Thornbury's Toys Sponsored Little League Football and Baseball Teams

Look at this young sport getting ready for the big baseball game!  He proudly wears his new uniform sponsored by Thornbury's Toys. I'll bet the games were played at the St. Matthews Community Center behind Ten Pin Bowling Lanes. This picture appears to be taken in the late 50's.

A "Thorny Toy" is a Worth the Money Toy

From 1964 Thorny Club Official Members Book  

Thornbury's Toys was a customer-oriented store.  They strived to make everyone happy with their shopping experience and they stood behind the toys that they sold.  It was very important that they brought in quality toys that would provide many hours of safe play for the kids.  A "Thorny Toy" was a toy that Uncle Jim and staff had decided was a good play value toy and worth what the customer paid for it.  If you were ever not happy with the items that you purchased, the employees of Thornbury's were instructed to return the purchase price of the toy with a smile on their face. 

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!

Thorny's Whereabouts "Uncovered"

The video above is an edition of Louisville Uncovered by Cyndy Tandy.  It aired on WAVE3 in February 2015.  In the video, the first picture of Thornbury's Toys was actually at 117 Breckenridge Lane and it opened in 1954. Then, in 1960, they moved to a new, much larger store on Shelbyville Road, which is also in the video.  One more little note: Thorny was last spotted on top of Brundage Jewelers on Chenoweth Lane in the weeks before Christmas 2014 (see photo below, from here). Thanks WAVE3 and Cyndy for featuring Thorny and getting us motivated to tell the Thornbury's Toys story and sharing it with lots of people who have such fond memories of the toy store.

Three's a Crowd WAVE-TV Mid 60's

Look! I found this great photo of the set of Three's a Crowd.  See the blog below for more details of the show.

What's In Your Wallet? It Better Be Thorny Bucks

When you started collecting Thorny Bucks, you had to have this particular wallet to keep them in. The more toys that were purchased, the more Thorny Bucks were accumulated.  It was a thrill to come into the store and open your wallet to buy your very own toy. This picture shows the front and the back of the Thorny Bucks wallet.

Memories Found Online, Part 2: "One Saturday Afternoon"

The image above and narrative below were posted here in October 2014. The program "Three's A Crowd" aired on WAVE-TV in the mid 1960s as this ticket shows. Three people claimed to have the same occupation, such as fireman or lawyer and the kids would have to guess which one was for real and which ones were impostors. Of course, the prizes were toys from Thornbury's!

One Saturday afternoon 

Our teacher received a stack of these tickets with a general invitation to her class to attend a local TV kid game show called Three's A Crowd. The half hour program aired Saturdays at noon on the local NBC affiliate. The format of the program was modeled directly on the CBS network's To Tell The Truth.

My dad and I drove downtown for the show. Once we were all settled in the studio, a random drawing was held to select 8 kids from the audience to serve as on-air panelists for the show's two games. This was shortly before air time. Classmates Gail, Bruce, Sharon and I were picked for the first half of the show. I don't think any of us had time to think about becoming nervous.

Sharon swept that day's first game, correctly identifying the real-life fireman after about ten minutes of interrogation by the four of us. Her prize was a ton of Thorny Bucks, funny money redeemable only at Thornbury's Toys. (This Baby Boomer currency must be very rare by now.)

Thornbury's Toys was owned by Jim Thornbury, a frequent, instantly recognizable guest on local kid TV during the '60s, who was known as Uncle Jim. Thornbury's closed in the early '90s.

In 2001, a Thornbury nephew opened a local, specialized toy store, dealing in high quality and educational toys. [end]
Other posts by the author of above, 'Smiley Derleth', can be viewed here. Included among his many posts are interesting photos, ads, and commentary about vintage toys and children's books.  Derleth, in related correspondence about this post, wrote further that "Thornbury's has a place in the heart of those of us who remember that we will carry with us all our lives." Thanks for sharing those lovely sentiments and your rare "Three's A Crowd" ephemera!

Schwinn Bicycles Were a Win for Thornbury's Toys

In 1956, Thornbury's made the move to Schwinn bicycles as more and more customers were requesting them.  This ad, circa 1968, features Trigger Tom as the salesperson and Uncle Jim's daughter and grandson showing off the new bike.

