Franklin's 'Post Office Kids' Find Second Home at Street Scene

But the kids in front of the post office, sitting thoughtfully in the shade and peering out at the teeming street, are content to stay where they are for the moment.

The so-called "post office kids" are just as much a fixture on Franklin Street as any college hangout. But unlike other Franklin Street hot spots where students congregate, the kids at the post office are not at all a part of Chapel Hill's college culture.

In fact, the post office often presents a getaway from high school as well.

For 18-year-old Dexter Thigpen, who has been spending his time at the post office for five years, the post office is an alternative to the high school environment he found uninteresting and mainstream.

Thigpen, who dropped out of high school after the ninth grade and got his high school equivalency degree, said the post office presented a new experience.

"I rather think that high school is ridiculous," he said. "I just felt like I should start pursuing things I cared about."

Thigpen said the things that first drew him to the post office ranged from playing punk rock to hanging out with his friends.

"It was like going to a bar, to a place where people were accepted," he said.

The acceptance he sought is the common ground for all teens at the post office, no matter how different their background might be.

Thigpen said he grew up in poverty, never staying in one home for more than two years. But the post office has been a second home for him over the last five years.

He also said his socioeconomic background generally is the exception, not the rule, at the post office. "Most kids I know around here are middle class," Thigpen said.

James Englis, 18, is an example. Englis, who also opted to get his high school equivalency degree, said that while his middle class background gave him more educational opportunities, he was drawn to the post office because of its accepting atmosphere.

"There were no other people I felt like I could hang out with, and that's what I saw here," Englis said. "The people around here were the people that I sort of was."

He added that while his group of friends is not very socioeconomically diverse, they are drawn by a common desire for acceptance.

"I guess it's a state of mind, not your socioeconomic background, Englis said. "It's who you are -- it just happens."

For Englis, though, the post office and Street Scene are just as much an escape as an alternative. He said that while UNC students usually don't bother him and his friends at the post office, he has been bothered near Fraternity Court before.

But whether the post office is a safe haven or simply an alternative hangout spot, a passion for punk rock unifies this diverse group.

Englis said he likes groups like local punk band the Dirty Politicians. The leather-clad group of kids surrounding him agreed, nodding in unison as cigarette smoke curled into a cloud above them.

Englis added that Go! Studios and Local 506 are his top choices among concert venues because they book more punk bands than the Cat's Cradle normally does.

He also said the post office not only offers a group of like-minded music fans but also camaraderie that can't be found just anywhere.

"There's a lot more intelligent conversation here than in the general college area," he said.

"Yeah, we're smarter than the college kids," said Giles Gentry, 30, who has been spending his time at the post office for six years.

As Gentry could attest, the kids' ages and education level are not a factor here. And it isn't even about punk rock. What really draws these kids together are their friendships.

"I hang out here because I love these people and they're my friends," said Stacy, a 17-year-old junior at East Chapel Hill High School who declined to state her last name. "I love the people who work (at Street Scene)."

When it comes to the bonds she refers to, actions speak louder than words. Anyone arriving or leaving is guaranteed a hug from a friend, and anyone -- especially if that anyone is a girl -- is fair game for a playful headlock.

It's this kind of spontaneous goofing off that shows that eye-catching goth attire and eyebrow rings are a minor part of the equation. Their looks alone can divert attention away from the bottom line -- that the post office kids are just good friends having a good time.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.