When we started this paper 16 years ago, we thought long and hard about a lot of things – layout, content, day of publication, and so on. But one thing we didn’t think much about until the last minute was where and how we were going to distribute it.
Turns out that’s one of the most important but also most problematic factors in producing a print newspaper. There are a lot of retail outlets and other venues that don’t want newspaper racks altering the looks of their business in any way, that don’t want to be bothered selling papers over the counter, or that just don’t like newspapers in general. We of course asked permission before we set up any racks anywhere, but even that didn’t always result in a permanent relationship, as some places that said yes in the beginning later changed it to no. (Denny’s in Cortez, for instance. We had a rack there for years and then suddenly they said they wanted it gone, no reason given. The Ute Mountain Casino did the same thing. But at least Denny’s and the casino were courteous and told us they wanted us gone. We also had a rack in front of Walmart a long time, but one day saw that it and all the other racks had mysteriously disappeared, no warning given. We found them behind the store wrapped in plastic and ready to be hauled somewhere; we had to use a knife to cut ours free!)
Anyway, we’d like to take a little space here to thank the business owners and other people who have given us space within or in front of their establishments, because we really do appreciate it. In Dolores, the Food Market, Ponderosa restaurant, and Dolores River Brewery. In Mancos, the Absolute Bakery, P & D Grocery, and Fahrenheit Coffee. There are a lot of places in Cortez: Spruce Tree, Silver Bean, the Farm Bistro, Once Upon a Sandwich, Books, El Grande, Moose & More, the Rec Center, the Welcome Center, the airport, Southwest Memorial Hospital, the Post Office, Shear Shack, the library, Burger Boy, IFA, Kokopelli Bike, Cortez Livestock Auction, the Johnson Buildilng, Fraley’s Conoco, the Wilson Building, Pippo’s, and Subway.
We also have a couple of outlets in Durango, Bread and Magpie. And a string of places across Southeast Utah and New Mexico: hospitals in Shiprock and Farmington, the Four Corners Inn and San Juan Pharmacy in Blanding, Blue Mountain Foods in Monticello, the K&C convenience store in Bluff and the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat.
We really, truly are grateful for the space that people provide. Thanks to all you folks for helping to keep local news and opinions alive.
