MARFA — Boxes, a new independent shipping center in Marfa, recently opened its doors with the goal of increasing postal services for locals who lack access to a UPS or FedEx store and, for the most part, rely solely on the post office.
The business allows anyone to send packages from their location and to receive packages and mail if they sign up for a private mail box, which costs $35 a month.
Boxes is located at 1411 West San Antonio Street in a cinder block structure originally built as a gas station that previously housed beloved barbecue joint Convenience West. “I’ve had so many people come in still asking for barbecue,” Boxes owner Will Floyd said.
But smoked meats and pickles have since been replaced by a wide selection of shipping and office supplies, and a fresh coat of white paint now dons the building’s exterior. “We have cardboard, double-walled cardboard, every size of box and specialty art boxes and packing material,” Floyd said.
A sign featuring a minimal logo, where a box takes the place of the “O,” in Boxes out front signals the structure’s new inhabitants. Floyd chose the name Boxes because the store offers boxes, naturally, in the form of both cardboard and private mail boxes. It’s also a slight nod to the unofficial term often used to describe Donald Judd’s concrete and aluminum sculptures. “The form of the box figures prominently in Marfa, in our local design and art culture,” Floyd jokes.
Boxes is now an official UPS Authorized Shipping Outlet, with Floyd working on obtaining the same designation to send and receive FedEx packages soon. Once he gets FedEx, customers can bring any label to Boxes. As it stands, locals have to rely on either a sole FedEx drop box — which has limited dimensions — or the Dollar General and, before Boxes came along, could only utilize an informal UPS drop off at the coffee roasters to return packages the USPS doesn’t accept.
Floyd, who also operates Field Effect, a broadcast engineering and live audio service business, said he experienced firsthand how difficult it can be to simply send and receive packages in town, a regular occurrence for most considering the remote locale. “I just had such a time getting all the packages and parcels,” Floyd said. “Some things come freight and they call you a half an hour beforehand. Some things can go here and there, and can’t go here and there.”
He has been working with the local post office, he said, to pick up mail for his customers that rent private mail boxes at his location, a measure allowed due to his designation as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA). “I go over there, and I pick up mail and bring it here,” Floyd explains. “People can receive U.S. mail here.”
Boxes is also the only place in town that offers guaranteed next day delivery. Floyd said in some cases he can be more available than the post office, and his system allows him to send email notifications to customers when packages arrive, or if their mailbox is full. He also offers mail forwarding.
Floyd admits navigating the intricacies of the USPS, UPS, FedEx and Amazon is an arduous process, and there are still kinks to work out. Amazon, for example, will allow him to receive a package for return if the customer already has a printed label, but he cannot generate a label from a QR code, at least for now.
“Every carrier has a different program,” Floyd said. “There’s a lot of little hoops to jump through, and they’re all kind of particular and have their own rules.” Luckily the business is in its early days, he said, and he’s working on remedying those issues.
Boxes also provides a slew of other services in addition to shipping, including packing, printing and faxing. They can pack and insure art shipments and print business cards and posters. There is also a dedicated retail space in the shop featuring office supplies like pens, journals, paper and a fridge filled with cold beverages. There is a possibility that the space’s large side yard may be used for events and shows in the future, Floyd said. (He hosted an opening party with DJs recently.)
Floyd said, so far, he’s had “many, many customers” and has enjoyed meeting people he hasn’t yet run into in his nearly four years of living in Marfa. “Everybody ships stuff, or will at some point,” he said.
Boxes is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. They are currently running a $300 special for the cost of a private mail box for one year, a discount from the $420 annual price. For more information, visit @boxesmarfa on Instagram and Facebook or call (432) 729-0434.