By Northside News
The UPS Store in Northgate Shopping Center changed hands in April of this year. Margo Dixon owned the franchise for more than 25 years. She sold the franchise location to Anthony Mak, who relocated to Madison in 2020.
The UPS Store, located at 1213 N. Sherman Ave., was opened by Dixon in 1998, more than 25 years ago. It was established as a Mail Boxes Etc. franchise location. UPS purchased Mail Boxes Etc. in 2001, and stores were converted to The UPS Store franchise in 2003. The Northside location has evolved and thrived throughout this time.
Since the opening of the store an ongoing goal has been to serve the Northside, provide services that were not available to this part of town, and bring new services to the area. Dixon was able to do this by becoming involved with Northside organizations and supporting Northside causes.
Dixon has been a member of the Northside Business Association since 2005. She served as treasurer and president of the organization. This led to support of NPC, NEDC, DAIS and The River Food Pantry.
Dixon’s first location was in Essex Square, near East Towne Mall, in 1991. After over 30 years in business, it is time to slow down. She will continue to be active on the Northside through the NBA and other organizations.
Anthony Mak moved here from Massachusetts. His family are survivors of the Cambodian genocide that took place from 1975-1979 during the reign of the Communist Khmer Rouge. They escaped to Thailand and lived in a refugee camp before being sponsored to America in 1984. They first settled in Chicago and then moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, home to the second largest Cambodian population in the U.S. after Long Beach, California.
Mak graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in finance. Upon graduation, he landed a job at State Street Corporation, a Boston-based financial custodian bank where he worked for 14 years. In 2020, he accepted a job with U.S. Bank and moved his family to Madison, Wisconsin.
After working many years in corporate America, Mak decided that it was time to pursue his dream of business ownership. He started his research and found The UPS Store was a business that has consistently ranked in the top 10 franchises year after year.
Mak’s first step was to apply and receive approval from UPS corporate to open a new store or buy an existing location. When the Northside store became available, he was interested. It took six months to complete the process, which included approval by UPS and 5-1/2 weeks of training. He is interested in the business because it provides a diverse set of services for the community such as printing, notary, mailbox and, of course, shipping.
“I look forward to getting to know my customers, give back to the community and understand what other needs I can serve,” commented Mak.
In his spare time, Mak enjoys traveling the world with his wife and two children and cheering on his beloved Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics. He has joined the Northside Business Association and looks forward to learning more about NPC and FEED.
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