Up in West Marin, in a quiet, unincorporated town which doesn't have much to speak of besides a gallery and a couple of shops, they at least had their own post office for most of the last 60 years. But that ended in 2023, and one resident in particular held out hope they could bring it back.

As KPIX reports, the Bolinas post office reopened Monday after two and half years being closed — forcing residents of the tiny enclave to drive 40 miles round trip to Stinson Beach to pick up their mail.

The closure happened in 2023 due to a rent dispute between the landlord and the federal government, and one local resident, John Borg, created a kind of vigil outside the former post office, to keep it front of mind for the community.

The sign, as of Sunday, said "948 DAYS WITHOUT A POST OFFICE."

As Borg tells KPIX, "We're a small town. We have no mayor, we have no city attorney. We're just, like, regular people trying to figure this out."

Borg adds, "I think the sign was something to kind of keep the community engaged, and let them know, 'Hey, we haven't given up on this. We're still holding them accountable. We're still watching it and we're still working on this.'"

The US Postal Service announced that, as of September 29, any PO box holders who had been receiving their mail in Stinson Beach would be able to get their mail in Bolinas once more.

"The Postal Service is proud to reopen a refreshed and brighter Post Office in the community of Bolinas," said District Manager Aron Jones in a statement. "We are eager to deliver consistent and convenient service just in time for the holiday season."

Retail hours are now 8 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday, and mail pickup is available 10 am to noon on Saturday.

Bolinas had a population, as of 2020, of 1,483 people, and the median age is 62.7 years old.