With 50 years of toy trading under his belt, Jim Osborne is still very much a people person, as Deanna Holmes finds out.

Now entering his 50th year of trading, Jim Osborne remains at the heart of the family business, Osbornes Sports and Toys in Rushden.

And a very big family it is, as he and his wife, Pam, have some 42 children. At least, that is how the Osbornes look at it, because apart from their son, William, the remaining 41 are the Saturday boys and girls that have worked for them over the years. What's more, they can still remember the name of every single one of them, and often get invitations to 21st birthday parties, weddings and Christenings. There was even a time when they employed two at once, even though they didn't need to. Apparently, their existing girl had handed in her notice thinking she should concentrate on her studies, and then had regretted it. "So we took her back!" explained Jim. Even though her replacement had already started? "Of course! We just decided we would have two of them for a while!"

But it is not just the Saturday staff that are treated like family. Many of the permanent staf have notched up over 20 years' employment - even the ones that only intended to stay temporarily. The customers are also regarded as family too. "So many of our customers have been with us from the beginning, and now come in with their own children, and even grandchildren. Even people that move out of the area often come back and say: 'Are you still here then?' and then add with a slight frown, 'You've moved things around a bit haven't you?'"

"We don't necessarily view ourselves as business people, we are toy shop people."

Jim Osborne started in the toy trade in 1948, working for an established toy and sports retailer in Hinckley in Leicestershire, Wightmans. Both his parents were shopkeepers, as were his aunt and sister. "It was almost a matter of when will you have . shop, rather than if. I remember we advertised in Harpers Sports and Games to see if there was a shop for sale. And we had letters from all over the country.............. [part of a longer article.]