It was M.O. Lee - then president of VF Corporation - who suggested holding a public sale one Saturday morning to clear out excess inventory of Berkshire International. That day, the merchandise completely sold out, even though the only advertising had been word of mouth. The store was so busy that even Lee bagged merchandise and manned the cash register. “You could see his mind working,” said John Jackson, merchandise manager of Intimate Apparel at the time. “He was thinking he could make the store bigger. We just had a drop cloth on the back wall, and we kept moving it back.”Pleased and surprised at the success of the sale, Lee scheduled a bigger one for two weeks later, with merchandise brought in from other VF sources. That sale was even more successful, and the VF Outlet business was launched. Selling Berkshire and Vanity Fair surplus products, the factory store was 5,000 square feet, with only a drop cloth separating it from the manufacturing facility. VF Corporation - which opened the store in 1970 - was one of the earliest outlet operators, and opened the first outlet center in the country, in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Bordine Nursery can help you with borders. Or flower beds. Or orchards. The company operates four nurseries in southeastern Michigan growing and selling annuals, perennials, shrubs, roses, and trees. Bordine also offers lawn and patio furniture, fertilizers and plant food, design services, plant guides, and gardening publications. Currently owned and operated by third generation Bordines, the nursery regularly donates plants, flowers, and shrubs to local schools and other community groups. Originally a roadside flower stand, Bordine was founded in 1939 by Darrell and Marian Bordine.

Trying to catalog all the things this superstore carries could fry your brain. Fry's Electronics is a leading big-box retailer of computers, consumer electronics, and appliances with some 35 stores in about 10 states. The retail chain's extensive inventory includes computer software and components, industry magazines, movies and music, refrigerators, washers and dryers, small appliances, stereo equipment, and televisions. Each store also typically stocks a variety of snacks and other impulse items. The technogeek's dream store began in 1985 as the brainchild of CEO John Fry (with brothers Randy and Dave) and VP Kathy Kolder. The Fry brothers, who got their start at Fry's Food Stores, still own Fry's Electronics company.

Airwalk International once designed and sold shoes for skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX riding, and casual wear, but today it is little more than a name licensed to other companies for the production of similar product offerings. Airwalk has licensing agreements with Staple Design for seasonal footwear designs and with sporting goods wholesaler Intersport North America to market and sell its collections. Airwalk brand shoes are sold in Modell's, Payless ShoeSource, and Sears stores, among other retailers. In 2004 the company was sold to Collective Licensing International, the brand management and licensing unit of Collective Brands holding company.

Garden Ridge Corporation owns and operates more than 40 stores, each covering nearly 3 acres and mostly located off major highways in about 20 states from Florida to Michigan. Its home state of Texas boasts some 15 stores. Considered the "home décor depot," Garden Ridge stores sell about 500,000 decorating items, such as seasonal décor, framed art, baskets, silk and dried flowers, furniture, home textiles, and pottery, as well as crafts and party supplies. Garden Ridge, which began as a single store outside of San Antonio in 1979, is owned by an investment group led by the New York-based private equity firm Three Cities Research.

Spahn & Rose Lumber Co. is a retail lumber company with about 25 locations throughout Iowa and, to a lesser extent, in Illinois and Wisconsin. The company, which was organized in 1904, produces roof and floor truss systems and sells a variety of building supply products from such suppliers as Andersen (windows), Georgia-Pacific (lumber), CertainTeed (building materials), DuPont (plastics and flooring), MidContinent Cabinetry, (cabinets), Stanley Black & Decker (hand tools) and more. Spahn & Rose is promoting a range of green products, including recycled goods, solar reflective windows, and arsenic-free lumber.

Replacements, Ltd. offers new and previously owned china, crystal, flatware, and collectibles from its facilities spanning more than 400,000 sq. ft. Its inventory consists of some 13 million pieces in more than 300,000 patterns. In addition to its bridal and gift registry, Replacements' website features a dinnerware knowledge base, place-setting guides, pattern identification tools, and showroom tour. Customers can place their orders by mail, phone, fax, e-mail, and online. The company was founded by president and CEO Bob Page in 1981.

Piggly Wiggly Carolina was founded in 1947 when Joseph T. Newton purchased a Piggly Wiggly grocery franchise from the Piggly Wiggly Corp. Sister company Greenbax operates the Pig's Favorite Customer (PFC) loyalty card program for the company. Once the largest family-owned private company in South Carolina, Piggly Wiggly Carolina became 100% employee-owned in 2005.Piggly Wiggly Carolina Company operates more than 100 supermarkets throughout South Carolina and southeastern Georgia. About 10 South Carolina locations offer online shopping. In addition to traditional supermarket fare, the company offers in-store pharmacy departments and health screenings at some locations.

Axfood gives the chilly Nordic region the Willys. Axfood AB is one of the largest food retailers in Sweden (behind ICA and Coop),operating about 110 wholly owned Willys (discount grocery stores),30-plus Willys hemma (neighborhood grocers),and some 165 Hemkp (upscale grocery stores for food enthusiasts) stores. Axfood also operates shops under the Handlar'n and Tempo banners. Its Axfood Narlivs unit is a nationwide wholesaler serving convenience store retailers, restaurants, and foodservice companies through about 20 cash and carry outlets and several distribution centers. Subsidiary Dagab serves as Axfood AB company's logistics arm. Swedish food importer and retailer Axel Johnson owns about 46% of Axfood.

In the early 1900s, Herman and Sarah Reitman ran a small department store in Montreal. They would be extremely proud to see that their children and grandchildren have taken their family operated business to such levels and transformed it into one of Canada’s largest fashion retailers. The Reitmans Company was founded after a second store opened in 1926. Since then, a number of stores have opened every year, and other banners have emerged, namely Smart Set, RW&CO., Penningtons, Addition-Elle, Thyme Maternity and Cassis. Today, the Company operates over 950 stores throughout Canada. Reitmans (Canada) Limited is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RET, RET-A). Although Reitmans (Canada) Limited is one of the largest publicly-owned retail companies in Canada, it still operates with a strong family culture.

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