"You're an artist, right?" he asks, holding up a sheet of stamps bearing the paintings of Mary Cassatt.

"I guess I have to get those, don't I?" the woman replies.

Guzman has worked for the postal service for more than 32 years, the last 10 of which he's spent as a clerk in Los Gatos. But the Army veteran, known to most patrons as Art, is retiring Aug. 2.

After finishing a tour in Vietnam as a paratrooper, Guzman started working for the U.S. Postal Service when the agency was hiring only veterans. He was a carrier and a manager in Campbell before coming to Los Gatos, but said he prefers being a clerk simply because of the chance to interact with people.

"You meet a lot of people," he said. "I like the human factor."

And the people like him. Los Gatos resident Debbie Sacks said Guzman makes going to the post office a pleasant experience.

"He always has a smile and a hello," Sacks said. "Even if there's a long line, he'll make jokes. He's just been a real nice face to see at the post office."

Los Gatos postmaster Kathie Faupel said she will miss the longtime clerk, who often used his booming voice to help her call for people in line waiting to pick up packages.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do without him," Faupel said. "He knows most of our customers by name. It's a loss for the whole community."

Guzman said he has always tried to take the frustration out of waiting in line by keeping a cheerful, jovial attitude.

"I try and lighten things up," he said, "though not everyone responds to that. I remember one woman—I said, 'Can I help the second person in line?' and she turned around and said, 'How rude. You're not funny.' "

Most people, though, appreciate his sense of humor, as well as his compassion. Besides having a "weak spot" for customers who are elderly or have disabilities, he is known for his patriotism and support for military service people.

Jackie Hopkins said Guzman would bend over backwards to help her when she and her Alain Pinel office mates would send packages to troops in the Middle East.

"I went in advance and asked him how to handle it," she said. "He said, 'Come to the front of the line.' "

If there was a long line when she was mailing a lot of packages, he would explain what Hopkins was doing to the other customers, and they would always understand, even applauding sometimes.

"Either that, or if it was busy and he was visible, he would go open up a line for us," she said. "I had been in the post office and always found him cheerful in the past, but when we did this, he was just really supportive of the troops. He was right there to say, 'I'll work late if that's what it's gonna take.' "

Faupel said that Guzman has a strong working relationship with other postal employees, too.

"They love kidding him," she said. "It's a good team up there. They work really well together. And you don't always get that."

In fact, he will even work part time in the months following his retirement to cover for co-workers' vacations.

When he does finally walk away from the counter, Guzman said he will spend his time relaxing. His only son is now grown and entering the Marine Corps, so the retiring clerk will have more time to hunt, fish, travel and work on his wife's "honey-do" list. The couple also owns a ranch in Lassen County, where he said they will probably move at some point.

But for a few more weeks, Guzman will still serve Los Gatos postal customers, with whom Hopkins said he relates "like he's a family member." And it only takes a few seconds waiting in line to see she's right.

Though it's clearly printed on the post office door that no dogs are allowed, a woman in line has her canine companion in tow.

"We have treats for dogs," explains Guzman. "I keep a basket behind the counter."

Expect to hear a lot of howling in Los Gatos after Aug. 2.