LOCAL BUSINESS
The faces of the Pak Mail, located at 102 Wonder World Drive, will be new as the owners of 21 years have just sold the company effective May 31. Judy Johnson, Richard Johnson and Gail Penn will no longer be there to greet customers and help with their shipping needs, but the new owners, Karan Desai and Branay Desai, are excited to build upon the previous owner’s legacy by providing great customer service.
Judy Johnson said they originally started the Pak Mail in 2003 in order to have their own business.
“This was an opportunity for us to invest and … be our own bosses,” Johnson said. “We also had the opportunity to serve the community.”
But in addition to the need to help out family members, the Johnsons felt they could be of more help to the people of San Marcos if they didn’t have their hands tied with the business.
“This frees up our time to serve in other areas of the community,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that they loved all of their customers and tried to serve everyone the best that they could, particularly since many of their regulars became their friends.
“When people came in, a lot of people, they just wanted to talk. They just wanted to vent. And that’s what we thought our mission field was, just being there for people that needed to express their feelings. And it ended up that those people became our friends,” Johnson said. “It’s bittersweet, but at the same time, I think that we can go into the community, and we can serve in a different way, in a different area maybe, to satisfy that same need.”
Johnson said they might start by helping out at their church, the First Baptist Church, among other things. She said that when they first started their business, they were volunteering more with the church but got too busy to maintain it, which caused volunteer work to “fall to the wayside.”
“[The First Baptist Church has] several like Meals on Wheels and School Fuel, and they have their program in the summertime that we always do, [Camp] PhisherKidz and the Fall Festival. … I’d also like to work at the Food Bank and CASA. I think CASA is an awesome cause,” Johnson said. “So [we’d like to] do more things like that, [which involve] service to the community.”
The transfer of ownership of the Pak Mail to the Desai’s was finalized on May 31.
“I want to carry on what they were doing and add more services,” Karan Desai said, adding that it will be the same environment that the customers have grown to love.
Head down to the Pak Mail on Wonderworld Drive for any shipping needs and get to know the new owners. According to the website, the business provides custom crating and packing, domestic and international shipping, freight and specialty shipping, a wide selection of carriers to choose from (UPS, USPS, FedEx, ABF, DHL), shipping and receiving services, packaging and moving supplies, internet quoting and tracking services, digital or offset printing services, faxing and photocopying, mailbox rental, business printing and stationery, Notary Public services and local pick-up and delivery service.
