store in Greenwood, CA, Jan. 28, 2014 . Postal officials from San Diego and Sacramento gathered with the store owners for a ribbon cutting.

USPS celebrates 400th VPO opening

Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce Village Post Office Opens – October 10, 2013
Postal Service Celebrates 2nd VPO in Suncoast District and 400th National VPO With Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting. The Tarpon Springs VPO sells First-Class Forever stamps and offers Prepaid Priority Mail Flat Rate envelopes and Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes. A blue mail collection box is also located at the VPO as a convenience for customers. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and, Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m.

USPS celebrates 300th VPO opening

June 07, 2013 – Postal Service to Hold Grand Opening of 300th “Village Post Office” inside The Old Bank Deli & Coffee Shop East Brady VPO. The East Brady Village Post Office – with operating hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. – offers sales of stamps and accepts pre-paid packages. The new VPO will also carry Expedited packaging (free Priority and Express Mail Flat-Rate boxes and envelopes) for added convenience in mailing packages.

USPS celebrates 200th VPO opening

USPS marks grand opening of 200th Village Post Office March 25, 2013. According to USPS records, it took more than a year for the first 100 VPOs to open. The second 100 opened their doors over a 3-month period, and the next 100 are on track to open within 10 weeks.

USPS celebrates 100th VPO opening

The first Village Post Office (VPO) opened in Malone, WA, in August 2011. On Dec. 19, 2012, the 100th VPO, located in Linden, IN, began operations. In the rural community of Linden, IN, 50 miles outside of Indianapolis, the U.S. Postal Service celebrated the milestone grand opening today of the country’s 100th Village Post Office (VPO). This ribbon-cutting event at the Linden Food Plaza marks the 21st VPO in Indiana.

USPS opens first Village Post Office

First Village Post Office Debuts in Malone, WA August 11, 2011.