By SUE ELLEN ROSS Staff Reporter

GARYVILLE – Visitors to the old Mt. Airy Post Office won’t find letters and packages inside this holiday season. Instead, they will find a cozy little cafe tastefully decorated with items of a by-gone era.

The building, now called the Post Office Cafe, was built in the early 1930’s and originally stood on River Road near Daffodil Street. It served as a general store and post office for local residents. The structure has been vacant since 1989.

Enter developer Carl Monica.

He purchased the old post office/general store last January and moved it to the current site at Airline Hwy. and LA 54 in Garyville. Although the building didn’t need any major work, there were still quite a few items on the to-do agenda. First, permits were secured and then the restoration began to roll.

The old wooden floor, which was covered with linoleum, was rediscovered and refinished. Inside walls were taken down and much painting followed.

The floor is not the only original item visitors see when they visit the quaint little cafe. Workers removed the covering on the walls, a type of celetex, and found ‘beaded’ wood. “I wanted to keep the building as original as possible,” said Monica.

This particular type of restaurant project is a first for the real estate businessman. “Garyville doesn’t have a presence on Airline Hwy.,” said Monica. “I felt this location was perfect.”

A staff of 6-8 employees will train for opening day with Steven Smith, chef/owner of the Dry Dock Restaurant in Garyville. Smith and wife, Laura, will manage the cafe.

When the cafe first opens for business, only counter service will be available. In addition to stools at the counter, unique old kitchen tables are set up around the room to accommodate those with self-serve orders.

The inside dining area will seat 40, with the outdoor patio adding another 30-40 capacity.

The eatery will be open from 5 a.m. To 5 p.m., seven days a week. Made-to-order breakfast, as well as sandwiches are on the menu. In addition, fresh pastries also will be featured and all items can be packaged for takeout. Hours of operation and the menu may eventually be extended, according to Smith. “First we have to crawl before we walk,” he said of future plans.

Monica hopes to target travelers along Airline Hwy., as well as workers from nearby industries, such as Marathon and Kaiser.

He added that there will be an area in the cafe for residents, tourists, and other patrons to pick up maps and phamplets of attractions and events in the area.

The cafe opened its doors for a sneak preview Tuesday. Guests dined on hors d’oeuvres as they browsed among antiques displayed on the original wooden post office shelves.

In another area of the room, guests admired the original post office ‘boxes’ that have been shined like new and are in working order. Monica even put some old papers inside to give it all an ‘authentic’ look.

The target opening date of the Post Office Cafe is sometime within the next few weeks, according to Monica.

Local residents; travelers; and area workers alike, will find the past, present and future along Airline Hwy. in Garyville. It’s alive in the Post Office Cafe.