This friend said that he should buy a grinding wheel and one pound of rough turquoise to grind to keep himself busy in the evenings. But then a suggestion by a close friend threw a wrench into those plans. It looked like Cosper was well on his way to success in the tourism business, operating motels and gift shops. From there, they opened a gift shop at the Thunderbird Motel, on Gallup’s westside. Soon after, local artisans started to bring their goods directly to the motel. They displayed jewelry for sale from Richardson’s Trading Co., Johnny Murphy, and Gallup Indian Trading. In his typed-out bio, Cosper said he and his wife decided in the late 1960s to spruce up the Road Runner Motel, which burned down in 2016, and add a gift shop. owner, Don Cosper, started selling turquoise on the streets of Gallup in 1970, Thomason estimates. The concept for a jewelry supply store took shape when Thunderbird Supply Co. Thomason recently took some time out of his busy management schedule to talk about the history of the popular store along with its humble beginnings. Thunderbird also has stores in Albuquerque, which opened in October 1993, and Flagstaff, Ariz., which opened in March 2007. CEO Danny Thomason said it was a proud moment for the employees of the Gallup flagship location. On July 17, Thunderbird celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a huge two-day sale, complete with cake and customer giveaways. What started out as a side-hustle for the owner of the Thunderbird Motel during the Indian jewelry boom of the 1970s, has grown into the profitable and successful jewelry supply chain Thunderbird Supply Company. Building a jewelry supply company piece by piece
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