Uniformed Federal Agents Returning to Lake Anne in February

Ever since the Lake Anne Pharmacy closed its doors in fall 2014, Lake Anne Plaza has been without another basic amenity: a post office. Now, another plaza merchant is raising money to bring back the uniformed federal agents that deliver such necessities of life as RA assessments and pool passes. Um, yay?

The "Bob Simon Lake Anne Post Office" would be run out of Chesapeake Chocolates, which expanded last year and is applying to serve as a contract postal unit, which is essentially what that counter in the back of the pharmacy was. Give us some good blockquote, fundraising website:

When the Lake Anne Post Office closed in 2014, the residents and businesses were left without an important component of the community. Chesapeake Chocolates, Inc ., located at Lake Anne for over eight years, expanded in 2015 and with additional space, the owner, Doris Tyler, immediately began the application process to open a Contract Postal Unit. A Contract Postal Unit (CPU) is a retail postal facility located inside a retail establishment. CPUs are operated by the retailer's employees and offer the same basic services available at a regular Post Office. Doris was awarded the contract in August and has been working since to open the new Bob Simon Lake Anne Post Office.

Through Go Fund Me, ChesapeakeChocolates hopes to raise $7,500 to cover the costs of remodeling, the expense of hiring additional employees, and start-up costs related to opening a CPU. With the help and support of the community, we look forward to bringing the Bob Simon Lake Anne Post Office to Reston in February, 2016. A small contribution from many will return this important asset to the village center and will serve the greater good of the community as a whole.

In just a few days, the fundraiser has raised nearly $1,500 of its goal of $7,500. The post office would open in February, according to Tyler.

It's a great idea, although it's a little sad that like the soon-to-open (we hope) brewpub where we want to drown our sorrows about the now-stymied redevelopment efforts, it seems like the Kickstarter model is the only way to sustain new business activity at Lake Anne. But mail and beer? Seems somewhat familiar:

To learn more, visit the gofundme website.