Thornbury's Toys Didn't Just Sell Bikes, They Repaired Them Too

That's a lot of bicycles to repair!  But Larry Rogers led a great team of service employees to always get the job done right and on time.  Larry ran the service department at Thornbury's Toys for many years. They assembled bicycles, repaired bicycles and wheel goods and also delivered them to your door, if requested.

Memories Found Online, Part 1: "My Thorny"

Found online here is a blog post written by a woman reminiscing about Thornbury's, including a Thorny stuffed animal, an appearance by Thorny at her birthday party, and more. Some excerpts:

Thorny was given to me before I turned a year old. Today my children play with him. Thorny is a monkey that brings back many memories when I look at him. When I was younger my Uncle ran a Toy Store known as Thornbury's Toys...My mom worked a couple of days a week in the office when I was between the ages of 2 and 9 years old. I can remember going there as a child and walking up and down the aisles of toys. I remember going to work with my mom some days...My sister worked at the store and she had a name badge made up for me. I would walk around with my name badge on and pretend that I worked in the store too. I would straighten up shelves and wait for some customer to ask me for help...I always thought it was so funny when we would drive past the store and the Thorny on his bike would be missing from the sign. People would steal him all of the time...It even got attention in the Courier Journal when he was taken. Usually he would turn up... Sure enough he would go right back up on that sign riding his bike...Today Thorny wears my old size 2T toy store shirt and jeans. His ears are starting to fall of and he is pretty ragged....but he is my Thorny. He is many fond and happy memories, and he reminds me to be thankful for the wonderful family that I have.

Another Uncle Jim Promotion-1964 Thorny Club

Cover of 1964 Thorny Club Official Members Book

You know all the characters on the Thorny Bucks pictured here, don't you?  On the bottom left, you have the one and only, Uncle Jim.  His $10.00 Thornybuck was worth a nickel.  Fireman Bill is on the $1.00 buck, Trigger Tom is on the $3.00 buck and Amy, the charming Queen of Toys out did them all on the $50.00 buck.

Thanks to Many Long Serving Employees, Thornbury's Toys Expanded

Here are some of the early employees of Thornbury's pictured at the Shelbyville Rd. store.  The young man on the right is Bill Muthler, then Helen Bowling, Trigger Tom Struck (center), Waneta Graven and Bob Larger.  Many of Thornbury's employees were family and Waneta was Uncle Jim's sister in law.  A good number of the fine sales people at Thornbury's remained with the company for many, many years.

Louisville Times Newspaper Article 1976 Featuring Uncle Jim and Aunt Mary

Below is a condensed version of a 1,300-word feature article that was published in The Louisville Times on December 20, 1976. The photo above accompanied the article.

Toys Make Millions for Thornbury Family…and That Isn’t Play Money

In the early 1950s, James G. Thornbury was a road-weary salesman, driving from town to town, trying to sell spices and extract to food stores...

Two sons and two daughters were growing up, taking part in various school activities, including sports. [On the road for days at a time,] Thornbury was seeing none of it. He was fed up.

In 1954, at age 38, he grabbed for something different -- and better. Partly by accident, he caught the brass ring.

Thornbury's Toys, Inc., this year expects sales of $4.2 million. Just as important, Thornbury was with his wife and children all those years, and still is.

The business is family owned and operated, one of the few independent toy retailers to survive in a fiercely competitive field dominated by chain stores.

The Thornbury business and family both have grown. There are 12 grandchildren, with another expected early next year. There are six stores, with another expected in the spring.

There are three stores in Louisville (two in St. Matthews and one on Dixie Highway) and three stores in Lexington, Ky. Another is to open in Pensacola, Fla., about Easter.

Longer-range plans call for a store in late 1978 in the planned Jefferson Mall at Preston Highway and Outer Loop, and still another in Nashville, Tenn., in 1979...

[At first] what [the Thornburys were] trying to operate was a small bicycle store...They set up shop at 117 Breckinridge Lane. The store had a 40-foot front. To make it appear well-stocked, Thornbury built a false wall halfway back, crowding the merchandise up front.

Thornbury showed from early records that sales some days were as low as $4. "If we sold a tricycle,” Mary said, "that made our day. We would really be excited."

Before long, shoppers began asking if Thornbury's also sold toys.

"We got lots of calls wanting the Betsy Wetsy doll," he recalled. As a former salesman, he soon realized he should have some Betsy Wetsy dolls.

