For generations of Oklahomans, TG&Y was the kind of store where one trip might cover thread, household supplies, hardware and toys. But before those three letters became familiar across hundreds of communities, TG&Y began with three Oklahoma variety-store operators trying to solve a basic small-business problem. Dave Deken tells how Rawdon Tomlinson of Frederick, Les Gosselin of Cordell and Raymond Young of Kingfisher pooled their resources during the Depression so they could buy merchandise directly from manufacturers in larger quantities. Their first jointly owned TG&Y opened in Norman in 1936. From small-town variety stores, the company expanded into larger family centers and eventually operated more than 900 stores nationwide. Corporate takeovers ultimately brought closures and the disappearance of the familiar signs, but the stores remain unusually vivid in the memories of people who grew up shopping their aisles.