When you think of bulk mail, a certain aesthetic comes to mind—an industrial and bureaucratic system that ensures optimal efficiency. But when Donna Flanagin, owner of Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, started her business 25 years ago, she believed she could still have the efficient and quality service with a fun, unique style that encompassed the things she loves in her life.
The first thing you notice when you pull into the gravel parking lot off Evans Avenue in Valparaiso is a few signs marking the designated parking spots for customers. They are not normal, run-of-the-mill signs that say, “Park Here,” or “Parking only for Flanagin’s customers, violators will be towed.” Instead, one says, “Happy people park here, grumpy people park in rear.” Each sign is different, but each one is meant to make you smile before you walk through the door.
“Before they even walk through the door, customers know this is a happy place,” Flanagin said. “This was done by design. We want to curb their initial expectations of what our business is.”
Flanagin said often when people walk in through the fire-engine-red door, they turn around and go back outside to check they are in the right place. For those who have never visited Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, they are often not initially expecting a replica of a quaint and homey Main Street.
A Tour down Flanagin’s Main Street
When you walk into Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, all your senses are treated to a fun and cozy atmosphere, designed to make you feel right at home. Birds chirp as soft instrumental music plays. A calming scent fills the air to match the season, holiday, or mood. Flanagin mentioned she often gets comments about the candle wax she burns that smells like freshly made bread from a bakery.
“People will ask if we have actually a bakery somewhere in here,” she said with a laugh.
They may not have a bakery, but the wall in the entrance hallway decorated like a little Swedish bakery is one of many storefronts Flanagin and her team have created to decorate the lobby. To the left of the front door is the TARDIS, a giant blue phone box from the popular BBC show, "Doctor Who." This is the most recent addition to the Main Street, for a friend of Flanagin’s who loves the show.
Next to the bakery is Fashion by Inez Dressmaking, featuring a vintage wedding dress hanging in the faux antique window. There’s also the Railroad Crossing sign hanging on the wall as you walk down the hallway before entering the main lobby, where even more places, time periods, and antiques are on display.
Additionally, there is a small general store selling faux fresh fruits, vegetables, and goods. Near that is a park bench behind the desk with newspapers, St. Patrick’s Day decorations, a book with a cup of coffee spilled over the pages, and a small candy shop with delectable sweets in the window. Flanagin said that people often believe the coffee cup filled with rubber liquid is not an illusion.
“Sometimes when people see that, they freak out for a second because they think it’s real!” Flanagin said. “It’s one of my favorite jokes in the shop.”
The cinema, which only shows matinees complete with a rotating popcorn case, sits behind the long, granite top counter. It is lit up with vintage Edison bulbs and dark wood with golden accessories, giving it a 1920s or 1930s old Hollywood feel. That “feel” is exactly what Flanagin was going for as each storefront was created.
“The truth is, bulk mail is bulk mail,” Flanagin said. “That’s not always super exciting, so part of our culture is to be pleasant and happy. It was designed for customers to come in and have an experience. One of the best things I could have done for the company is transform it. It’s very memorable and puts people in a good mood right away. It’s awesome for me as a business owner and for the customer.”
Creating memories happens every day at the office, but Flanagin puts a special emphasis on keeping memories alive. Flanagin keeps a stack of old newspapers on display, each one featuring a story about Flanagin’s Bulk Mail throughout the years. Throughout Flanagin’s Main Street are antique photos, many of them of old family members, hanging on the walls or on display on the different sets. One special photo sits on the antique wooden mirror that acts as an old post office window next to antique post office tools.
“This is a photo of my husband’s grandfather that we keep right here on the post office window,” she said. “In fact, the business is very family-oriented. All around, you will see address numbers on the storefronts and each one is an important year. One is the year that we started our business, others are the birth years of our children and grandchildren.”
Since Flanagin began her business, she has put family ahead of everything, which is something that was written into the foundation of the company.
“What sets the way I run my business apart from others, I believe, is the flexibility," she said. "Before I started Flanagin’s Bulk Mail, I had another business that I ran, and I worked with my cousin and a close friend of mine,” she explained. “I would allow them to bring their kids to work until they went off to college. I had my own kids working here until they went off to college. They came back and are now raising their kids while working. Now even my granddaughter works here.”
“It’s a culture of family and flexibility,” Flanagin said. “The premise has always been for them to do the things they need to do, as long as everyone knows that when the work is here, it needs to be done. So, there’s a mutual trust and understanding.”
Every themed storefront reminds Flanagin of that trust and focus on family. Each storefront was created by her daughter, Erica. Crafted with things you could find anywhere, she was able to bring various time periods and settings to life. For example, the red and white barbershop pole is made from a PVC pipe. The railroad crossing sign is an old fan. The cinema door is a damaged door they got at Menards for a dollar and turned it into faux French doors. Even the streetlamp that sits behind the counter is an old cardboard roll from a rug glued to a planter. The creativity and versatility behind everything a customer sees are the things Flanagin admires to this day.
“I still love it,” she said. “It’s fun every morning to turn on all the lights, the music, everything. It’s fun to bring this all to life.”
Now celebrating the company’s 25-year anniversary, Flanagin continues to put a focus on fostering a happy and exciting experience for her family, employees, and the customers who have the pleasure of stopping in for their bulk mail needs.
“How many places do you go to on a day-to-day basis that have a ‘feel?’” Flanagin asked. “They may be clean and nicely decorated, but that’s not the same as having a feel. It’s cozy and makes everyone—employees and customers—feel warm and welcomed.”
Next time you stop into Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, be prepared to experience bulk mail like you never thought you would. Bring your smile as well, so that Flanagin can take your picture under the “limelight” to be featured on the customer slideshow. Make sure to stop by the Appreciation Station, where the Flanagins keep tokens of appreciation for all of their customers in thanks for their support over the past 25 years.
For more information about Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, please visit their website at http://mybulkmail.com/.
