Rising Stars: Meet Postalworks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Postalworks.

Hello Postalworks, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today? 
Postalworks was opened 25 years ago by Sophia Kim. It started out as a copying, mailing hub like a Kinkos. As the years went on, the retail space grew to include card lines and a sprinkling of books and gifts as the copying machines slowly were replaced. Meanwhile, the mailing part of the store was thriving, with P.O. Boxes to be rented, notary services offered, and mailing options provided. Postalworks is the neighborhood mailing hub for this part of Silver Lake.  

I joined Postalworks five years ago after being the gift buyer and merchandise designer for Vromans and Booksoup. Sophia was looking to make some changes in the store and wanted to step back from handling every detail that maintaining a retail store involves.  

The first time I walked into the store, I was struck with the infinite possibilities that could be accomplished.  

Sophia, to her great credit and trust, allowed me to run with my ideas. Brave Sophia!  

My love is books. I believe in the power they have to change the world for good. We joined the ABA and are probably the smallest bookstore in the association. We be tiny but we be strong! We created a children’s section with books that celebrate diversity and acceptance and the importance of treating all living things with respect and dignity, including the planet.  

We have cookbooks and newly released fiction, social commentary, books on the environment, and even two shelves of “The Canon”- books that are all-time greats, and reading their tales will stay with you forever. Because we are so tiny, we don’t have the breathe of a traditional bookstore, but we hope that we have culled through the offerings and found the best of the best for our customers. And we are happy to special order a title that we missed knowing about.  

We believe in the power of brick-and-mortar “indie” shops. To be able to help a customer find a book or gift because we have interacted face to face and shared ideas is tremendously rewarding. We also work hard to support local and responsible commerce. From card lines to chocolates, dazzeling play dough to wooden clocks- we delight in finding small dreamers to champion and fill our shelves with their creations.  

It took a lot of work, patience, and a pandemic to get us where we are. But watching people walk around our shelves, stopping to open a book or smell a candle or laugh at a card that has caught their eye- Joyous  

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect? 
When I first came to Postalworks, I asked customers what they came in for regarding the retail portion of the shop. The most common answer was that they needed a last-minute gift. I was driven to change things up so that we would be the “first” place to start at when they needed a gift. That was a slow process. We brought on a brilliant social media person whose posts and attention to detail have given us a presence.  

We redesigned our logo, repainted our store, and came up with the tagline- Read it, write it, post it- finally, a way to tie our crazy “general store vibe of mailing hub and retail bookstore all together.  

We cannot compete with the prices offered by Amazon, and we make it a point of thanking our customers for buying our books, that we know they are paying more for them, but how lucky we are that they recognize the value of being able to physically peruse a book and talk to someone who know about it.  

But there is that customer that looks at a book, takes a picture of it and puts it down, and walks away. The struggle is real!  

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do? 
Like many people, I have done many things. From graphic designer to set decorator to potter to writer. This world is rich with so many venues to explore. It is the wisdom and experience that we gain in each chapter that we bring forward, incorporating it into whatever road we next walk.  

I have always loved words. I love to write. I love to read.  

As to what sets Postalworks apart from other stores… I would have to say that it is such a quirky little place… postal boxes and books? Fairy costumes and Irish linen aprons? Journals and blankets? How do you even begin to figure out where we fit in. And then there it is- we are unique and a bit weird and if we had to say- it would that we are like the old-fashioned neighborhood General Store. We’re like the bar in Cheers or the coffee house in Friends.  

Our community is a hodge podge of people, from the well-known actor who picks up his mail to the author who brings in a galley of her newest book, to the waitress from the Greek restaurant next door, to the high schooler from Marshall HS up the street in need of a notebook. We strive to be here for them all.  

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out? 
Probably, but I try to stay clear of too much social media regarding apps, though I do peruse Instagram. We find our books through our book publishers, book reviews, and working with reps.  

We are always searching for new and fresh 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.postalworkssilverlake.com
• Instagram: PostalWorksSilverlake
• Facebook: PostalWorksSilverlake
• Twitter: PostalWorksSL