Some complain about the fact that there's no supermarket in downtown Manayunk. Others wish there was a bookstore in the neighborhood.

With the lack of certain crucial amenities, at least residents and merchants in the community had one thing going for them - their local post office branch. When that was in danger of being swiped from the community, people took a stand.

"It's an excellent destination for us, and we didn't want to lose it," said business owner Martin Pulli, who has operated a jewelry store on Main Street for more than a decade.

Pulli is not the only local business owner who regularly utilizes the Main Street post office. Count Jack Goldberg among the many who frequent the facility at 4431 Main St.

"I did not want that post office to close. I use it a lot," said Goldberg, who owns Eyeglass Works at 4407 Main St.

When Goldberg learned the Manayunk branch was one of a number of branches being examined for possible closure in the Philadelphia region, he decided to get involved. His activism came in the form of a petition he drafted and passed out to neighborhood merchants. Residents also caught wind of what Goldberg was trying to do, and they jumped aboard. In the end, the 1,000 or so signatures helped persuade U.S. Postal Service officials to keep the branch open, or so Goldberg hopes to believe.

"It was a real good thing," Goldberg said. "When everybody heard about it, the response" was overwhelmingly positive.

Pulli said he often utilizes the post office's services when it comes to things like shipping repaired items back to customers. Private shippers have become too costly, he said, and the post office is a good alternative.

Pulli also noted that, with more and more people out of work, the post office has become a crucial service for those trying to make their money by selling things on Web sites like eBay.

One person who appreciates all the positive feedback about the Manayunk post office is Cathy Adams, who has managed it since July.

"I think it's great because my employees are fantastic," said Adams, who previously worked in Manayunk in 1999 and 2000 before being transferred.

Adams said customers and postal workers have built a rapport throughout the years and it shows, especially when visitors take notice of things like an employee's absence.

"I know that a lot of people question me when they're not here," she said, referring to her four clerks and seven carriers. "They genuinely care."

Adams became aware early on of the drive to keep her post office open, even though talks of any type of consolidation or closure were very preliminary. She remembers the day one of her carriers brought the petition in support of the branch back to the office.

"I heard there was a petition," she said. "I know that a lot of the customers in the ZIP code were signing it."

Adams is glad her branch does not appear to be headed for the chopping block. And while she appreciates the effort on the part of the community, she said there was most likely another saving grace - a simple change of heart on the part of Postal Service officials.

"It was a really long process, but we are off the list," she said.

But that list can change, cautioned Cathy Yarosky, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Philadelphia.

"The filing does not represent a final decision. It's an ongoing process," Yarosky said about the nationwide process addressing possible branch consolidations and closings.

The Postal Service announced updates to the review process on Oct. 9, she said. Across the country, there are currently 371 stations and branches that are being considered for mergers with other branches or a full shutdown.

There are only three branches in Philadelphia that are on that list, she said, none of them in the Northwest. The branches being examined are Wissinoming in the city's Tacony section, the Girard Avenue branch on North Broad Street and the Adams Avenue branch in Frankford.

"As of right now, those are the only branches under consideration for Philadelphia," Yarosky said.

Yarosky was not aware of the Manayunk petition drive, but said information like that does not typically reach her. Nevertheless, she praised residents and business owners alike for taking the initiative to get involved.

And while the petition may or may not have swayed the powers that be, it couldn't have hurt.

However, what it comes down to for the Postal Service is the bottom line.

"We work very much as a business, as does any business," Yarosky said. "For us to review our processes and facilities and our resources is something that we've always done. It's the same thing that all businesses go through, especially with the recession that we faced this past year, (which) made our financial position more challenging."

When considering possible closures and consolidations, Yarosky said officials look at a number of factors, such as amount of use, proximity to next nearest branch and revenue generated.

This doesn't mean users' opinions aren't taken into consideration. Yarosky said her organization is also open to customer feedback.

"As part of the (review) process, we have community meetings, so it's important for customers to understand that," she said. "That's a very important part of the process."

And while it appears to be a moot point for customers in Manayunk at the moment, since that branch looks like it will remain open, Yarosky said only time will tell exactly which branches will close and merge.

The Postal Service will "take a very close look at all of our processes, all of our operations at all of our buildings across the nation," she said.

For now, Manayunk business owners in particular are just relieved things appear to remain weighed in their favor.

"It's really a no-brainer in our situation," Pat Feeney, who owns Main Street Music at 4444 Main St., said of the decision to rally behind the post office.

Feeney's business is located directly across the street from the branch, and he said he makes numerous trips on a daily basis to his local post office. If that branch had closed, he said, it would be a major inconvenience, since he would have to hop in the car every time he had to mail out a special order.

"It's great for us," he said. "It's part of what got us to sell on Amazon, the convenience of it."

Feeney also noted the friendly staff there.

"It seems like they know most of the customers' names," he said.

Feeney said while part of the support behind the post office staying open had to do with "our convenience," customers were also looking out for the well being of postal employees, making sure they kept their jobs.

Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com