Hi, 

I own a small business in downtown Manhattan, near the West 4th Street
station on 6th avenue, and I was interested in adding another line of
business to my shop. I was considering adding shipping center
services, given my proximity to the subway and a major avenue. I also
have a back office with 250 sq ft of usable space, some tables
that I could use, and employees that can assist in labor. I get a
decent amount of local traffic since I offer internet access, though
the only downside to my location is that it is up a small flight of
stairs (like ten steps).

I have no previous experience in shipping save some light ebaying, so
my question would be how exactly I would go about entering the
shipping center business as an add-on. The details I need are how to
become an authorized shipping outlet (Fedex, UPS, etc.), what kind of
supplies I will need, what kind of channels are best to use for
marketing such a service, and a description of how this particular
business works as far as profits go (is it just handling fees and sale
of shipping supplies?).

Thank you for your time.