Goin’ Postal Delivers a Familiar Store with a Fresh Start

Goin’ Postal’s transition is part of a small wave of recent commercial growth around the Key Peninsula and Purdy areas.”

For the third time in less than two years, the familiar red, white, and blue sign at the Key Center Corral has a new face behind the counter. Goin’ Postal, the long-running shipping and mailbox store, is now owned and operated by Michael Bounds, 58, who hopes consistency and presence can help rebuild what time and turnover have tested.

Bounds took over earlier this fall, a little more than a year after Skyler Johnstone purchased the franchise from longtime owner Chuck Ellis.

Bounds, a veteran of retail and warehouse management, said the transition began when he learned the business was up for sale.

“I was looking for something new,” Bounds said. “My knee couldn’t handle the physical work anymore. So I started looking through franchise opportunities, and this one stood out.”

For most residents on the KP, Goin’ Postal is more than a shipping center — it’s part of a local landmark. Built up by Ellis and briefly run by Johnstone, the business had seen consistent use but uneven stability as Johnstone juggled multiple business ventures.

“Skyler’s a great guy,” Bounds said. “He was just involved with several businesses at one time and couldn’t give enough time to Goin’ Postal to keep the community happy.”

The appeal for Bounds wasn’t just a steady customer base; it was the model itself. Goin’ Postal operates as a national franchise, giving local owners access to shipping contracts with USPS, UPS, and FedEx, while still allowing independence over pricing, hours, and customer service.

Since taking over — he’s been working alongside Johnstone until recently — Bounds has focused on accessibility. He’ll open early two mornings a week and stay open late two evenings a week to accommodate commuters. He’s added 30 new private mailboxes and plans to add more in 2026. He’s also emphasizing package-receiving services for rural customers, mostly on Herron Island, who need reliable deliveries. 

“If people can’t get their mail or ship their packages around here, they’ll go to Belfair, Allyn, or Gig Harbor to do it,” Bounds said. “I just want to make sure they don’t have to.”

Bounds said he’s no shipping mogul. Before taking over, he spent 20 years working in logistics, fixing workflows. He has a background that trained him to “walk, assess a process, and find efficiencies.”

Those skills, he said, translate. “Whether it’s freight, customers, or mail, it’s still about getting the right thing to the right person at the right time,” he said.

For Bounds, taking over a franchise with a ready-made name is only half the work. The other half is restoring a reputation and customer-connection to a brand that, despite its national contracts, lives or dies by local trust.

“There is some (trust) rebuilding to do,” he said. “I think that will happen just with me being there daily and being the main person running it.”

Goin’ Postal also provides fax, scanning, email, remote printing by email, and shredding. Bounds said he will get to providing notary services sometime down the line. He has a long to-do list.

More Business Activity Around the KP

Goin’ Postal’s transition is part of a small wave of recent commercial growth around the Key Peninsula and Purdy areas. In October, Gig Harbor Coffee Company opened a drive-up stand at the northeast corner of State Route 302 and Wright-Bliss Road. The owners describe it as a family-friendly stop, unlike its more risqué coffee stand predecessor in the same location.

Minterbrook Oyster Bar, which will operate under the name Laguna’s on the Bay, will likely open in early 2026 next to the Purdy Bridge. The new waterfront venue will combine an oyster bar with a retail seafood counter, run by the historic Minterbrook Oyster Company.

O’Reilly Auto Parts started site development earlier this fall for a new store at the Lake Kathryn Shopping Center, next to the Wauna Post Office and north of Ace Hardware. The company bought the land a few years ago, according to Pierce County property records.