Billy Kingsley Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 The Hemmings museum is closed forever. They closed up when the pandemic began and we called last year to find out when they would reopen. They said at the time "maybe in 2022". Called again today and they said they were not going to open again. That's disappointing. I never got the chance to get there. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Never heard of it. Anyone been there? Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymouthcranbrook Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 The way things seem to be going for Hemmings I am not surprised. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Lots of great Hemmings memories, once they lost Dave Brownell it just wasn't the same. Bob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Cole Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) 58 minutes ago, Terry Bond said: Never heard of it. Anyone been there? Terry Yes, although it's not (was not) the only good reason to go to Bennington, VT. Nice, small museum with a variety of cars and memorabilia. Great working gas station out front when we were there about five years ago. And yes, the Hemmings corporate office website does say they are permanently closed. Edited January 4, 2022 by Phillip Cole Addition (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bollman Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I stopped in and got gas and wandered around back in the 90s. Don't remember much about it other than it was a nice break. Yep Hemmings do seem to be down sizing, hope they can adapt to the new way of doing business. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Stopped at the store several times when I was in the area. Also did their museum tour once. Sorry to hear they are closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Wonder how everything will be handled to dispose of what's there? Maybe stuff was just on loan, or did it all really belong to HMN? I see it was promoted as "The HMN Collection." Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretch cab Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Here is a link for a short tour. It was a nice museum. https://www.hemmings.com/about-us/sibley?page=1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 32 minutes ago, Terry Bond said: Wonder how everything will be handled to dispose of what's there? Maybe stuff was just on loan, or did it all really belong to HMN? I see it was promoted as "The HMN Collection." Terry Liquidation to raise capital ? There has been a lot of bashing on Hemmings as of late. They are one of the few 'old car' businesses that I support fully. Only mag's I subscribe to and I go on their web site daily. Cutting back on periodicals, no show at Carlisle, not taking subscriptions at Hershey, museum closed permanently? I truly hope they dont go away, that will def be a great loss for the old car business. As they say, nothing lasts forever. They have changed the website design, havent quite gotten used to it yet, and seem to be ramping up with the auction thing. I believe a website only presence is in their near future. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 1 minute ago, TAKerry said: Liquidation to raise capital ? There has been a lot of bashing on Hemmings as of late. They are one of the few 'old car' businesses that I support fully. Only mag's I subscribe to and I go on their web site daily. Cutting back on periodicals, no show at Carlisle, not taking subscriptions at Hershey, museum closed permanently? I truly hope they dont go away, that will def be a great loss for the old car business. As they say, nothing lasts forever. They have changed the website design, havent quite gotten used to it yet, and seem to be ramping up with the auction thing. I believe a website only presence is in their near future. Yes, it certainly sounds like there are a lot of leaks in their dyke. It was probably a big unnecessary expense to have a "museum." I don't think there are many that make enough to survive. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I was there a few times years ago, when Terry Ehrich still ran HMN. Along with other industry professionals, I was invited to their "Advertiser's Conference" each year. They got out their car collection and allowed a few of us to drive them around the area for a couple hours. Very cool. Maybe I'll make another thread about those experiences later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Was the museum housed in a separate building than their HQ? I could see an added expense there, but if shared space one would not think that ticket sales were needed to keep the lights on. Maybe its easier for them to say permanently until this whole covid thing has passed. Hoping for the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 It easily can be a sign as to the future of Hemmings publishing also. dave s 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Hemmings has been going down the crapper for years now. They needed to be focusing on the internet 20 years ago and instead were putting on a mediocre car show they called a concours and adding filler articles on motor swaps to the magazine. Imagine if Hemmings was leveraging their print ads for a BAT like auction experience 15 years ago? