{"id":2452772,"date":"2020-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=318542"},"modified":"2020-01-01T08:31:48","modified_gmt":"2020-01-01T15:31:48","slug":"clarks-market-aspen-founder-checking-out-after-41-years-in-grocery-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/clarks-market-aspen-founder-checking-out-after-41-years-in-grocery-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Clark\u2019s Market Aspen founder checking out after 41 years in grocery business"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"5.9901639344262\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-318542-531\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1024x732.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Tom Clark Sr., center, stands outside of Clark\u2019s Market with his two sons Tom Clark Jr., left, and David Clark.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.47058823529412\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11.294117647059\">\n<p><strong>Tom Clark Sr., center, stands outside of Clark\u2019s Market with his two sons Tom Clark Jr., left, and David Clark.<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/clarks-market-aspen-founder-checking-out-after-41-years-in-grocery-business\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1024x732.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1024x732.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1024x732.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Tom Clark Sr., center, stands outside of Clark\u2019s Market with his two sons Tom Clark Jr., left, and David Clark.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Tom Clark Sr. stacks pears inside of Clark\u2019s Market 10 days before his retirement.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.3911290322581\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7.4193548387097\">\n<p><strong>Tom Clark Sr. stacks pears inside of Clark\u2019s Market 10 days before his retirement.<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/clarks-market-aspen-founder-checking-out-after-41-years-in-grocery-business\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1-1024x682.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Clarkretires-atd-123119-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Tom Clark Sr. stacks pears inside of Clark\u2019s Market 10 days before his retirement.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/clarks-market-aspen-founder-checking-out-after-41-years-in-grocery-business\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/clarks-market-aspen-founder-checking-out-after-41-years-in-grocery-business\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">When Tom Clark Sr. was in his 20s, he had sold and mortgaged everything he had to move from Denver to Aspen to open a grocery store in 1978.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">More than four decades later, Clark Sr. is retiring as CEO of a company that now has 600 employees and seven grocery stores in locations throughout the West.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI never thought it would grow to this size,\u201d Clark Sr. said from his office in downtown Aspen on a recent morning. \u201cI\u2019m very pleased with the direction of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It probably never would have happened if not for two individuals who helped Clark Sr. in those early days.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Businessman and developer <a id=\"N0x2be67f0N0x2c8ce40:N0x2be67f0N0x2c92b18\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jim_Trueman\">Jim Trueman<\/a> owned the land where Clark\u2019s Market sits today off Mill Street and was preparing to develop a shopping center.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHe took a chance on a 29-year-old who wanted to open a grocery store because he saw in me my motivation,\u201d Clark Sr. said. \u201cIt would be hard to find that again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The store location was set but the investment money was thin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI was struggling,\u201d Clark Sr. said, noting that he had $30,000 on hand and borrowed money to open the store.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He approached <a id=\"N0x2be67f0N0x2c8cea0:N0x2be67f0N0x2c92de8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/obituaries\/lt-gen-william-k-martin\/\">Gen. Bill Martin<\/a>, another businessman who lived in the West End neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI asked him if he knew anyone who wanted to be my partner,\u201d Clark Sr. recalled. \u201cHe came back to me and said, \u2018I want to be your partner,\u2019 and he paid off the debt and off we went.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYou don\u2019t do this by yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">To that end, his son, <a id=\"N0x2be67f0N0x2c8cf00:N0x2be67f0N0x2c93028\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/inside-business-on-the-move-4\/ \">Tom Clark Jr.<\/a>, who is now president of the company, will become CEO, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark\u2019s other son, <a id=\"N0x2be67f0N0x2c8cf60:N0x2be67f0N0x2c93148\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/a-pretty-nice-guy\/\">David<\/a>, is the store director of Clark\u2019s Market in Aspen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark Sr. said being CEO wasn\u2019t as much fun as the 15 years he ran the Aspen store where he could connect with customers and provide products that they wanted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat\u2019s the great thing about the grocery store, you get immediate feedback,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople have opinions and that\u2019s why we have a unique product mix; that is the advantage of being independent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark Sr. learned early on how to shift with customer