Thomas’ has long history in Butte

Thomas’ 3636 Harrison Ave.

in Butte Business history: One of Butte’s oldest businesses, Thomas’ was established in 1902 by Joseph T. Thomas.

“My grandfather started the business. He came from Lebanon in 1902,” said current owner, Paul Thomas.

According to family history, Joseph T. Thomas began selling clothing as a door to door peddler, serving people in Butte and the surrounding areas of Elk Park and Brown’s Gulch.

“He went house to house with a satchel on his back,” said Paul Thomas.

Joseph eventually bought a horse and carriage and later graduated to an automobile, extending his clothing sales as far away as Deer Lodge and Dillon.

By 1932, he had opened Thomas’ Dry Goods in Butte at 300 E. Mercury St. The business later moved to 303 E. Park St. A successful business, Joseph’s son George took over the operation of the store in 1959, along with brother Eli and sisters Mercedes and Rita. The store moved again in 1964 to 68 W. Park St., where it stayed until 2000, when it moved to its current location at 3636 Harrison Ave.

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By the 1960s, Eli Thomas had ventured out on his own and operated a retail clothing store in Anaconda, eventually moving to California, where he opened a successful clothing store specializing in high-end apparel. Current owner, Paul Thomas, George Thomas’ son, spent time working for his uncle in California between 1973 and 1987 after graduating from High School. He continued to work for Eli Thomas while attending Gonzaga University, where he majored in law. After graduation, Thomas made the decision to continue in the clothing business, working for his uncle until 1987, then returning to Butte to take over operations at Thomas’.

Products, services and specialties: Thomas’ carries designer and higher-end apparel for men, women, teens and children. Thomas’ other specialties are diverse and include a wide range of Carhartt brand clothing and a large selection of formal wear. Thomas’ boasts having the largest selection of wedding gowns along with the state’s largest tuxedo inventory, and sub-rents tuxedos to bridal shops all over Montana.

“We also do embroidery,” added Paul Thomas.

Business philosophy: “Work hard and offer the best quality you can,” said Paul Thomas, who also offered his father George’s motto, which was to give people good service, offer them high quality merchandise at the lowest prices.

Advice for others wanting to start a business: “Do something that you like,” suggests Paul Thomas, who understands all too clearly the number of hours that must be devoted each week to make and keep a business successful. Former owner George Thomas agreed and offered his own advice about keeping customers satisfied. “Service is the key,” he said.

Things learned doing business: Paul Thomas believes that diversifying and expanding onto the clothing side of the business has played a major role in Thomas’ success. Expanding on retail clothing operations into Carhartt, embroidery and formals have helped keep the business profitable.

“We’re not going head to head with big businesses like Wal-Mart and Kmart,” he explained.

“Your business is not going to stay the same. It’s going to change. It’s important to know when to do that,” added George Thomas.

Rewards and challenges of doing business: Rewards include a greater sense of independence. “I’ve always liked working for myself. You have a little control over your life,” said Paul Thomas. “You can’t blame anyone else for your success or your failure.” Challenges include a fluctuating economy. “Every year it’s harder and harder to make a living,” said Paul Thomas.

Finding the right people to staff operations at Thomas’ has also been a challenge over the years, although at the present time, Paul Thomas had no complaints. “We’re fortunate to have good employees here,” he said.

What makes doing business in Butte unique? In addition to wonderful customers, Paul Thomas said Butte offers some special benefits that are sometimes overlooked.

“I remind myself that (although) we don’t have that huge market Bozeman has, but we also don’t have the overhead,” he said.

Future plans: “Where we see ourselves going is wholesale bridal and tuxedo and custom embroidery,” said Paul Thomas.

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Contact Montana Standard Correspondent Paula J. McGarvey at 782-6510 or e-mail to .

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