Built to Last

West Ashley residents Sharon and R.C. Foster have weathered many storms, demonstrate solidarity as a couple, and are one of the strongest Mom ’n Pop business leaders in the Charleston area. They own a PostNet franchise in West Ashley, where they are known for their excellent customer service. For a decade, they’ve built a strong reputation.
Both Sharon and R.C. Foster were born and raised in Lexington, Ky. They attended Tates Creek High School, and were introduced by a mutual friend while Sharon was still a student. A pizza place called Joe Bologna’s near a bowling alley was where they had their first date. This December the Fosters will celebrate 32 years together. They lived in Lexington until ’98, where R.C. worked in a corporate position as a sales representative. They moved to New Jersey for a spell, then set their sights on Charleston.
R.C. had always wanted to own his own Mom ’n Pop business. The Fosters chose a PostNet franchise for many reasons. “They were progressive, open to new, cutting edge technology, and offered more than just packaging,” says Foster. He and Sharon remember seeing their shop go from “vanilla shell to turn-key,” meaning it went from a blank space build-out to a ready-to-open store. A Wal-Mart used to anchor the Ashley Crossing shopping center at the time. Little did they know that Wal-Mart would later pull out, and that they’d face a brutal recession in a post-9/11 economy. “We’ve been here working 60 hours or more per week for the past ten years,” says Foster. But it has paid off. “We are one of the top producing stores in the U.S. franchise,” he adds.
Sharon homeschooled their daughters, Melanie, and Miranda, when the girls were young. Later, she was on the P.T.A. board, a homeroom mom, and volunteer at the kids’ schools and church. She is thrilled she could do that for her family. And from the start, Sharon has worked with R.C. at PostNet and shares the responsibility of running a high-functioning business. After surviving Wal-Mart’s pullout at Ashley Crossing, a hard-hit economy, construction at the shopping center, and current traffic construction on Bee’s Ferry, the Fosters are grateful to still be standing, and to be doing well. Moreover, they just celebrated Sharon’s one year cancer-free milestone since her radical double mastectomy last summer. Sharon encourages women to make time for their medical checkups. Today, she says she’s grateful to be alive, and absolutely loves spending time with two-year-old granddaughter, Raegan.
The Fosters have carried much on their shoulders, yet both say they count their many blessings.
Fortunately, Kohl’s, Marshall’s, and Jo-Ann Fabrics moved in where Wal-Mart once stood. It’s a miracle, the Fosters say. Instead of one anchor store, they now have three.
West Ashley resident Kathy Andrews says staying in business for ten years is a major feat, especially during a recession. Moreover, when Wal-Mart pulled out, other small businesses left, yet the Fosters survived, due to “personal service, good services, and decent prices,” states Andrews. “No matter what I need, they’re available, and they go the extra mile,” adds Andrews. She remains impressed because “they take care of us like we’re their own family.” She should know. Andrews sent her son Dalton’s entire army unit packages while he was in Afghanistan. Snacks, pocket-sized games, toilet paper, and hand sanitizers are welcome commodities when an army reserve unit first arrives at a new post. The Fosters have consistently helped her with customs forms, no long lines, and friendliness. This time, though, Andrews had the Fosters create a ten-foot banner, customized to say, “Welcome Home, Warrior! We Love You, Dalton Andrews!”
PostNet employee Kait Powers went through a rough patch branching out as a young woman, and the Fosters befriended her. They are her adopted family, “very compassionate, and kind,” she says.
Rachel Corbett has worked there three years, and says they’ve rewarded her hard work, put her on full-time, and provided health insurance.
Employee Sandy Wolaver approves the Foster’s “terrific work ethic,” and believes “they’re just good people altogether.” Additionally, “they create a family environment, something a lot of small businesses don’t have anymore,” says Wolaver.
The store offers a huge array of services, such as notary, binding, graphic design, printing, shipping, and above all, personalized customer service.
One local resident said his daughter, visiting from London, needed her Master’s thesis printed and bound per British specifications, and in color. PostNet had it ready within the hour.
Lisa Weatherwax is a local writer. She earned the Matrix Table Promise of Excellence Award. Reach her at weatherwaxwrites@aol.com