demand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIf you look at our grand opening ad, we were trying to sell medium large eggs when all people wanted were large and extra-large eggs,\u201d he said in a profile on the company\u2019s website. \u201cAnd whole fryer chickens. No one in Aspen knew how to cut up a chicken and needed them already cut up. The store evolved to be reflective of the people we were serving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The newspaper ads that hang on the Clark\u2019s Market office walls show those whole fryers selling for 49 cents a pound and a dozen eggs were 65 cents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Prices are a bit higher than that now at Clark\u2019s Aspen and typically more than what competitor City Market offers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But with the convenience of the large parking lot and spacious aisles compared to a cramped City Market, people flock for ease no matter the price.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark\u2019s Markets are known for premade, homemade meals, along with soups and a salad bar and other unique items.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">They also are known for their holiday sales \u2014 king crab before Christmas week and live lobsters for Fourth of July.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark Sr. had been working for his father who was in the food brokerage business and City Market in Aspen was a client.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He knew there was room for another grocery store here, and in 1970 he and his wife, Linda, came to Aspen on their honeymoon to ski.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">They loved it so much they moved here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">They celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary Tuesday, which also was Clark Sr.\u2019s official day of retirement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s been a great 41 years,\u201d he said, adding that he\u2019s a bit nervous about retiring. \u201cI\u2019ve never looked forward to retiring, it\u2019s never been a goal of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But at 70 years old, it\u2019s time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cA lot of my friends are retired,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He said he does look forward to caring after his 100 head of cattle on his 600-acre ranch in Emma and spending time at their home in Goodyear, Arizona.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark Sr. said there are a dozen families who live in their neighborhood where they play golf and recreate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But he has a hard time convincing Linda to come along sometimes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMy wife still skis so I have to drag her out of here,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark Jr. will be in charge of the company\u2019s real estate holdings and the stores in Aspen, Snowmass Village, Norwood, Crested Butte, Telluride, Blanding, Utah, and Sedona, Arizona.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Opened in 2017, the Sedona market is the fastest growing and busiest of all the Clark\u2019s stores, Clark Sr. said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The most entertaining, however, is Clark\u2019s A&amp;W\/gas station\/bowling alley in Blanding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark Jr. saw the bowling alley up for sale in Las Vegas at the Rio about a decade ago. He bought it and now it\u2019s a destination for Blanding\u2019s residents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s been extremely successful,\u201d Clark Sr. said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Crested Butte store will see an expansion this spring, with a new pharmacy and employee housing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Clark\u2019s Aspen store went through a remodel in 2016 that Clark Sr. said was a $5 million endeavor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was so old and worn out,\u201d he said, adding that he remembers when there were ashtrays at the end of the aisles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Clark Sr. said he wants to volunteer by serving on the county\u2019s Open Space and Trails board and the Aspen Valley Land Trust. Other than that, it\u2019s on to full-time ranch life in Emma, enjoying seven grandchildren living in the valley and golfing in Arizona.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He said he has no regrets and it\u2019s been a fun journey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHow lucky am I to do business in this town?\u201d Clark Sr. said. \u201cIt\u2019s been great.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:csackariason@aspentimes.com\">csackariason@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/clarks-market-aspen-founder-checking-out-after-41-years-in-grocery-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tom Clark Sr., center, stands outside of Clark\u2019s Market with his two sons Tom Clark Jr., left, and David Clark.Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo Tom Clark Sr. stacks pears inside of Clark\u2019s Market 10 days before his retirement.Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo Show CaptionsHide Captions When Tom Clark Sr. was in his 20s, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2452772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 23:19:57","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2452772"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2452785,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452772\/revisions\/2452785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2452772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2452772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2452772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}