Founded by the husband-and-wife team Tom and Gun Denhart in 1983, it sells its premium apparel -- as well as backpacks, baby toys and gifts -- online, by catalog, and more than 25 retail and outlet stores throughout the US. Unhappy with the cotton apparel available after their son's birth, the Denharts started their own mail-order business and named it after Gun's grandmother: Hanna Andersson. The apparel company is owned by Sun Capital Partners (SCP). Hanna Andersson brings a whole new meaning to the concept of having your own MiniMe. The Swedish-inspired firm makes and sells colorful 100% cotton and organic cotton clothing and sleepwear for the whole family, specializing in mother-daughter ensembles.

Family-owned and -operated Von Maur runs about 25 upscale department stores in 10 midwestern states, offering its customers amenities such as an interest-free credit card, free gift wrapping, and free shipping within the US. The stores range in size from 42,000 to 203,000 sq. ft. and offer clothing from brands such as Burberry, Kenneth Cole, and Tommy Bahama. Distinguishing itself from the rest of the pack, the Von Maur chain has avoided advertising and big blowout sales; it even closes up shop on traditional retailer high-dollar days such as the Fourth of July. The von Maur family opened its first store in Davenport, Iowa, in 1872.

he regional grocery chain also operates about a half a dozen larger Smith's Marketplace stores (154,000 sq. ft. on average) in Utah that combine full-service grocery, pharmacy, and general merchandise departments. Smith's joined the Kroger family when Kroger, the 1 US grocer, bought its parent, Fred Meyer, in 1999.From a small grocery store founded by Ren Smith in Brigham City, Utah, Smith's Food & Drug Centers has grown into a regional powerhouse with supermarkets in Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, and four other western states. Most of its 130-plus stores are conventional supermarkets with in-store pharmacy departments and many offering bakeries, one-hour photo labs, and other services.

Mailing more than 180 million catalogs a year, Hanover Direct sells home fashions (The Company Store, Domestications), as well as men's and women's apparel (International Male, Silhouettes, and Undergear). Each catalog has a corresponding e-commerce site. In addition to its own websites, Hanover Direct also sells its products through affiliated third-party websites, such as Amazon.com. The company makes Scandia Down brand comforters and pillows for sale in its catalogs, on its websites, and several retail outlet stores. Hanover Direct is owned by the New York-based hedge fund Chelsey Capital.

Based in Mississippi, Southern Pipe is family-owned and was founded in 1938. Southern Pipe and Supply Co., Inc. sells pipes and anything that connects to them. Serving everyone from contractors and homeowners to commercial real estate property owners, Southern Pipe sells plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning supplies through more than 90 stores located throughout seven southeastern states. The company operates a central distribution center and a handful of Southern Bath & Kitchen showrooms that feature various products for homeowners. Southern Pipe's vendors include dozens of supply companies and manufacturers such as MOEN, Kohler, and Amana Heating and Air Conditioning.

Robertson Heating Supply Co. was founded in 1934. When the Buckeyes, Wolverines, and Nittany Lions get cold, Robertson Heating Supply helps to warm them up. The company distributes heating, air conditioning, and plumbing supplies as well as kitchen products through about 30 locations in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Designers and engineers are also available to help with kitchen, commercial HVAC, and hydronic projects. In addition to its retailing activities, Robertson Heating Supply offers state-certified training programs.

Founded in 1946, EWM's current incarnation resulted from a series of buyouts, the last of them by the company's own management, led by CEO Philip Day in 2002. In 2005 EWM acquired Inverness-based kilt-maker Hector Russell. Get a taste as well as a wrap of Scotland at Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM). A niche retailer specialising in womens and mens wear and traditional Scottish products and gifts, EWM operates some 190 shops throughout the UK. The retailer also operates about 95 tourist shops and more than 25 larger stores that sell apparel, gifts, and other items. More than 30 EWM shops include dining facilities, and more than 10 sell single malts and blended whiskies.

Hoopers is running circles around its competition. Founded in 1982, the company is a retail store operator with five UK-based department stores nationwide (Harrogate, Torquay, Tunbridge Wells, Wilmslow, Carlisle), as well as three menswear stores. The company specializes in designer and branded fashion. Its departments include womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, cosmetics, gifts, cookware and glassware, and furniture and linens. Hoopers is a partial owner of department store chain Beale through its Lawdene investing subsidiary. The company is owned by father and son team David and Richard Thompson.

Building in the American heartland builds business for Amerhart. The company distributes hardware, lumber, and building materials, including decking, insulation, plywood, shingles, and siding through locations in Green Bay, Milwaukee, Sun Prairie, and West Salem, Wisconsin, as well as one in Perkin, Illinois. Amerhart also offers services, including floor plan design. The company's vendors include Ply Gem Industries, Louisiana Pacific, and CertainTeed. Tracing its roots back to 1940, Amerhart takes its name from the 1963 acquisition of American Millwork and Supply by Hartman Wholesale.

The business was spun off by Limited Brands in 1999 and changed its name to Tween Brands from Too, Inc. in 2006. Dress Barn bought Tween Brands to extend its retail reach to young girls. Justice serves up apparel and accessories to girls ages 7 to 14 from some 890 stores throughout the US and Puerto Rico. A division of The Dress Barn, which bought the chain when it purchased Tween Brands in 2009, Justice stores sell value-priced apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, toys, and even electronics and furnishings to trendy "tweens." Outside the US, the chain has about 35 franchised locations in the Middle East and Europe. It also sells via its website and through "catazines" (catalogs with editorial content).

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