TG&Y

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TG&Y was a five-and-dime chain of American variety stores. At its peak it operated more than 900 stores in 29 states. It began during the Great Depression in rural areas and grew into a familiar Southern store offering a wide range of goods at low prices, with the slogan “Your best buy is at TG&Y.”

The chain was named after the initials of its three Oklahoma founders: Rawdon E. Tomlinson, Enoch L. “Les” Gosselin, and Raymond A. Young. They formed Central Merchandising Corporation in 1935 to buy merchandise in bulk and opened the first jointly owned TG&Y store in 1936.

Gosselin’s stores eventually became TG&Y stores. In 1957 TG&Y was acquired by Butler Brothers, but Young stayed in charge. By 1960 TG&Y became a subsidiary of City Products, which tested big-box “TG&Y Family Center” stores anchored in shopping centers; the first two were in Oklahoma, and the largest 60,000-square-foot store cost about $4 million.

In 1965 Household Finance Corporation (HFC) bought City Products and continued expanding the Family Center approach. In 1975 David Green left TG&Y to start Hobby Lobby in Oklahoma City.

In 1986 TG&Y was acquired by McCrory Stores, part of Rapid-American Corporation. The chain struggled to compete with larger discounters and began closing many stores. McCrory faced bankruptcy in the early 1990s and cut hundreds of TG&Y locations. In 2002 McCrory announced the liquidation of all its TG&Y and other stores, and TG&Y ended.

Raymond Young, the last surviving founder, died in 2002. In 2014 a TG&Y exhibit opened at a museum in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, celebrating the chain’s history. A former TG&Y manager opened a small revival store in Sapulpa, Oklahoma in 2003, focusing on crafts and household goods.