After nearly 100 years, Valliant Printing is calling it quits

Valliant plant, established in 1918, closing up shop

The venerable Valliant Printing, with roots going back to 1918, is down to its final run.

The Downtown Albuquerque print shop will close for good at noon today.

Co-owner Keiko Johnson said the sale of Valliant’s brick building at 615 Gold SW prompted the shutdown. The business must vacate by next month. She and her husband/co-owner, Don, decided it made more sense to close rather than relocate, she said, having considered the state of the printing industry, the expense of moving their heavy equipment and the challenge of starting fresh at another site.

“We (thought of) everything possible we can come up with to keep the business going, but the bottom line is the cost of the moving and starting with a new location — it was just not really feasible,” she said.

. The Johnsons acquired it in 2008 and were the third owners after their predecessor Mike Canfield and the Valliant family.

Keiko Johnson said business had been steady, but she added that it is a tough industry with slim margins. She said she wanted Valliant to end in a “positive way” rather than risk a decline in a new location.

The shop employed four people in addition to Keiko Johnson, and the owner said she will try to help them find positions elsewhere.

Canfield, who has owned the building since 1996, said he could not disclose the building’s sale price or the buyer other than to say it is a local family. He said he did not know specifically how they planned to use the building, which measures about 16,000 square feet including the basement. (Canfield’s Valliant Consulting, which has continued to share the building with the print shop, will move to a new location.)

“I don’t know the particulars or the details, but I do know (the buyers are) very interested in keeping the character of the building and doing some pretty significant upgrades, so I’m real excited,” he said.

“They’ll be able to do lot more with the building than I would.”

Canfield said building was built in 1939 specifically for the print shop, which itself dates to 1918. Journal archives show the shop had previously operated at 208 Gold SW.

DEAN HANSON/JOURNAL Jana Ray, left, helps longtime customer Frank Velasquez make some copies on Thursday at Valliant Printing. The sale of the brick building at 615 Gold SW in Downtown prompted the shutdown.

Valliant Printing is closing its doors at noon today after nearly 100 years in operation. Valliant specialized in commercial printing, graphics and the production and sale of legal forms.