Business owners and residents are mourning the impending loss of a beloved post office operating out of Rankos Pharmacy in Tacoma’s Stadium District.
The pharmacy has for decades run what’s called a “contract postal unit,” or CPU, which offers a majority of the services that a regular post office offers largely on the pharmacy’s own dime. Deanna Rankos, co-owner of the pharmacy, said she was notified in June through a letter from the U.S. Postal Service that the unit “will terminate in its entirety” by close of business Sept. 30.
The impending closure comes as several other contract postal units around the country have received similar notices of termination, including in cities like Salem and Cincinnati.
Residents and business owners based in the area said the contract postal unit in the Stadium District has been a staple in the neighborhood with its friendly employees and community-oriented reputation, a stark contrast to the more detached and aloof feeling at most ordinary USPS locations staffed by postal service employees.
“As a rule post office people are overworked and not treated very well sometimes. They’re very nice up there. “I’ve always had good experiences,” longtime customer Dan O’Donnell said of the nearby USPS location. “But [Rankos] is special.”
“It shouldn’t happen, and if it does happen, it’s a shame,” he added.
A variety of stamps sit on display at the counter of the USPS substation at Rankos Pharmacy on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in the Stadium District of Tacoma. Liesbeth Powers/Liesbeth Powers / lpowers@thenewstribune.com
A petition calling for the termination to be stopped had more than 360 signatures as of July 10.
“We do NOT accept termination of our agreement,” the petition reads. “We serve people who need our mailing and postal services and we are committed to decreasing all barriers to equitable access to our care and the services we provide.”
USPS spokesperson Zachary Laux told The News Tribune that the postal service “determined that nearby postal facilities are able to serve the community,” pointing to the nearest postal service-operated facility in downtown Tacoma, about one mile away.
“In all instances, CPU agreements may be terminated by either party upon 120 days’ written notice,” Laux said in an email.
“Operating a Contract Postal Unit increases foot traffic and provides additional customer convenience,” the USPS website reads. “Placement of a CPU is driven by the need for additional postal service access points in a community.”
Deanna Rankos said USPS provides a stipend that covers about 30% of the costs associated with operating the contract postal unit and some supplies, but it has been up to the pharmacy to hire employees to run the desk and lease the equipment necessary to run the unit.
“The rest of it, Rankos is funding it,” she told The News Tribune. “We just kind of figured, well, it’s a community service. People love it.”
Rankos said the contract postal unit has served people in the Stadium District since at least the early 1950s — though the letter from USPS lists its period of performance as starting in November 1988.
“Our files don’t go back that far, and neither do the post office’s. But we’ve had it for years and years,” she said. “The original owner of Rankos Pharmacy, George Rankos, he brought it in.”
Alicia Mendez places an address sticker on a package from behind the counter of the USPS substation at Rankos’ Pharmacy on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in the Stadium District of Tacoma. Mendez works as a pharmacy assistant, while operating the post office at the pharmacy. Liesbeth Powers/Liesbeth Powers / lpowers@thenewstribune.com
Alicia Mendez, who has worked as a “postmistress” at Rankos for eight years, said the community of people who frequent the pharmacy and come to her with their packages have felt like a family. The contract postal unit also serves residents at Merrill Gardens – an assisted living center around the corner from Rankos – who largely don’t have cars.
“A lot of people in this area, they don’t have vehicles, so it’s very helpful for us to be here,” she told The News Tribune.
Mendez said as an employee who works at the contract postal unit, she’s present for both the mundane and exciting moments in customers’ lives – when they’re filing their taxes or sending out Christmas gifts. She recalled one customer who brought in a box of Christmas gifts that would have cost upwards of $500 to ship. So she sat down with him and, using flat-rate boxes, helped split up the package into several smaller ones that cut down the price of shipping by about half.
“I love helping out the community,” she said. “I will sit down on the floor, and I will help you find a cheaper way to ship your package. I’m not just going to take your money and send you on your way.”
John Peranzi, owner of a property-management company in the Stadium District, said the contract postal unit at Rankos is also a staple among the business community in the area – since neighbors have noticed vandalism and stealing at the USPS dropboxes scattered in the area.
“All of the businesses around here utilize this post office,” he told The News Tribune. “Every single one of them.”
Rankos said she hopes to fight the impending closure by raising awareness about the petition. The contract postal unit in the Stadium District is likely the last of its kind in Tacoma, she said.
“There’s hardly any contract postal units anymore. Even in pharmacies or anywhere, they’ve just slowly gone away,” she said. We’re one of the last standing, and we were hoping we might be continuing.”
