Thrilling stories and fun and games abounded in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church of Augusta, Tuesday morning. The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce hosted its monthly Women in Business luncheon, the keynote speaker for which was Shane Thompson, who oversees marketing at Windsor Jewelers.
Thompson applies his creative inclinations and background knowledge of graphic, video and web design toward promoting the jewelry store his father, Donnie Thompson, opened in 1975. He considers the Green Box Game among his top accomplishments in marketing.
“The idea that we needed to convey was that we had the exclusivity of a luxury jeweler, but the inclusivity of having something for everyone,” said Thompson. “It’s really hard to be both, but it’s even harder to get people to think that you are both.”
Thompson launched the annual game in 2017. For eight weeks, participants hunt for Windsor’s iconic Green Box, hidden at some clandestine spot in the CSRA that is somehow tied a historic person, place or event, or even local legend and lore. Players mine daily—and notoriously difficult—clues released on social media or via text messages. Anyone who finds the box wins an item, donated by brand designers, worth $3,000 or more.
“If you’ve ever visited Windsor, you can see someone who spends $50 in our store can often share the same experience as someone who spends $50,000 in our store,” Thompson said. “I came up with the green box game and hopes to change how some people would feel about Windsor. The idea was to invite our community into our store to meet our staff, interact in our environment and play a game where there was no expectation for purchase. We were aiming for those who typically wouldn’t enter, or held reservations.”
Thompson complemented his explication of the Green Box Game and its origins with another game for the crowd of mostly women Chamber members. He went on to tell a story involving some historical figure and challenging audience members to stand if they knew the name of the person the story was about (without the aid of phones, of course), for prizes.
Among the tales was the tragic romance of Martha Ann “Mattie” Holloway, who became a nun and was Mother Superior at the Sacred Heart School in Augusta; and her cousin, John Henry, who went on to become a dentist and, later known as famed gunslinger “Doc” Holliday.
Thompson also told the story of wealthy socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean, owner of the famous, and allegedly cursed, Hope Diamond, who had a home in Aiken; and the story of Becky Cotton, who got away with the murder of her husband for years, even marrying one of the jurors at her trial, before her brother killed her with a stone on the steps of the Edgefield County courthouse in 1807.
Thompson said he finds stories through a combination of books, internet searching and curiosity borne from growing up in the area.
The game has grown in its six years, he noted, having seen teams of treasure hunters drive as far as from Lexington, S.C. to play the game daily; co-workers become close friends, children bonding with parents and grandparents, bonding over local history.
“This game was designed to not only connect me more to my community, but to learn about history,” he said, mentioning having gained new friendships, participated in festivities, and even earned a nickname, “the Jigsaw of Jewelry,” behind the Green Box Game. “Being the guy behind the game, I rarely talk about what I’ve found in the Green Box. I feel like I’ve gained a larger appreciation for the place that I’ve grown up. I’ve learned a wealth of interesting history that I’ve shared for the rest of my life.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
