JONESTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — A new notarizing business named 717 Notary officially opened up in Lebanon earlier this month.

The new 717 Notary is owned and operated by Renee Neal who previously worked in a nursing home for 18 years, and was a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) – additionally, Neal also obtained an associates degree in accounting. According to Neal, after all that time, she was finally ready to try something different.

Just three years ago Neal applied for her notary commission, which is a certification to be legally allowed to offer notarizing services to the public. Finally, she had a chance to put that certification to use.

“This was all new to me, but I wanted to do something where I could talk to people – I am very talkative,” Neal said. “I also like to help people and make them feel better.”

717 Notary officially opened its store front on Wednesday, Feb. 1 in an approximately 1,200 square foot space at the Twin Creeks Business Center in Jonestown. According to Neal, 717 Notary offers a wide range of notarizing services to her customers, such as:

  • General notarizations
  • Document notarizing
  • Vehicular transfers (Linked with PennDOT – ensuring an expedited process)
  • Car, truck, and trailer plates

It should be noted that inside the very spacious 717 Notary is a kid’s section, so parents can feel free to bring their child along and have a place for their kids to hangout and wait if need be.

717 Notary is located at 171 South Lancaster St., and their hours of operation are:

  • Mondays // 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • Tuesdays & Wednesdays // 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Thursdays // 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • Fridays // 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Saturday // 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

According to Neal, she is currently the only employee at 717 Notary, but she hopes to hire some part-time help in the coming weeks.

Additionally, 717 Notary offers discounts to current and former service members. Neal explained that as a mother of a child that serves in the U.S. Military, it was important to her to offer this discount to the surrounding community.

“It’s not about the money to me, It’s about being here to serve people and to show appreciation,” Neal concluded.