A Toronto post office that's been a cornerstone of a neighbourhood as well as an essential resource has just permanently closed.

The Envoy in Roncesvalles Village was also more than a post office with all kinds of business services like printing available. But the story behind it is about much more than just shipping and handling.

It's apparently had few owners over its decades of history, with the last owner Mike Tuyp running it from 2015 to 2023. He tells blogTO his predecessor Jasmine Barrette had the shop from about 2001 until 2015, and she believes the Envoy was first opened by Steve Waldman in 1996.

"We used to be located at 365 Roncesvalles until the rent got hiked up there in 2011 at which time we moved up the road to 412 Roncy. I sure have some great memories of running that store," Barrette tells blogTO.

"At one point I had a menagerie of sorts in there with my dog Jake as ambassador and Amigo the lovebird as store greeter. I swear Jake was more popular than I was as we walked the streets of the neighbourhood."

Tuyp actually met Barrette through the Toronto music scene, originally helping out on a part time basis, later moving to full time, and then taking over the business, working with the music community as well as BIAs, political parties and candidates, and local businesses.

Tuyp standing in the cleared-out Envoy. Photo courtesy of Mike Tuyp.

"I continued to play in the Toronto music scene while running Envoy, and used my connections to the music industry to work with many of its members, including music labels and individual artists, printing promo materials, posters, flyers, one-sheets," Tuyp tells blogTO.

"In spare moments at the shop, I would also practice guitar, which many of my customers seemed to enjoy seeing when they walked in and I met many music enthusiasts and players that way, making many connections in the community along the way. I knew most of my customers by name."

He's closing the shop because its revenue never returned to what it was before lockdowns and restrictions, which depleted all his savings.

"I closed it because of rising expenses, such as rent, the upkeep of the machines," says Tuyp.

"Some of the people I've met through running the business helped me to clear it out, and my three brothers arrived on the last weekend to help me demolish and throw away everything I could not sell or give away. The space is up for rent. My plans are to continue playing music. I'm also considering going back to school."

The Envoy was cleared out and vacated on March 1.