Richard Neal

SPRINGFIELD — Nicky James walked into Gateway Sports and Hardware with a 3-inch stack of paperwork and questions on the best way to mail it. Within a few minutes, the clerk selected a box, crushed up some tissue paper so the bundle wouldn’t shift, taped the box shut and sent it on its way.

After paying her bill, James, of Springfield, learned the post office at 150 Boston Road that she counts on frequently is slated to close June 25.

“I come here all the time,” she said. “I’m sending stuff to my husband. He’s caught up in this whole ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) thing, and he is in detention, so I have all this paperwork.”

She wondered what she could do to help stop the closure of the local resource.

“It is a little cheaper than the regular post office, and they are always friendly and helpful here,” she said.

Gateway Hardware Inc. and Sporting Goods opened in 1955 and became a contract postal unit at least 40 years ago. The business has evolved to focus more on sporting goods, including ice skate sharpening, but still has hardware and plenty more, said Tom McCarthy, who is the second generation to operate it.

In February, he received a letter saying the United States Postal Service is exiting its long-term contract. The letter includes basic legal information, such as explaining that neither party will be liable for any costs, but does not say why the decision was made, McCarthy said.

“We work hard at helping people. We are ingrained in the community,” he said. “It is a busy place. We are in the geographic center of the city.”

For decades, Gateway Hardware has sent packages, sold stamps, served as a drop-off for mail, but its biggest service is priority shipping. Over the years at the request of customers, it become a neighborhood asset, adding money transferring services through Western Union, notary public services and check cashing.

Gateway Hardware is also open far later and more days than an average post office. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, while regular post offices usually don’t open until 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. On Saturdays, it is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Any time it’s open, employees provide postal services, McCarthy said.

“You lose money on the post office, but it creates traffic, and traffic is immensely important,” he said.

For example, one couple came from Agawam to use the check cashing and postal services last week, saying the hardware shop is the least expensive around. At the same time, they also purchased a sports jersey.

Gateway Hardware makes a small percentage of each transaction, but the service they provide is invaluable, McCarthy said.

All five employees are trained in handling parcels and letters, and provide personal service to each customer, said Rachel Barnes, an employee.

“We also spend time with people. Not everyone knows shipping,” she said. “We do a little bit of everything: sporting goods, check cashing, we have some hardware. It is more of a community store.”

The store, at the corner of Jasper Street, is a bit of a throwback. Regulars are greeted by name, and many walk from the nearby homes.

The post office is always busy, and at Christmas the postal carrier who stops at Gateway ends up sometimes taking three or four trips to carry as 35 to 40 packages dropped off at the same day, said Gino Giannetti, an employee.

“This is a depressed neighborhood, and a lot of people don’t have cars. Now they are going to have to go to Mason Square,” Giannetti said.

McCarthy said he was told the local postmaster could reverse the decision, but when he followed through, it didn’t yield anything.

This isn’t the only Western Massachusetts post office to face closure. Earlier this month, Shutesbury announced that it was losing its rural post office, as well.

The post office does hire businesses to serve as contract postal units to supplement what it can provide, said Mark Lawrence, communications specialist for the U.S. Postal Service.

“The Postal Service and (contract) operators agree that either party can terminate a contract upon giving 120 days’ notice. We have exercised our right to do so in some cases where nearby post offices, which are operated by the Postal Service, are available to serve the community directly. Doing so enables us to continue to fulfill our commitment to serve our communities through USPS-operated retail facilities,” he said in an email.

In this case, the Mason Square Post Office is located 1.7 miles away on State Street, and it was determined that it could handle the volume of business Gateway Hardware is now providing, Lawrence said.

But many think the additional business will overwhelm the small post office and create long lines.

City officials have joined the fight. State Rep. Bud L. Williams organized a protest and is now joined by fellow state Rep. Orlando Ramos, local City Councilors Malo Brown and Lavar Click-Bruce, and School Committee member Barbara Gresham to lobby for the preservation of the postal service.

“The contract postal unit at 150 Boston Road is strategically located in one of Springfield’s most active, working-class and commercial corridors. Its presence saves residents and small-business owners from having to travel significant distances to reach another post office,” Williams said.

He argued that it not only brings foot traffic to Gateway Hardware, but it also adds to the vitality of the surrounding business district and brings customers to small independently owned stores.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno also has joined the battle. He pledged to do whatever he could to save the service. He and Williams asked U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey for their help and support.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal said he also has lobbied the Postal Service to keep the station open and will continue to fight for its survival, arguing it will create a hardship in the city.

“The nearest alternative location is 2 miles down the road in a high-traffic, four-lane area,” Neal said in writing. “The reality is that, for residents without vehicles, including many elderly and low-income residents, redirecting postal services to State Street is not a practical solution.”

Last week, Lee Rinehart stopped in to mail a package for his job at NAPA Auto Parts, located a short walk away, and was greeted with friendly chatter from employees who asked why he wasn’t riding his bicycle.

But that banter turned to shock when he was told the service is facing closure. He called the staff “the best” and said he does all his mailing there.

“Please don’t let this place shut down. It is very convenient. It is close to home. A lot of people rely on it,” Rinehart said.