When Thornbury's was founded in 1954, there were no enclosed, climate-controlled shopping malls; the first one opened two years later in Minnesota. Between 1956 and 2005, "about 1,500 malls were built," though many have since faded away or are in the process of doing so. At various times, Thornbury's owned and operated stores located in Oxmoor Center (Louisville, KY), Turfland Mall and Fayette Mall (Lexington, KY), Jefferson Mall (Louisville), Bashford Manor Mall (Louisville), University Mall (Pensacola, FL), Bel Air Mall (Mobile, Al.), Edgewater Mall (Biloxi, MS), Beechmont Mall (Cincinnati, OH), and elsewhere.
Above is a photo of one of the Thornbury's mall stores, circa 1980. It's from PlaidStallions.com in the "Vintage Toy Store Pictures" section ("shot[s] of long lost toy and hobby retailers"). Its caption includes "A picture of a Thornberry's store in 1980 shows some toy classics from the 1970's sitting on the shelves, most noticeable the Shogun Warriors, Gabriel Lone Ranger and Mego World's Greatest Superheroes..."
Wasn't there a mall store in Nashville? One or two in Alabama (Birmingham? Mobile?)? Maybe a third one in Lexington, KY? Anyone recall the names of those malls? Would also be interesting to know too which of those various malls are still open.
ReplyDeleteThe Nashville store was in Hickory Hollow mall, I believe. That mall went into decline around 2000 and closed in 2012. Recently it changed owners, was renamed, and has supposedly been re-developed and re-opened with a small number of tenant retailers.
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