Mail by day, ale by night for Tim Adams
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Tim Adams, a USPS worker, delivers mail along his postal route in Trussville on Jan. 12.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Tim Adams, a USPS worker, holds out a dog treat as he walks over to Suzie, a Great White Pyrenees, along his postal route in Trussville on Jan. 12.
Tim Adams is a people person.
He surmises that he got it from his dad, a self-employed furniture refurbisher from Atlantic Highlands, N.J. The elder Adams had a quick wit and an unwavering smile, and saying something bad about him wasn’t an option. Adams guesses that his work ethic also was passed down from his father, who died in 2019 at age 93. Adams and his four brothers grew up watching him drive his truck to work every day, lugging furniture to and from his workshop.
His son has strived to be like his dad.
“It definitely left an impact on me as far as how he provided for his family,” Adams said.
Adams is a United States Postal Service mail carrier in Trussville. He also works as a bartender at Ferus Artisan Ales in Trussville. He is married to Janice, a nurse at UAB, and they have two daughters, Ashley and Samantha.
Adams works hard, and the few times he may not live up to being a people person is when he sees others not pulling their load.
“Just come in and bring it every day,” Adams said.
Adams has worked for the Postal Service for 26 years, his first 11 in his hometown of Atlantic Highlands. His brother in-law earned a job promotion that moved him to Trussville, and after a few visits, Adams transferred to Trussville in 2005. He has been delivering mail around the city ever since, his first nine years in the Calumet Downs and Tutwiler neighborhoods, and the last handful to more than 600 daily stops in the North Chalkville Road area.
His work days with the USPS, all but Sunday, begin at 7 a.m. and end around 3:30 p.m., later during the holiday season. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he heads to Ferus Artisan Ales afterward and stays until 11 p.m., sometimes midnight. Sunday is the one day he doesn’t work.
“It’s not too bad,” Adams said. “It’s by choice. It’s not like I can complain to anybody.”
Adams has almost always worked a second job. He has worked at the Ferus brewery since it opened in 2019, and he doesn’t want his coworkers or his boss there to believe it is his “second job.”
When he clocks in, it is his “permanent job.” He has a commitment to being on time there and working hard, so some days that may mean skipping a lunch break to finish his mail route to get there on time.
“That’s not fair to anybody,” Adams said of calling in sick or to say he can’t work.
Though Adams works at Ferus part-time, his experience in the restaurant business reaches back further than his USPS time. He managed a restaurant in New Jersey before catching on with the Postal Service. He hopes Ferus patrons have a good experience whether he waits on them or another employee. He hopes to see them again based on a good experience, quality food and tasty beer.
“We work hard there to strive to make it well-rounded,” he said.
Ferus owner Coby Lake said Adams is awesome.
“He’s in a good mood 98 percent of the time, hustles and can pour a solid pint of beer,” Lake said. “He’s obviously a super dad because all his daughters are amazing. It sometimes takes a special person to get behind the bar, but he handles it and customers with grace. He’s just a good dude that loves life, is a pleasure to be around and appreciates good beer. He also does a great job with Ferus happy hour, which was completely unprompted by me or anyone else.”
As for his day job, Adams earned some notoriety a week before Christmas when a Trussville resident posted about him and his work ethic in the What’s Happening in Trussville Facebook group. The woman posted that Adams “goes above and beyond” and also brings treats for her dog. The post was “liked” by more than 1,300 people. Adams said there are about 10 dogs outside on his route consistently, though some days there are about 15. He brings a box of biscuits with him and buys a new box every 10 days.
“Nearly every day our golden retrievers wait for him to come by and bring them treats,” said former Trussville City Councilman Zack Steele. “He’s super friendly to everyone and every dog he sees.”
Adams said he goes to work every day with the mindset of doing all parts of his job without fail. He mentioned Christmas cards in particular.
“Someone took the time to handwrite that thing, I’m going to take the time to make sure it gets to the right place once it gets to me,” he said. “I treat everything like it’s my own. I get stuff from Amazon and UPS and I want my stuff not left out in the rain and handled properly, so I try to handle everyone else’s the same way.”
Adams has fewer than four years before he hits the 30-year service mark with the USPS, a retirement goal for mail carriers. It will leave him with a decision to make: keep delivering mail, retire and continue working at Ferus, or retire and dive back into the restaurant business.
“I think Ferus has a lot of potential,” he said.
However, though Adams has enjoyed his time in Trussville, he also misses the Northeast. Where he grew up, he could see the Atlantic Ocean from his house. He loves snow skiing, which he could go do an hour and a half from his hometown, and could get to New York City in an hour.
“Here you have summer and not as hot summer,” Adams said, laughing.
Adams doesn’t see himself staying in Trussville the rest of his life. The draw of the mountains and ocean up north, maybe somewhere northeast of New Jersey, is too strong. Whenever that time comes, Trussville will have left its mark on Adams.
“It’s been good. I’ve been very happy down here,” he said. “I’ve been very lucky as far as getting into Trussville at the Post Office. We have good neighbors and I’ve met a lot of nice people.”
