Preston ― When business partners Don Costello and Butch Gauthier purchased the Preston Market convenience store on Route 2 in April, they said everyone asked the same question.

“You’re going to keep the post office, right?”

Initially, they assured them that they planned to keep Preston’s only post office, called a Contract Postal Unit, in operation.

Months later, all they can say is: “We’re trying.”

Former store owner Scott Hunter has terminated his contract with the Postal Service effective Sept. 30, and Costello said if he cannot resolve months of red tape to secure a new contract, the postal unit will close after that date.

Costello said he did not seek publicity about the plight of the postal unit, but once residents started realizing the post office was in jeopardy, they took matters into their own hands. They called Preston Town Hall, contacted U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District.

First Selectwoman Sandra Allyn-Gauthier called the congressional offices too, and Costello went to Courtney’s Norwich district office to meet with staff. Selectmen Jerry Grabarek and Kenneth Zachem also made calls. Zachem owns the Lu-Mac’s plaza where Preston Market is located.

“If this closes, Preston will lose another piece of its identity,” Zachem said. “They don’t make much money on it. It’s a service.”

Blumenthal’s office agreed to try to resolve the matter before Oct. 1.

“Local postal leadership are aware of this issue and are working directly with the customer,” U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Amy Gibbs said in an email to The Day.

Gibbs added that a Postal Service official contacted Costello on Friday and Monday, and the agency is seeking additional information from him.

Costello on Monday said he received a call from the Norwich postmaster asking for his paperwork to expedite the process.

Partnership formed to save local store

The effort to save the post office started with Costello’s and Gauthier’s willingness to come out of retirement to save Preston Market.

Costello, 69, of Preston had retired after working 20 years as a production manager at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Gauthier, 79, of Griswold, not related to the Preston first selectwoman, had retired and sold his Butch’s Luncheonette Breakfast Club in Norwich two years ago.

Costello had stopped at Preston Market nearly every day on his way to work and became friends with owners Scott and Stephanie Hunter. In April, Scott Hunter told him he could not find a buyer for the popular market and would have to close it. Would Costello be interested?

After flatly rejecting the idea, Costello asked his wife, Sue. She had the same reaction, until she asked what store was for sale.

“She said, ‘They can’t close that store! You’ve got to do that,’” Costello recalled.

Costello asked his friend Gauthier if he wanted to partner on the purchase.

“Not on your best day,” Gauthier recalled saying.

The next morning, Gauthier called back and asked, “What store?”

“I told him, and we bought it two days later,” Costello said.

Costello immediately started working on licenses for state lottery, cigarette and vape products sales, for the store’s ATM and to try to transfer Hunter’s postal contract.

“There’s a lot more than I ever realized to do,” Costello said. “Everything was difficult.”

“Nothing’s easy,” Gauthier said.

But four months into the new ownership, the ATM was humming, lottery sales booming ― Costello said the store is one of the top lottery sales outlets in the state ― and cigarettes and vape products lined secured cases behind the counter.

Costello said the Postal Service would not accept his credit card to stock the unit with stamps, boxes and supplies. Until Sept. 30, the Postal Service is charging Hunter’s credit card, and Costello sends the former owner a check to cover the costs.

Costello said the postal unit is busy most days. Packages are placed in large plastic bags, and on some days, the unit has four full bags ready for pickup. First-class mail is placed into a box on the counter. A Postal Service truck comes daily at 3 p.m. to pick up the bags and box. The unit has postal boxes for packages and sells stamps.

At first, Hunter and Costello tried to transfer Hunter’s contract to Costello. But after months of difficulty tracking down how to do that, they both realized it would have left Hunter still responsible for the postal unit operation. So Costello started pursuing a new Contract Postal Unit agreement.

Store will have some changes

Meanwhile, Costello and Gauthier are working on renovations to Preston Market, now under the ownership name Preston Marketplace LLC. They removed one wall in the front left corner to create space for a new breakfast nook.

They plan to renovate the postal area as well to create more space. They canceled the store’s Western Union money service, which had little business, and hope to obtain a Postal Service money order service.

There are no signs indicating the possible closure of the postal unit. If he cannot resolve the issue by Sept. 30, Costello said he will apologize to the community.

“I don’t like getting political with anything. There’s no point,” he said. “But what I will do is put a sign up to the community: ‘So sorry, we tried everything we know, to no avail.’ People were suggesting I start a petition. I don’t want to make waves. I just want to get it done.”

c.bessette@theday.com