Founded by Jim and Mary Thornbury in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1954, Thornbury's Toys was initially a true "mom and pop" shop. After expanding a few times they outgrew the first store located at 117 Breckinridge Lane in St. Matthews and opened a new store nearby at 4101 Shelbyville Rd. in 1960. This store became headquarters. Thornbury's, incorporated in 1965, grew year after year, peaking in the mid 1980's with stores in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, Ohio and Alabama. The formula for success: customer service, high "play-value" toys and bikes, and a strong management team combined with Uncle Jim's entrepreneurial and promotional flair, love of children, understanding of his customers, attention to detail, and loving family. Uncle Jim's motto was "the customer is always right". The company mascot, Thorny the monkey, who pedaled his bike day and night atop the St. Matthews store, also helped Thornbury's stand out.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

The Secret Sign-"T" Stands for Thornbury's and Thornbury's Stands for Toys!

Looks like Uncle Jim is holding a booklet about the very popular "Guess Who" children's program while some of the kids are ready to get a prize by showing that they know the secret sign.
The "secret sign" was another of Uncle Jim's promotional ideas.  He and his employees would carry around some trinket toys and if the youngsters would make the "T" sign with their fingers, they would receive a small reward. The "T" sign would mean that they knew that "T" stands for Thornbury's and Thornbury's stands for toys.  Uncle Jim must have stayed up many nights trying to figure out what his next promotion was going to be!
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