By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Whitewater Wrap & Ship, located at 116 E. Main Street, recently announced that it will be closing its doors, with the last day for domestic shipments being Friday, May 24. The following is the announcement that was posted to their Facebook page by Lori Tanis. When a question was posed on Facebook as to whether they were planning to sell the business, the response was that they have no plans as of now, but, “if someone is wanting to have a conversation about it, we are willing to sit down with them.”
Please see the bottom of this post for alternative shipping services in Whitewater and beyond.
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“It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing the closure of our store. We wanted to express our gratitude for the support over the last 4 years from this community.
It is due to many reasons including the explosive growth of the business and many personal reasons that growth affects, our family has made the difficult choice to close our doors. This decision was not made lightly and everyone involved with the store running is in complete agreement the decision is best for all of us personally.
Everyone here at Whitewater Wrap & Ship wants to take the opportunity to thank you for your loyalty and patronage. It has been an honor to serve this community and we are beyond grateful for the relationships we have built with our customers. Your support as we took the risk to open during the early COVID lockdown and the following time as we navigated the growth and changes that came through the shipping industry.
With this closure we are committed to helping the community through the transition to closure. As we close, anyone shipping a package will have the support provided until the packages arrive. Our last day shipping internationally is May 17th. For domestic it will be May 24th. Even though our doors are closed, I will personally be reachable via phone or email for any follow up or issues.
Even though we are closing the shipping store, Kelsey and I are still providing apparel services. We will be updating our contact information for that in the coming weeks.
As we close this chapter, we encourage you to continue supporting our local businesses. Your support is vital in sustaining the local economy and preserving the unique character of our community. We look forward to all the growth and changes that are coming to Whitewater!
Once again we thank you for your support and we are grateful to have been a part of this community. We will cherish the memories, friendships, and connections we have made. Thank you for your understanding and support.”
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Alternative shipping services
Unfortunately with the closing of Whitewater Wrap & Ship (WWS), there will be no business in the city providing the full range of services that they have offered. For one, as their name implies, customers have been able to rely on the business to provide an envelope or box and to prepare same for mailing. Additionally, WWS has represented and provided pricing for DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS. Going forward the Banner is not aware that any business will provide “wrapping” service; further, it appears that existing businesses ship through only one carrier. A significant challenge with using FedEx or UPS is that many people probably don’t have a scale, or at least one that’s sure to be accurate to the pound. WWS and True Value Hardware provided a scale, but that service will apparently only be available at the Post Office now.
Advance Auto Parts, 1184 W. Main Street
Only UPS shipping
Drop off: Customer must bring the package labeled and prepaid. They are not able to work from a QR code. Parcels are typically picked up between 3-4 p.m., Mon. – Fri. (There is also a UPS drop box outside Associated Bank.)
Pick up: Those wishing to have parcels delivered to the store rather than to their home may have parcels addressed with their name care of the store. When residents are not home to accept a UPS delivery that requires a signature the driver will leave a note asking for them to pick up the package at this store.
United States Post Office, 213 W. Center Strett
Only USPS shipping. Envelopes and boxes are available for sale.
Walgreens, 1041 W. Main Street
Only FedEx shipping
Drop off: Customer must bring the package labeled and prepaid. For retail returns, they prefer that the customer have the label, but with the QR code they can usually provide one. FedEx picks up ground parcels Mon-Fri at 3 p.m., express parcels at 12 and 3 p.m.
The Shipping Depot
58 W. Market St., Elkhorn (Next to Taste of China)
Offers “wrapping” service, sells envelopes and boxes. Will provide a label for an Amazon return with QR code for $1.
Ships by DHL (international), FedEx, UPS, USPS.
Open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The UPS Store
2811 Milton Ave., Janesville
Offers “wrapping” service, sells envelopes and boxes. Will provide a label for an Amazon return with QR code (as of a few months ago, no charge for the label.)
Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Editor’s note: Any readers having further information about mailing services is requested to email us at whitewaterbanner@gmail.com so that we may update this information.
