Not Just Mail | Cedar Park
By Kara Vaught Friday, 20 November 2009
CEDAR PARK — Though about 70 percent of their business is mail related, Mike and Hope Bibas’ aptly named shop, Not Just Mail, stocks jewelry, trinkets and gifts—many made by local artists.
The Bibas opened the Cedar Park business in 2006, after they noticed a mail store near their home had closed and was for lease.
“We wanted to open a gift shop, but we kind of didn’t want to do it in Austin because it’s so oversaturated,” Hope said. “The [mail store for lease] was big enough to do a gift shop and postal facilities, so that made it a better deal for us because we were able to get into the gifts without taking as big of a risk.”
Both had management experience, which helped when they decided to open the shop.
Before Not Just Mail, Mike ran a staffing company and Hope worked at the corporate level for both coffee and ice cream shops.
She also makes jewelry and prefers to stock the store with locally made items, including pottery, wind chimes, bird feeders and anything else that catches her eye. Some of her vendors are also regular customers, such as two girls who asked the Bibas to sell their homemade dolls crafted from yarn and wood.
“We wanted to do it a little different—make it a little bit funkier with things you’d find in Austin [without] having to drive down there,” Hope said.
Precious metal clay
Hope Biba and her friend Rita Walker throw jewelry-making parties using precious metal clay, a pliable mixture of silver and an organic binding material. The clay can be worked with fingers, rolled out, molded, stamped or pressed. Once the desired shape is achieved, the piece is fired in a kiln, which burns away the binding material, fuses the silver and shrinks the entire piece. Afterward, it can be finished by sanding, polishing or soldering.
Parties are by appointment only.
Not Just Mail
1525 Cypress Creek Road, Ste. H
918-9113
Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Sat. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Two display cases are dedicated to Hope’s silver jewelry creations, many featuring Irish symbols. She also hosts parties at the business where attendees learn about and create jewelry from precious metal clay, a method of jewelry making that begins with a lump of clay-like material and ends with a fine silver product.
This spring, the Bibas plan to convert a room of the shop into a space other artists can rent and use to conduct classes.
“We want to differentiate ourselves from the cookie cutter postal store that has that sterile feel,” Mike said. “The majority of our customers are from word of mouth and people from all the surrounding neighborhoods.”
On the postal side, Not Just Mail offers self-service and full-service copying, notary public services, stamps, packaging materials and shipping via
FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service. Mailboxes are also available for $10, $15 and $20 a month for small, medium and large boxes. Unlike a P.O. Box, customers can receive packages at any time at these boxes because the Bibas are available to sign for them.
Customers have responded well; Mike estimates Not Just Mail has shipped 80,000 packages since it opened.
“The key to our business is customer attention and service,” Mike said. “We really try to build long-term relationships.”
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December 19, 2009
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