*UPDATED WITH STATEMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER

Nokomis East post office may close Nov. 30

Resident mobilizing to save neighborhood post office

Gene Peterson has worked at this location for six years, and Rina Eap for two years.

Tesha M. Christensen

Nokomis East post office may close Nov. 30.mp3

Posted Thursday, November 20, 2025 6:21 pm

Staff at the Nokomis Post Office (5139 34th Ave. S) say they were notified on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025 by a supervisor that the lease on the building is up at the end of this month and that they will be closing. An effort is being organized on the Nokomis East Information Sharing Facebook page to stop the closure, and people are being encouraged to call their city and federal representatives. This post office serves the 55417 zip code.

The closest post office is the one that burned down and was rebuilt at Minnehaha Ave. and 27th in the 55406 zip code.

Since 2020, USPS has paid $54,325 annually to rent the building along 34th Ave. S; for the five years prior to that, it paid $47,923 a year. The building was purchased by APIF - Minnesota LLC/ Obayashi Corporation North American Regional Headquarters, based in Forest City, Calif. in 2020 for $610,000. The market value according to Hennepin County is currently $784,000.
There are 205 post office boxes rented at the Nokomis location (including by the Longfellow Nokomis Messenger).

Ward 12 Minneapolis council member Aurin Chowdhury had this statement on Thursday evening:

I am concerned the discrepency in information that the workers have gotten and what the congresional office has recieved. This will guide our work in doing further investigating & due diligence.

Thank you for the many calls and emails we’ve received regarding the Nokomis Station Post Office. Your advocacy and concern truly make a difference.

I have been in communication with Congresswoman Omar’s office, and we have received confirmation from USPS that there are NO plans to close Nokomis Station on 11/30 and at the end of the month. If this is not the case we will make every effort to fight for the postal office to remain open.

However, USPS has also stated that “we are currently evaluating and considering all options for Nokomis Station.” I still have concern about the closure and my office will be tracking this closely.

We are continuing to stay in close contact with USPS through the congressional office to understand what this means and to get more transparency from USPS going forward. Our office is also working to get clear answers about the status of the building’s lease.

Members of my staff visited Nokomis Station today, and I plan to visit tomorrow as well as check in with a few other local offices.

I am fully committed to doing whatever it takes to preserve our community post office. My team and I will continue to share updates as soon as we learn more.

Thank you to the postal workers at Nokomis Station for your service, and thank you to all community members for your continued advocacy. If you have any information or concerns, please reach out to my office at 612-673-2212. We are logging all messages, and many of your insights have already been helpful as we navigate this situation.