#BlackBusinessMonth - The Postman brings shipping and small business services to the Central District, eyes expansion
In April of 2021, Converge Media and Vanishing Seattle released a short film about The Postman, a shipping and small business services company in the Central District. Watch the video above and hear the stories of owners Keanna and D'Vonne Pickett. Since then, The Postman has been undergoing an expansion effort as they look to bring their business to more people around Seattle.
“Over this year, we've been able to get some folks into management position and manage the store without us being in there,” Keanna Pickett said. “It's definitely had its ups and downs and anxieties with that with that learning curve, but it’s given us time to step back and look at the big picture.”
That big picture includes a second store, which will be located in South Seattle, as well as continued development of their app and a program with Seattle University. In order to focus on development, the Picketts hired staff to run the store, which was an initial challenge for Keanna but eventually she’s learned to embrace the change.
“It was definitely a challenge for me,” Pickett said. “I had to really step back and look at all the positives of it. This move is in line with the vision and ultimately where we want it to be. Those just those growth spurts are kind of painful sometimes.”
The growing pains, though, allowed Pickett to re-evaluate the business and gave her and D’Vonne time to spend working on the new South Seattle location. It will be at Willow Crossing near the Othello light rail station.
The step back has also allowed both Keanna and D’Vonne to give back to the community. D’Vonne is a volunteer coach for the CD Panthers 6u team, while Keanna has focused on supporting other business owners and artists through the Cultural Space Agency.
“I'm part of that constituency and really want to get more involved in that, because I see that it is a good partnership,” Pickett said. “I now have more time to do other things, and The Postman is still growing.”
More about the film
Converge Media proudly presents The Postman, a short film produced by Converge Media in conjunction with Vanishing Seattle that highlights Keanna and D'Vonne Pickett who are the owners of The Postman, a shipping and small business services company located on Martin Luther King Way and East Union Streets in the Central District of Seattle. Keanna and D'Vonne share their story of young entrepreneurs who have opened a business in the Central District and the struggles of trying to uphold family legacies and honor neighborhood history while keeping up with Seattle's rapidly changing demographics.
The Postman
1143 Martin Luther King Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
206 257 4623
https://thepostmanseattle.com/
Vanishing Seattle documents the displaced & disappearing institutions, small businesses, & cultures of Seattle - often due to gentrification and development - and celebrates the spaces and communities that give this city its soul.
Insta: @vanishingseattle
Twitter: @vanishing206
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vanishingseattle
Email: vanishingseattle@gmail.com
