A vintage postcard showing part of the showroom at V.F. Botto Toy Company
Thanksgiving means lots of things to lots of people. For some, it's a meal of turkey, ham, and all sorts of taste treats. For others, it's a time to get together with family and friends. And for others, it's the time when you pull out the lists — you know, the ones mailed to Santa? — and hit the stores, with the day after Thanksgiving often recording the biggest sales of the year for retailers.
For many years in Memphis, those shoppers headed Downtown, to a handsome building facing Court Square that was home to the V.F. Botto Toy Company, an emporium that advertised itself as "The Toy Showplace of the South."
I've written about Botto before, but I just recently came across this eye-catching color postcard showing just one corner of the store, as it looked in the mid-1960s. The card is a bit grainy, and I'm sorry about that, but I think readers "of a certain age" can easily recognize many of the most popular toys of the day.
Obviously, boys and girls expected to find a rocking horse under the tree on Christmas Day, judging from the steeds, in all colors and sizes, shown here. Also on display is an assortment of modern-style kid-sized chairs, in front of a display holding toy cash registers, suitcases, and a miniature oven.
To one side is a colorful box urging children to "Build Your Own Electric Train," while other toys on display here include stuffed animals, little merry-go-rounds, three-legged stools in the shape of saddles, punching bags, and all sorts of games. According to the back of the postcard, "The most beautiful toys in the world pass through this room," and this is just part of the 2,500-square-foot showroom.
Botto closed in the late 1960s, but obviously Memphis still has plenty of places where you can fill your stockings, with many "homegrown" gift items available without even leaving town.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