Toy suppliers extended him limited credit. Thornbury moved the false wall back and put in toys.

Betsy Wetsy sold well. Then the hula hoop came along. Thornbury's false wall was all the way to the back, and he realized he needed a bigger store.

He moved to 4101 Shelbyville Road, in the heart of the city and visible to heavy traffic. That's still the main store. Sales there run as high as $30,000 a day, according to Thornbury...

While toys and hobbies now make up the bulk of sales, bicycles remain a prominent part of the business. Thornbury's, Inc. ranks in the top 10 in the nation in Schwinn bicycle sales and has been as high as fourth...

Thornbury said bikes have been good, but Mrs. Thornbury preferred to talk of the toys. She likes nothing better than the Barbie Doll. The Barbie Doll, along with accessories, has been the best-selling toy over the years, she said...Nothing fooled [Jim] Thornbury more. "It was the first doll with a bosom," he recalled. "I just didn't think the mothers would buy it."...

Stuff animals also continue to sell well, although a $900 elephant seems to have found a permanent home at the Shelbyville Road store. Marching Mickey, a Mickey Mouse that walks, is also big, along with Easy Bake Ovens and Rock'em Sock’em robots. Monopoly and backgammon continue to be popular games...

[After Christmas,] birthday shopping helps sustain the business throughout the year. Thornbury, a promoter at heart, has his stores send out 40,000 cards, each with a key to a birthday box containing a free gift.

Thornbury's also advertises, often claiming it has more toys than anyone except Santa. A monkey on a bicycle is the corporate symbol.

There are 150 employees in the stores now. Most know Thornbury as Uncle Jim...

Some customers complain his prices are higher than at other stores, but Thornbury insists his prices are competitive. He got into business in the pre-discount days, when toy prices were standard. Profit margins are much less. Thornbury readily admits that if he hadn't started when he did, he couldn't have made it. High volume is essential now.

Mom and Pop retain 51 per cent of the business. While it's a multimillion-dollar operation, they contend their lifestyle has changed very little...The Thornburys travel and both like to play golf, although neither claims to be adept at the game. They play at the Wildwood Country Club, where they are members. Both continue to work every day.

The remaining 49 per cent of the business is owned by five family members: two sons, Thom and Jerry; two sons-in-law, Tom R. Struck and C. Gary Campbell, and Thornbury's brother-in-law, Robert L. Noe. Each of the sons and Campbell has a store to manage. Struck is corporate general manager. A key figure, however, is Noe, who buys all the toys.

He goes to New York in February and buys toys largely on the basis of what he believes his eight children might like.

Another family member, Waneta Graven, a sister-in-law, is manager of the store in Oxmoor Center.

"We're one big happy family," said the head man. Thanks for his decision to give up selling spices and extract for bicycles and toys, it is also one big prosperous family. [END]

Uncle Jim - Always Smiling

  Uncle Jim proudly show off one of his hundreds of toys.

                                       

Uncle Ed Kallay Helped With the Guess Who? Show

Uncle Ed Kallay, a Louisville celebrity, works with the puppets on one of the Guess Who sets.

   

Thornbury's Toys Birthday Chest Excitement

This dapper looking birthday boy just opened the Birthday Chest with the key that he received in his birthday card from Thornbury's.  Trigger Tom chooses just the right gift for him.

Advertising and Promotions Were Uncle Jim's Specialty

Looks like this young lady just won a new Schwinn Bicycle in one of Thornbury's Toys give-ways.

Thornbury's Toys 4101 Shelbyville Rd. Louisville, KY, Late 1960s

The main store at 4101 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, KY, ca. 1969  

When Thornbury's Toys outgrew their original location at 117 Breckenridge Lane in St. Matthews, they moved to a brand new shopping area just a mile or so away at the busy corner of Shelbyville Road and Browns Lane. Toy sales quickly increased in the new store and so did the number of employees. There's Thorny the Monkey, Thornbury's famous mascot.

Image source: Royal Photo Company Collection, 1982.03, Photographic Archives, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

Malls Eclipsed Freestanding Stores in Shopping Convenience

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..."

Sales Personnel at Thornbury's Toys Knew Their Business

From "1964 Thorny Club Official Members Book containing Home-viewers Games on Guess Who! and Toys Sold by Thornbury's Toys"