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Interesting, I was just writing a check for a years cheap subscription….I have no reason to get it first class so $20 for a year….I’m not as big a fan of Hemmings magazine as I used to be, but after I’ve subscribed to it since 1965, hard to imagine it not being published… 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I've said this before but I'll say it again in a different way to try and save members a few bucks. A magazine like Hemmings is fighting the internet head on. Think of the newspapers that have closed, most still had the advertising base but lost the cash cow of the want ads. Hemmings lived on want ads for years then started trying to build an ad base without much success. Want ads for a newspaper was immediate cash of $20-$45 for a half inch 3 day or 7 day ad on average. They had 8 or maybe 10 columns of these and 4 to 6 pages depending on the area. Mega dollars that supported the news teams with ad simple formula and ease of input. The internet took that away. Papers closed as the average advertiser pay history was probably in the 60 day area instead of in-advance like a want ad. I honestly think Hemmings main book is going to be lucky to be around until the end of 2022. The cost of printing a pub alone has increased approximately 40% since the pandemic started. I've personally seen over a 100 magazines (mostly trade journals but a few consumer mags) either close (93 of them) or go all electronic (2 have since closed)in the last two years. My circulation business has closed (I'm now retired by circumstances not choice) as of Dec 31, 2021 as the last customers closed. Hemmings will probably try to go to less issues by dropping months that are traditionally slow or maybe to semi monthly. They may try to hang on by going digital but their current ad sales do not seem well suited for the digital world. AJ said it best - "they are 20 years behind" the curve and are running out of gas and time. Renew if you are a long time subscriber and want to be loyal, just don't expect a refund if they go down before your sub expire date. It won't happen based on what they seem to be doing currently. dave s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Oh no! this spells DOOM for Publishers Clearing House. I want to win those $ millions they give out every year! One thing I miss is old newsprint to get my wood stove burning in the mornings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Sad to hear about this. Unlike many here I strongly support Hemmings, still subscribe to their publications, still have their Abandoned Cars calendar on my office wall and still use their extensive website to both buy and sell my cars. Admittedly I am still a heavy consumer of print in a dwindling print world but I am very surprised to see so many in this group piling on a company that has done so much for this hobby. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 1 hour ago, TexRiv_63 said: still have their Abandoned Cars calendar on my office wall I buy four of these every year for Christmas presents. They are not all that cheap but the guys that get them like them. If they quit, I will have to make some decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 SO perhaps if you find a magazine that you really enjoy the content of, want a print publication to read and not have to stare at a screen to do so, and is not electronic then support that publication . Will this "trend" also lead to print club publications disappearing and you will have to look at a box or tablet with a screen to see what car was at an event ( like the car you own) or meeting, etc. was covered, or perhaps the 70+ year old photographs, sales literature, auto show programs, posters etc. Will there be an age when paintings no longer hang on walls because they are scanned and you can see them on a screen? Museums close because you can look at the contents on line? If you want to see the print publications survive then take out a subscription - I know they are slow to arrived due to the delivery system(s) that fail on a now frequent on going basis but what is more fun ? - I like going to the mail box to possibly see a great "read" arrive along with all the white window pane envelopes that are there constantly telling you to pay for something, or the flyers trying to either buy your home ( and do you a favor) , sell you something you don't need , etc. Yes, I am 'old school' but old cars and trucks are real, and to me enjoyed in many more ways then just virtually. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Walt, I agree completely. I will read my hemmings magazines a couple of times before I throw them away. I am currently on my third round with the latest 2 issues. It is so bad I pulled out my chevelle, and jeep parts catalogues last night for something car related to read. Although I could use tons of parts for either I am nowhere near ready to order but just window shopping. I have a Pontiac catalogue from where most of my parts come from that I can just about tell you on which page an item is and what the list price is. I have read through it that many times! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 It goes beyond Hemmings, which has lost a lot of its luster and attraction ( for me at least) due to the loss of key members who made the publications there great. The late Terry Erich and Dave Brownell were neat guys, Dave and I were active in the Society of Automotive Historians at the same time - yes that organization even still exists despite Dave and I being there ( along with John Conde and Austin Clark at the same time!)🤣. The sale of the magazine and Richard Lentinello leaving just made Hemmings Classic Car misstep/loose focus. I can not comment further. I was a supporter of that when it was started as Special Interest Autos by my good friend Mike Lamm. There are still great club magazines out there !!! , plus a new commercial magazine coming from Tennessee with 144 pages and an Editor/Publisher who really knows his audience and is providing a broad offering of the best presentations, accurate history etc possible. