8By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
The McClain Family had been a printing and publishing staple of Parsons since 1943. As of the end of the year 2025, it is no more. After more than six decades in Parsons, McClain Printing has closed it doors. Third Generation owner Ken Smith spoke with the Parsons Advocate about the history of his family’s business and the decisions leading up the sale and closure.
Smith said that his family got into printing and publications when his grandfather purchased the Parsons Advocate Newspaper in 1943. The paper remained in his family’s hands until 2005 when it was purchased by the Statlemans.
“My grandfather bought the newspaper in 1943,” Smith said. “It was in my family until I think 2005.”
The printing company emerged in 1958. It was also started by Smith’s grandfather as a private book publishing company, but also did job work with letterheads, envelopes, business cards and the like on a local basis.
“So it was 67 years old when we closed,” Smith said.
Smith worked in the shop from the time he was 14 years old. When Smith was away in the Air Force, his father purchased additional equipment for the shop. Upon Smith’s return, the company expanded into the commercial market and hired a salesman. This later expanded into subcontract work that lead to “trade only” printing work for the DC Metro Area in the mid 1980s.
“We still did private book publishing clear to the end, but that became a very small portion of the company. Most of the business was commercial printing,” Smith said.
Smith said that he is proud of his family’s legacy and that his family’s business was able to stay in Parsons for three generations. Smith is also glad that he was able to bring money to Parsons from outside the State of West Virginia, as well.
“So probably the thing that I would be most proud of was the fact that we brought in a couple million dollars worth of printing into Parsons, West Virginia for many, many years,” Smith said.
The company had what Smith termed a “very expensive press repair last year” that contributed heavily into the decision to sell and close the facility. This repair was also coupled with a struggling year, as well. Smith said the decision was made to repair the press and keep the company in business the rest of the year.
“The first part of the year was really not good,” Smith said. “We lost a lot of money on it. The fall was typically the best time of the year for the company. So, I make the decision last May to keep the business open for the rest of the year and get into the fall portion of the year and try to make some of that money back, which we did. It was the right decision.”
The accounts were sold to Campbell Print Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. All equipment from the operation was sold at auction January 20th. The publishing name and trademark was sold to West Virginia Book Company in Charleston. West Virginia Book Company purchased the right to use the name McClain Printing Company and the copyright book inventory to the company’s 38 books, Smith said. Smith is hopeful that the name McClain Printing Company will continue to live on.
“Now I have to do something with the building,” Smith said.
In total, Smith said including himself, the company employed 12 people, but at its peak had 25 employees.
