Balboa Postal Service Store Opens Its Doors

An Encino store filled with hundreds of sticky, square images of Marilyn Monroe, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the American flag officially opened Wednesday, to the delight of area philatelists.

Balboa Postal Station, in the 4900 block of Balboa Boulevard, is the first of the U. S. Post Office’s modern service centers to open in the San Fernando Valley. It replaces the old Genesta Station that was damaged in the Northridge earthquake.

There are 15 postal stores in Southern California. Unlike traditional facilities, postal stores have a retail area and cash register separate from the front counter, as well as vending machines in the front lobby. They are designed to move patrons through smaller, faster lines.

“A lot of people don’t need to go to the full-service window, so it will be quicker,” Terri Bouffiou, a Postal Service spokeswoman, said. “We expect this will take business from other post offices, because people can get in and out of these [postal stores] very quickly.”

And that is something everyone, stamp collectors or not, can appreciate.

“It seems like a really good idea,” said Sharon Russman of Encino, who visited the site to mail a package. “It’s going to be handy when I’m here just to buy stamps and I don’t have to stand in line.”

Balboa Postal Station’s 4,200-square-foot facility’s interior is dominated by red, blue, white and gray. Racks of envelopes, packing tape and bubble-wrap occupy the retail area. Sheets of new stamps are displayed upon its walls. It includes more than 1,300 rental boxes.

Officials at the facility estimate they will serve about 1,000 people daily at their main counter, and another 2,000 per day at the retail center.

“I’m trying to get the word out to those very loyal [Genesta Station] customers that we’re back in business,” said Erica Parrino, customer service manager for the station. “We really want as much business as we can get at this store.”

Balboa Station is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The station’s self-service areas are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.