We may be living in the internet age, but the U.S. Postal Service is alive and well in Medford, serving the community from three neighborhood locations.
But isn’t “snail mail” so antiquated? “Au contraire!” says USPS employee, Tess, who greets folks from the front desk of the West Medford Post Office at 485 High Street. Nestled between the West Medford Commuter Rail station and Medford’s legendary Magnificent Muffin & Bagel Shoppe, where you can nosh on what locals call The World’s Best Breakfast Sandwich while having fun identifying your neighbors and their kids from the hundreds of photos on the wall.
Like the Magnificent Muffin, the West Medford Branch is a mainstay of the community, and as we learned, more than a place to pick up stamps.
Many patrons frequent the West Medford branch pick up mail at post office boxes, which are original to the building, or to administer mail logistics such as business reply mail, or pick up mail on hold. You can also find packing materials for those awkward packages. The West Medford staff can help you decide which box or envelope serves you best, and you can buy them right there on the spot. Just be sure to stop in on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; the West Medford Branch is closed on weekends.
For the true mother lode of offerings, head over to Medford’s Main Post Office at 20 Forest Street in Medford. The Main Post Office’s architectural beauty features a gabled roof and granite steps that lead indoors to terrazzo marble flooring, marble wainscoting, and dark woodwork earning it a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Next door is home to the majestic Chevalier Theatre, which features national and international headliners throughout the year, and beneath it, the Gene Mac Gym, where Medford Rec hosts classes and open gym sessions all year round.
As is to be expected, the Main Post Office offers longer hours than West Medford. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
What you may not expect, however, is the wide array of items that you can find at the Main Branch, including:
Greeting cards: Realize you need to send a last-minute birthday card, or worse yet, you missed a loved one’s birthday? Pop in to the Medford P.O. where there are several displays of cards for nearly every occasion.
Gift cards: Make the greeting extra special (or make up for being tardy) by adding a gift card to your well wishes. The kiosk next to the service desk includes gift cards to Starbucks, Apple iTunes, Lowes, Home Depot, Kohl’s, AMC Movie Theatres, and even Uber.
Passports: While all Post Office branches have passport applications, the Main Post Office is the only Medford branch that accepts Passport applications for processing. They also have special hours for processing Passport applications. Call the branch directly at 781-396-2444 for more information on passport application hours.
Probably one of Medford’s best kept secrets is the post office near Tufts University at 450 Boston Avenue. Inside the Curtis Hall building at the intersection of Boston and College Avenues, the Tufts Branch is nearly the size of a postage stamp itself, and as such, has services limited to mail drop-off, stamps, domestic and international money orders, and features a small packing supplies area. The Tufts branch is open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is closed during the summer months.
Now that you know where to mail things, maybe you’re stumped for what to send? 4Good Vibes in Medford has you covered! Located at 392 Main Street in South Medford, 4 Good Vibes is chock full of handmade products by local artisans that make for great care packages, as well as candles, t-shirts, housewares, and a whole line of fun Medford-themed pillows, signs, decorative bottles and coffee mugs.
If you know me, you know I love the mail. Both sending AND receiving! I usually keep a stack of cards on my desk and send out two or three to friends, clients, family...whoever...about once a week. I'd love to hear who YOU send mail to. Leave me a comment below to let me know your favorite kind of mail to send or get.