Todays News

UPS Store closes after over 20 years in Marshalltown

The UPS Store at 125 W. Merle Hibbs Blvd. in Marshalltown saw customers for the final time on Wednesday after over 20 years in the community.

The store was launched, franchised and previously managed by current At-Large City Councilor Gary Thompson along with his ex-wife and former in-laws from its inception in 2004 until they sold it to Milap Sharma in 2016. Sharma's brother-in-law, Amulya Sharma, most recently managed the Marshalltown store and spoke to the T-R about the closure on Wednesday.

The primary factor, he said, is that the UPS Store corporate model is shifting toward smaller buildings, and the Marshalltown location is simply too big and the required renovation too cost prohibitive to proceed with it. Sharma and his wife also manage a UPS Store on Wheeler Street in Ames, which will remain open going forward.

Amulya said he's "50 percent sad and 50 percent happy" -- sad because Marshalltown is still a strong market with plenty of customers, but happy because he doesn't have to drive over from Ames, where he lives, every day as he had for the last several years. Thompson, who helped bring the store to Marshalltown in the first place, was saddened by the news but understanding of the circumstances surrounding it.

"Being a councilor, I don't want to see any business close in Marshalltown. This does leave a void," he said. "It's gonna be an impact on the people of Marshalltown."

On the positive side, however, Amulya didn't shut the door on the possibility of a UPS Store ever returning to Marshalltown again -- though it would likely be a different franchisee in a different location. The shipping terminal is still located on 12th Avenue, but otherwise, Marshalltonians wishing to utilize a UPS Store will need to drive to Ames, Ankeny or Cedar Rapids.

The stores are primarily used for Amazon dropoffs and returns, shipping products, printing and faxing. The property and building are now up for sale.

Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.