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 We last stopped and visited there during an AACA Founders Tour based in Burlington, Vermont many years ago, but drove by just this past September on the VMCCA Glidden Tour, based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 53 minutes ago, Walt G said: It goes beyond Hemmings, which has lost a lot of its luster and attraction ( for me at least) due to the loss of key members who made the publications there great. The late Terry Erich and Dave Brownell were neat guys, Dave and I were active in the Society of Automotive Historians at the same time - yes that organization even still exists despite Dave and I being there ( along with John Conde and Austin Clark at the same time!)🤣. The sale of the magazine and Richard Lentinello leaving just made Hemmings Classic Car misstep/loose focus. I can not comment further. I was a supporter of that when it was started as Special Interest Autos by my good friend Mike Lamm. Are you still doing freelance articles for Hemmings Classic Car? They help keep the publication alive. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 We visited the museum a couple times. The collection was made by the now deceased prior owner of Hemmings Motor News. I knew Justice Taylor who raced the Hemmings Motor News Dodge panel truck in the early Great American Races. He was the guy who took care if the collectin for the owner. We even plugged in our Motor Home at the Hemmings Barn where some of the collection stayed when not in the museum. Spent the noght there and got a private tour with Justice. Unfortunatley, Justice died not long after the Hemmings Publication was sold to a Corporation and the prior owner died not long after. Another time we went their on big national tour. They had some interesting and different vehicles. Sad to see it closed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Thank you Paul, that explains a lot. With the people with all the passion dead, how can anyone expect to see any life in any endeavor. Great fun while it lasted. Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roscoe Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I remember seeing the headquarters station and this in 2001, on a 3500 mile motorcycle trip that twenty years later ranks as my best vacation ever. Sad to hear it closed. I subscribe to both Hemmings and Hemmings Classic cars. I can't imagine not having the print versions. I really hope they are not on the ropes. I'll continue my meager support as long as they are printing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFeeney Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Not to sound like a critic but I stopped there once , many years ago and it was the only "Car Guy" place I have ever been too that didn't have a urinal in the Men's room. Isn't it funny what one remembers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 The private party advertising disappeared long ago, and that was the only thing I saw value in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivguy Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I used to buy a copy of the big Hemmings book once a year, it was a good resource to find parts sources and rebuilders. I was a long time fan of the Petersen publishing line up. I'd been subscribing to Hot Rod off and on for fifty years. My favorite for years was Car Craft. They are all gone, I had resubscribed when I was contacted by Hot Rod but then got a refund a few months later. Are they gone too? I'm not real savvy about how they can make much money online without print subscriptions. I subscribed to expensive magazines like Octane for years, I enjoy print media, I hope some survive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 16 hours ago, Walt G said: SO perhaps if you find a magazine that you really enjoy the content of, want a print publication to read and not have to stare at a screen to do so, and is not electronic then support that publication . Will this "trend" also lead to print club publications disappearing and you will have to look at a box or tablet with a screen to see what car was at an event ( like the car you own) or meeting, etc. was covered, or perhaps the 70+ year old photographs, sales literature, auto show programs, posters etc. Will there be an age when paintings no longer hang on walls because they are scanned and you can see them on a screen? Museums close because you can look at the contents on line? If you want to see the print publications survive then take out a subscription - I know they are slow to arrived due to the delivery system(s) that fail on a now frequent on going basis but what is more fun ? - I like going to the mail box to possibly see a great "read" arrive along with all the white window pane envelopes that are there constantly telling you to pay for something, or the flyers trying to either buy your home ( and do you a favor) , sell you something you don't need , etc. Yes, I am 'old school' but old cars and trucks are real, and to me enjoyed in many more ways then just virtually. I buy about 15 vintage car magazines a month, all with very good content at the local newsstand. And there is one independent newsagent near downtown here who tries his best to keep an excellent selection of North American and international magazines who I'd rather support than pay for postage. I refuse to take out a subscription for reasons I have stated before; our post office is brutal on anything larger than a white window pane envelope size, where the machines and employees do their best to tear covers off, and bend the sh*t out of them before they land in the mailbox. Yes, there are some magazines I have had to order online because of this Covid thing, or they are 'mail order' only, but I still show my support by purchasing them. I am NOT a fan of 'Kobo' or 'Kindle' or any of these notebook type books or magazines. In fact, I'm even finding PHOTO ALBUMS that hold standard 4"x 6" color prints hard to come by now as I also prefer to look at color pictures as opposed to an electronic screen. There are times I want to compare two detail shots I took of similar cars at different intervals, something difficult to do on a computer or a tablet. Prints make them so much easier to see when they are side by side; not having to scroll or flip back and forth to view them. Craig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I didnt know there were 15 vintage car magazines being published! I get the subs because I suppose I am cheap. 