After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (2024)

Friday, Jun 12, 2020 3:45 PMUpdated Saturday, Jun. 13, 2020 6:59 PM

Robert Elmore and family saw potential to bring Four Corners together

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (1)

Allen Elmore holds a copy of the American Classifieds in front of the building. The family is currently renovating it and preparing it for new renters.

Liz Weber/Durango Herald

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (2)

Allen Elmore holds a copy of the American Classifieds in front of the building. The family is currently renovating it and preparing it for new renters.

Liz Weber/Durango Herald

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (3)

The Thrifty Nickel and the updated American Classifieds side-by-side.

Courtesy of the Elmore family

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (4)

The Thrifty Nickel and the updated American Classifieds side-by-side.

Courtesy of the Elmore family

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (5)

The Thrifty Nickel and American Classifieds was a family affair. Now the family is renovating the building, and Robert (left) and his wife are hoping to purchase a campground in Colorado.

Liz Weber/Durango Herald

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (6)

The Thrifty Nickel and American Classifieds was a family affair. Now the family is renovating the building, and Robert (left) and his wife are hoping to purchase a campground in Colorado.

Liz Weber/Durango Herald

FARMINGTON – When Robert Elmore moved to Farmington in the 1980s, the

After 35 years in print, the Thrifty Nickel announced in early May it would permanently close its doors, unable to weather the economic environment. During its time, the classified paper reached more than 100,000 people a week throughout the Four Corners and helped support local charities and fundraising,said Allen Elmore, Robert’s son and the manager of the classifieds since 2008.

“You put your heart and soul into your business. You bleed for it, you sweat for it. Whenever the business takes a hit, you personally take a hit. It felt like putting down a pet,” Elmore sai.

While some people might blame websites like Craigslist for pushing classifieds out of business, Elmore said their family paper could have operated for many more years if it had not been for the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on local businesses.

But Elmore did say very little of the paper’s income came from everyday consumers after Craigslist because they had to offer the smaller ads for pretty much free. Their direct customers became local businesses that bought the larger classified ads.

“We had found our niche,” he said. “We would have been able to operate at that level for the foreseeable future, on and on and on.”

Despite downsizes to staff and deliveries over the years, the paper had been able to weather the 2008 economic downturn and the turn to digital because it held a unique position in the Four Corners community, Elmore said.

“We had a huge following from the agriculture community, gun owners and people selling livestock and pets,” he said. “A lot of these things aren’t allowed on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.”

Yet when the coronavirus hit the Four Corners and nonessential businesses closed their doors, the paper lost its main revenue source. Even with laying off a few employees, Elmore said the paper still had to pay the costs of printing and distribution, which accounts for the majority of the company’s overhead.

“We made the decision to shut down because we were hemorrhaging money,” he said.

As public health restrictions began to ease and businesses could open up with limited capacity, the classified still didn’t see a way to continue bring enough revenue in and cover the huge overhead costs of printing and distributing.

“Most of (the businesses) had taken a hit and just staying alive was the first thing on their mind,” he said “We take a back burner.”

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (7)

The Thrifty Nickel, and then the American Classifieds, operated in the Four Corners for 35 years before announcing it would be closing its doors in early-May.

Courtesy of the Elmore family

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (8)

The Thrifty Nickel, and then the American Classifieds, operated in the Four Corners for 35 years before announcing it would be closing its doors in early-May.

Courtesy of the Elmore family

Before the coronavirus hit, the paper also lost a significant amount of money because of tariffs on Canadian paper in 2018. The U.S. Commerce Department under the Trump administration had imposed tariffs up to 20% on newsprint imported from Canada. Elmore estimates the paper saw hundreds of dollars a week in increased paper costs over a 10 month period.

A regional history

The Thrifty Nickel – which eventually became known as the American Classifieds – reached its highest distribution level in 2005, with the paper printing 32,500 copies per week. Before the pandemic shuttered businesses, the classified was reaching a distribution of 29,000 papers per week.

Elmore – who said he grew up in the newsroom and helped to lay out the paper by hand – said his father saw the potential to bring the Four Corners together and reach a larger audience with the classified paper in the 1980s.

“When Dad arrived, he realized that the Navajo Nation and Southwest Colorado all come to Farmington to shop,” Elmore said.

He added this regional approach not only contributed to the paper’s success but the classified paper’s vision of a connected Four Corners community contributed to Farmington’s success. Before the big box stores arrived in town, Robert went to outlying communities and to the Navajo Nation to invite them to shop in Farmington.

“I do feel like he is one of the unsung heroes of Farmington’s economic success,” Elmore said of his father.

Already semiretired before the paper’s closure, Robert and his wife are planning to purchase and operate a campground in Colorado, a longtime dream of theirs.

lweber@durangoherald.com

After 35 years, regional classified paper says goodbye (2024)

FAQs

Did Thrifty Nickel go out of business? ›

The Thrifty Nickel, and then the American Classifieds, operated in the Four Corners for 35 years before announcing it would be closing its doors in early-May. Before the coronavirus hit, the paper also lost a significant amount of money because of tariffs on Canadian paper in 2018.

What is a thrifty nickel? ›

Thrifty Nickel, is a weekly publication in print and online and is packed with clients we have formed partnerships with to aid in the growth of their business.

Who bought Thrifty? ›

In November 2012, Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) acquired Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.

Why did Thrifty change to Rite Aid? ›

Rite Aid acquired Thrifty, and its sister company, PayLess, in 1996. Name changes can be risky. In 1989, American Stores Co., the owner of the Sav-On chain, abandoned a three-year effort to establish its Osco banner in the West by dropping the Sav-On Osco handle and reverting to Sav-On.

When did Thrifty go out of business? ›

October 15, 1996

What happened to Thrifty drug ice cream? ›

Alas, Thrifty Drug Stores went out of business in 1996 and was purchased by Rite Aid for $1.4 billion, including the ice cream. 50 flavors of the iconic treat are now sold in 500 Rite Aid stores for the still-reasonable $1.99 per scoop. You can also take your favorites home in pint and 48-ounce cartons.

Who makes Thrifty brand ice cream? ›

Through its purchase of Rite Aid, Albertsons is also acquiring the drug store's Thrifty ice cream brand and the El Monte, California, factory where the frozen dessert is manufactured, according to The Los Angeles Times.

How much did Thrifty ice cream cost over the years? ›

As recently as 1975, a single-scoop cone of Thrifty ice cream sold for 5 cents. The prices have risen steadily since then: Ads and articles in the Los Angeles Times show it was 35 cents in 1991, 55 cents in 1993 and $1.50 in 1997; today, it's $1.99.

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