The Crittenden Automotive Library

The Man Who Started Hemmings Motor News

Topics: Ernie Hemmings, Hemmings Motor News

The Man Who Started Hemmings Motor News

Car Buff Magazine: February/March 1971

Ernie Hemming photographed in his office where he conceived and originated Hemmings Motor News, which experienced a phenomenal growth into the nation's largest antique and vintage car market place. Hemmings sold the magazine in 1968.

This is Hemming's base of operations, the home of Standard Auto Parts and Standard Printing and Book Sales in Quincy, Ill. Building was also the birthplace of the first mimeographed copy of the publication in 1952.

Standard Auto Parts traces its history back to the times of this early photo of Ernie's father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. G. Ernest Hemmings, who opened the business on Hampshire Street in 1924. This same counter is still in use in the business, which continues to provide restorers with antique auto parts.

Most car buffs are familiar with Hemmings Motor News, that monthly wonderland of cars, parts, and other historical goodies for sale and trade, but the story of the beginning of this hobbyist's phenomenon is far less well-known.

For the beginning, we must go back to 1923 when G. Ernest Hemmings, a foreman in an auto parts factory in the Chicago area decided it was time to go into business for himself. He did quite a lot of research and finally came to the conclusion that Quincy, Ill., needed an auto parts store. So he moved to Quincy and opened his "Standard Auto Parts" on Hampshire Street. In those days, cars were easier to repair, with the owners doing much of the work themselves and the business prospered. In due time Hemming's son, Ernie, joined him, in the operation of the store.

Ernie branched out into the used car business and from 1948 to 1950 ran a used car lot specializing in older, cheaper cars. Ernie told Car Buff he especially remembers a 1934 or 1935 Hupmobile he had on the lot. "You just wouldn't believe how sturdily that car was built," he recalls. The author remembers a beautiful 1934 Hudson he had for sale on that lot; also a 1929 Chevrolet sedan with landau irons. Where are they today? Much later he had a late 1920s Buick Master sedan for sale. It was in beautiful condition, but being a closed car, no one seemed to wont it. Finally the car was sold to a gentleman from the South, where it appears that good old closed cars are quite rare.

Ernie went into military service at the time of the Korean War and when he returned he found that the auto parts business had changed. Cars had become more complicated, repairs by owners few, and Standard Auto Parts was badly in need of a "shot in the arm." Calls for modern car parts were practically non-existent, but Standard had lots of "obsolete" parts on hand. The antique car movement was just beginning to take hold in this area, so Ernie advertised some Model A Ford parts in Motor Trend magazine. The response was very good, so a mimeographed cotolog of parts was sent out. This was in 1952.

Hemming's Motor News actually grew from an idea to defray the cost of sending out catalogs. Also, Ernie reasoned, if there were other ads in the sheet, the people would be more likely to keep it. On January of 1954 600 sample copies of H. M. N. were sent out. It was a 2-page 8½ x 14" paper. From those 600 samples Hemmings received 200 subscribers. The subscription rate was 50c per year and classified ads cost 2c per word.

By the end of the first year the number of subscriptions had grown to 1,000 and H. M. N. was on its way! For the first few years the paper was mimeographed. Ernie would work in the parts store in the daytime and publish H. M. N. at home in the evenings. Putting out 3,000 multi-page papers on a hand cranked mimeograph machine called for one heck-of-a-lot of cranking. Soon it got to be impossible to do, so a local printer was contracted to do the printing. What had started out as a sideline became Ernie Hemming's more than full-time job. As deadline time approached, the pace became hectic.

Ever since the subscription list reached 1,000 H. M. N. has printed the number of paid subsribers on the front cover each month. The growth of the magazine is graphically illustrated by quoting a few of these figures at random through the years: May, 1961, 8,500; March, 1964, 18,300; Feb., 1965, 21,100; April, 1966, 25,800; May, 1970, 52,800.

Late in 1968, Ernie sold the H. M. N. operation to Watering, Inc. Terry Ehrich became publisher and eventually moved the publication to Bennington, Vermont, where he is continuing the good work Hemmings started.

Since selling the magazine, Ernie has devoted his time to Standard Auto Parts and to selling books of parts at midwestern swap meets.