1. Hemmings Classic 2. Hemmings Muscle 3. Old Cars (weakly- Since they took weekly out of their name I get sometimes get 2 or 3 issues a week, sometimes will go a month without any) 4. Crankshaft I dont like Hot Rod, or any of those kind of magazines. Other than these 4, not counting club publications I know of no other car related. Our supermarket newstand has nothing, other than once in awhile the hemmings big book, mustangs and hot rodding stuff. We did have a real newstand half hour away I would get Classic Motorcycle but they closed years ago and I suspect that magazine is as hard to find as the bikes on the pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 (edited) News stand sales are good for a publication advertising base but does not really support the bottom line of the pub directly. It helps keep advertising rates up as these depend on number of magazines sold each issue. The news stand itself gets a small percentage of the sale price, the pub gets a little larger percentage which usually covers part of the printing but the agency that supplies the news stand gets the majority. A subscription also keeps the advertising base up which on most pubs in the main source of income. The sub pays for the cost of the original order offer and the cost of renewal efforts. Most pubs need around a 64-70% renewal rate to stay in business. The last survey we were part of showed the average was about th 48-51% range. One of the main reasons they are closing along with the printing cost increases. Association magazines like AACA are not in that type of survey as they depend on annual dues not subscription renewals, it’s a totally different animal. The Hemmings books were kind of in a special situation in that they did not stand on their own ad sales but were living on part of the big book listing sales of cars. When that declined the other mags needed to find a larger more secure ad base but that didn’t happen mainly due to Covid. So if you enjoy the magazine support it as long as that continues either news stand or subscriptions. Just don’t expect the pub to offer refunds if they close before your sub expires. dave s Edited January 5, 2022 by SC38dls (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I had just renewed my sub to High Performance Pontiac for something like 2 years. I dont even think they had gotten my payment when I got a note that they were no longer in business. They transferred my payment to a subscription of Hot Rod. No offense to that mag. but I think I threw about half of them away before I even read them. Just no interest at all to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 My Father got me a subscription of the "BIBLE" back in January 1981, still receiving it to this day. I always enjoy receiving it in the mail every month and it was so helpful when I needed parts or literature for my AMC Javelin in the early eighties and again in the nineties when I restored my Impala - we had no internet. The most enjoyment I had was being invited to participate in the New England Concours in Stratton Mountain, Vermont back in 2010. Granted, it's not a Pebble Beach or Amelia Island show, but it was a great weekend, my kids and wife had a great time there and it's probably will be my only opportunity to participate in a Concours show atmosphere. Steve 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 5 hours ago, TAKerry said: I didnt know there were 15 vintage car magazines being published! I get the subs because I suppose I am cheap. 1. Hemmings Classic 2. Hemmings Muscle 3. Old Cars (weakly- Since they took weekly out of their name I get sometimes get 2 or 3 issues a week, sometimes will go a month without any) 4. Old Autos 5. Collectible Automobile 6. (Thoroughbred &) Classic Cars 7. Classic & Sportscar 8. Classics Monthly 9. The Automobile 10. Practical Classics 11. Classic & Vintage Commercials 12. Heritage Commercials 13. AutoRetro (France) 14. Retro-Visieur (France) 15. Classic American 16. Auto Italia (and more that are marque-specific.) Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playswithbrass Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 TJMax and its offshoots has lots of photo albums for sale, at least up here in Ontario. They often have cutesy sayings on the covers but they do the job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch1929 Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 I have been a Hemmings Motor News subscriber for many years. I would usually renew my subscription at Hershey. I tried to do that last year and they were not taking renewals, only selling shirts. The last time I renewed the subscription at Hershey I got a t-shirt with it. In the fall I received a subscription renewal for Hemmings Classic Car (I had let the subscription for Classic Car expire) for $12.00 for the year! So I renewed the Classic Car. I just received a subscription mailer for Muscle Machines at $12.00 for a year! How long can they continue to offer those rates before giving up the print? As a side note I had a subscription to Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine and was just notified that after 35 years of publication it will no longer be published after the December/January 2022 issue. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 I renewed HCC at Carlisle a few years ago, already had the t shirt from a previous year so I got a hat instead. Those days are long gone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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