Military Family Realizes Importance Of Shipping

AUGUSTA (Monday, January 03, 2005) - In a move from the military to the business world, brothers John and Mike Ware went from posted to postal.

John Ware had always thought about starting a business, and when he left his post at Fort Gordon last year he decided to team up with his brother and his father, also an ex-serviceman, to open a new store devoted to packing and shipping.

Mr. Ware said that while he was stationed in Germany he learned firsthand the importance of mail - and having it come on time.

That knowledge motivated him to get into the shipping business, said Mr. Ware, 25, whose active military status ended in February.

"Customers come in and send loved ones gifts and letters, and that means a lot to soldiers," he said, "If we can assist in doing that, we will."

The Wares began to look at different options for their business, and came across Goin' Postal, a Zephyrhills, Fla.-based franchise that has more than 25 locations in 17 states.

Goin' Postal is small compared with shipping franchises such as the UPS Store/Mailboxes Etc., which has 4,500 locations worldwide.

When picking a location for the new business, the Wares looked at where other shipping and packing stores were, and tried to find an area that was underserved, Mr. Ware said.

"We didn't want to be close to any others," he said.

They ended up at Fairway Square shopping center along a busy stretch of Washington Road between downtown Augusta and the Columbia County line.

The Wares' Goin' Postal opened in late October and was the first Goin' Postal location in the state.

They chose to go with Goin' Postal because it offers FedEx, United Parcel Service and the United States Postal Service.

"When the customers come in, they're not limited," Mr. Ware said.

The store sells a wide array of shipping materials, and will provide packing services as well.

Goin' Postal also offers an eBay service. Through that service, customers bring in an item to sell, and the Wares do everything else, including putting the item online, selling it, packing it and shipping it.

The fee for the service is based on the final sale price of the item.

Goin' Postal, which opened its first location in 2002, will likely have 100 franchises by the end of this year, according to the corporation's Web site.

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