One man's corvette summer in 1974 turned into a lifelong business. Mid America Motorworks (MMA) is a large supplier of parts and accessories for Corvette, Volkswagen, and Porsche automobiles. Offering parts for every year the Corvette has been in production, Mid America Motorworks sells its products through catalogs, the Web, and, for those in the neighborhood, at its headquarters. It also installs custom interior and performance parts. MMA's annual Corvette Funfest lays claim to being one of the largest Corvette gatherings in the world. Mid America Motorworks also hosts biannual swap meets for Corvette and VW enthusiasts. MMA is owned and operated by Mike Yager, who started the business by selling Corvette parts and accessories.

J.P. Boden & Co. (better known simply as Boden) is a UK direct retailer of premium casual apparel. The company sells womenswear and menswear under the Boden name, teen apparel under the Johnnie B label, and children's clothing under the Mini Boden brand. It markets the collections through its catalogs and Web site. J.P. Boden also operates two retail stores in the UK. The company got its start in 1991 when chairman Johnnie Boden quit his job as a stockbroker in London to open up his own clothing business. Designing its catalogs to resemble those of J. Crew, the company's first editions featured friends and family striking poses as fashion models. Boden is a 50% owner of the firm.

The TJX Companies, Inc. operates as an off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the United States and internationally. Its stores offer apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, including home basics, accent furniture, lamps, rugs, wall decor, decorative accessories, and giftware; jewelry and accessories; menas and juniors offerings; childrens furniture; seasonal merchandise; and other merchandise. The company operates its stores under the T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, A.J. Wright, Winners, HomeSense, and T.K. MAXX trademarks. As of February 24, 2010, it operated 890 T.J. Maxx, 813 Marshalls, 323 HomeGoods, and 150 A.J. Wright stores in the U.S.; 208 Winners, 79 HomeSense, and 3 STYLESENSE stores in Canada; and 263 T.K. Maxx and 14 HomeSense stores in Europe.

Gate Petroleum company runs a chain of about 225 Gate Food Post stores in six Southeastern states, including Florida and the Carolinas, that sell gas and groceries and offer fleet management services. The firm is also a wholesale fuel distributor to customers throughout the Southeast. The company is also active in the real estate and construction materials businesses. In Florida Gate owns several private clubs, office buildings, and business parks. Subsidiary Gate Concrete has plants in about half a dozen states that make and sell concrete and building materials. CEO Herbert Peyton, who founded the company in 1960, owns the majority of Gate Petroleum.

Waitrose Limited operates about 230 Waitrose supermarkets in London, southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia, Wales, and Scotland. Founded in 1904 by Wallace Wait and Arthur Rose, it was acquired in 1937 by John Lewis Partnership, one of the UK's largest retailers. The grocer plans to dramatically increase its retail presence in the UK, and beyond, through a move into the convenience store market and the development of new store formats and partnerships with other retailers. Outside the food aisle, Waitrose plans to strengthen its non-food offering of clothing and housewares in its Food & Home store. A partnership with Internet grocer Ocado delivers Waitrose groceries to homes in London and Hertfordshire.

PriceSmart is wise in the ways of members-only club retailing. The retailer runs more than 25 membership stores under the PriceSmart name in about a dozen countries and one US territory in Central America and the Caribbean. It sells low-cost food, pharmacy, and basic consumer items. In each store, nearly half of the merchandise comes from the US, and the other half is sourced locally. In-store services include auto/tire centers, banking, and photo developing. PriceSmart stores are typically smaller than wholesale clubs in the US, averaging about 50,000-75,000 sq. ft., and the membership fees average about $25. PriceSmart was founded in 1976 by father-and-son team Sol and Robert Price.

Waldbaum operates about 65 supermarkets in New York City, on Long Island, and in Westchester County, New York. To serve the city that never sleeps, many Waldbaum stores are open around the clock and most have in-store bakeries; about half have pharmacies. The 100-year-old chain is owned by ailing A&P, which filed for bankruptcy in 2010 capping years of struggle following the purchase of its regional rival Pathmark Stores in 2007. As a result of the Pathmark purchase, four Waldbaum supermarkets on Long Island and Staten Island were sold to rivals King Kullen and Stop & Shop in 2008 to satisfy Federal Trade Commission competition requirements.

Orchard Supply Hardware provides many items for California house-raisin's. The company operates about 85 home centers in the Golden State, from Los Angeles to Redding in the north, as well as an online store. More than its name implies, Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) offers products in several home improvement categories, including garden and nursery; heating, cooling, insulation, and ventilation; home safety and emergency preparation; plumbing; and renovation and decoration. OSH stores sell Sears' Craftsman brand tools, and several locations stock home appliances. The firm was founded in 1931 as a farmers' purchasing cooperative in San Jose. It was acquired by Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 1996.

Master Nursery Garden Centers was established in 1954 by a group of independent nurseries in the San Francisco Bay area. You can master your garden with just a little help from the right people. Master Nursery Garden Centers is a cooperative of more than 750 nurseries in about 45 states and two Canadian provinces. Besides having banded together for discounts and to share advertising costs, the cooperative also offers plants under its own Garden Elements brand and gardening products (such as potting soils and fertilizers) under the Master Nursery name.

Collective Brands, Inc. primarily engages in the wholesale and retail of footwear and related accessories worldwide. Its Payless ShoeSource stores offer footwear, including athletic, casual and dress shoes, sandals, work and fashion boots, slippers, and accessories, such as handbags, jewelry, and hosiery for women, children, and men. The company’s Payless ShoeSource stores provide its products under the Airwalk, American Eagletm, Champion, Christian Siriano for Paylesstm, Dexter, and Lela Rose for Paylesstm brand names. It also involves in the wholesale of footwear in various retail formats, including premier department stores, specialty stores, and independent shoe stores primarily in North America. In addition, Collective Brands, Inc. markets its products directly to consumers by selling children’s footwear through its Stride Rite Children’s stores; and a selection of its footwear and apparel through its Stride Rite Outlet stores and e-commerce sites.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.