As the West Village recovers from the pandemic shutdown last year of many of its hospitality and retail shops, the developers have added a new mailing, printing and shipping business to the downtown district in Chattanooga.
PostNet, a national franchised provider of graphic designs, printing services and shipping arrangements, opened last week in the Pioneer building in the 800 block of Chestnut Street. Beneath the corporate offices of Grace Healthcare and Defoor Brothers Development in the Pioneer building, the Defoors converted a former AT&T retail space into a PostNet store, which is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
“We do shipping, printing, copying, design work, mailbox rentals and a lot of services to help small businesses operate more efficiently and effectively,” said Brandon Allen, center manager at the new PostNet office. “This will give downtown businesses an alternative to having to drive to UPS or FedEx locations outside of downtown. We’re giving people the super convenience of printing or shipping items right from the heart of downtown.”
PostNet is an authorized shipper for the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and DHL, Allen said.
“We offer all of the major carriers so we’re able to provide what is the best and most cost-efficient means of shipment for each customer,” Allen said.
PostNet also offers businesses an actual street address to receive packages and other shipments, not just a post office. Allen said he also is in the process of becoming a Notary Public to help handle needs for notarized documents.
The new PostNet shop is the latest addition to the West Village that the Defoors created along Chestnut and Pine Streets over the past 12 years since BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee moved out of its former headquarters in the 10-story Gold Building at 8th and Pine Street. The Gold building was converted into a Westin Hotel, which includes convention facilities and a couple of restaurants. Around the hotel, the Defoors and other developers have added more than a dozen other restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores and a bank branch.
The Chattanooga Postnet site is the second franchised location for the national chain in East Tennessee.
Nationwide, PostNet, which began in 1992, has more than 700 locations across North America, Central America, South America, and Africa, including another site in Johnson City in Tennessee. In 2017, PostNet became part of the global family of MBE Worldwide, which has nearly 2,800 locations in 53 countries.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340