Thanks to a petition started by the Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association back in February, the Northlake Finance Station (as the post office is officially called) located behind the Albertsons at Ferndale Road and Northwest Highway will remain open. Over 800 Lake Highlands signers proved that the pen is indeed mightier then the sword.

The LHAIA spent the past two months negotiating with Landlord Chuck Hixson of Westdale Management, the company that runs the Northlake Shopping Center.

The goal has been to keep the post office in its current location as well as bring more exposure to it. LHAIA President Jack White says the agreement is a win for Lake Highlands residents.

"We've always felt the post office is an integral part of the Northlake Shopping Center but that it's been under utilized by a lack of marketing. We thought that if people knew it might be closing, they would collectively voice their concerns. This is a classic example of how Lake Highlands can respond as a unified community,” White said.

The Northlake Finance Station has been doing business in the same location since 1968. Not only will it stay open, its presence as a local post office will be enhanced by a new sign being installed on the Northlake marquis by Westdale Management. That's welcome news to Robin Moss Norcross, a Lake Ridge Estates neighbor.

"Northlake's post office boxes as well as their retail services are widely used by residents and businesses here in Lake Highlands. That brings buyers into a neighborhood shopping center. Westdale's installation of the new sign advertising the post office will certainly contribute to more shopping center traffic," Norcross said.

While there have been detractors during the drive to keep the post office open, the majority consensus, made clear by the signers of the petition, was that for over 40 years the post office has been a driving factor in the shopping center and affords customers the opportunity for 'one stop shopping' among many longstanding businesses.