After seven months and more than $500,000 worth of extensive renovations, Harvard Square's "Postal Store of the Future" is now open for business.

The remodeled post office, with its glass entrance and interior color scheme of red, blue and gray, has a fresh, upscale image and a modern concept: self-service.

The new facility--one of only five of its kind in the U.S.--allows customers to "do it themselves," whether "it" is weighing an envelope, figuring out international costs, preparing an express mail package or simply purchasing stamps.

"What we have done is simply break the lines up," said Victor A. Carbone, manager of the Harvard Square Post Office, which opened its new glass doors March 23.

"Before the renovations, most transactions required customers to make the line at the traditional service windows, but now they have a number of faster options available to them," Carbone said.

The renovated facility is equipped with a ramp for the handicapped, a photocopier for customer use, two automatic stamp vending machines, several computerized scales, a conference room and a postal store.

The new postal store allows "shopping addicts" to browse through a variety of stamp collectibles and packaging supplies and to purchase stamps without having to wait in long lines.

The self-service station is also open longerthan the traditional customer service windows.

During the business week, early risers can comein at 7 a.m., and late mailers now have until 7p.m. to send their letters.

On Saturday the self-service station is openfrom 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"I like the fact that they are open until 7p.m. because I tend to do a lot of last-minutemailing," said John H. Lo '95.

But Carbone warned such "leave it to the lastminute" customers that though the self-servicestation is open until 7 p.m., the last mail trucksroll out at 5:45 p.m.

"If you need to get today's date on it, we mustreceive it by 5:45 p.m. or you must get it to thecentral branch at South Station by midnight,"Carbone said.

The nation's four other "Postal Stores of theFuture" are located in California, Virginia,Florida and Washington, D.C.

"We were chosen because we are one of the fivebusiest post offices in the United States and wehave a lot of international business," Carbonesaid.

Stamp sales covered the cost of therenovations, Carbone said