Founded by Rowland Schaefer and later run by his daughters, Bonnie and Marla Schaefer, Claire's Stores was sold to an affiliate of the New York-based private equity firm Apollo Management for about $3 billion in 2007. If the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys, for young women and girls, it may be the price of their accessories. For thrifty, fashion-conscious females ages 3 to 27, Claire's Stores is the queen of costume jewelry, handbags, and hair bows. The company operates nearly 3,000 boutiques, primarily in malls, under the Claire's and Icing banners. The chain is present in all 50 US states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Canada, as well as about 10 European countries.

AUTOBACS SEVEN was founded in 1947. AUTOBACS SEVEN is driven to provide one-stop shopping to Japanese motorists. The company sells automotive items at about 520 stores throughout Japan, under the names AUTOBACS, Super AUTOBACS, AUTO Helloes, and AUTOBACS Hashiriya Tengoku, among others. AUTOBACS are small, automotive convenience-type stores, while the larger-sized Super AUTOBACS carry a broad range of auto products. The Hashiriya Tengoku locations boast used parts. AUTOBACS also provides safety inspections and maintenance services, and it sells cars and gas. In 2009 the company sold its US arm, AUTOBACS STRAUSS (acquired in 2007), and exited the US market.

Bergdorf Goodman has been doing business at its prime location since 1901. Ladies who lunch love to shop at Bergdorf Goodman, a Fifth Avenue purveyor of luxury women's apparel, handbags, precious and designer jewelry, makeup, perfume, shoes, and tableware, as well as men's accessories, by designer labels such as Chloe, Giorgio Armani, and Marc Jacobs. Owned by the upscale department store operator Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman operates two opulent stores across from each other on 58th Street in Manhattan, that ring up about 13% of Neiman's total revenue. The smaller store, which opened in 1991, is devoted exclusively to men. The elite retailer also sells via a catalog and a website.

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.

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. operates as an importer and specialty retailer of imported decorative home furnishings and gifts in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It operates retail stores under the name of ‘Pier 1 Imports’. These stores offer various furniture, decorative home furnishings, dining and kitchen goods, bath and bedding accessories, candles, gifts, housewares, seasonal assortments, and other specialty items for the home. The company’s decorative accessories include decorative wood accents, lamps, vases, dried and artificial flowers, baskets, ceramics, dinnerware, bath and fragrance products, candles, bedding, and seasonal and gift items. Its furniture products comprise furniture and furniture cushions to be used in living, dining, office, kitchen and bedroom areas, sunrooms, and on patios, as well as consists of wall decorations and mirrors. As of August 28, 2010, the company operated 1,048 stores in the United States and Canada, as well as operated 36 locations in Mexico. Pier 1 Imports, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

Founded in 1929, Fisher Auto Parts is owned by the Fisher family and run by CEO Bo Fisher. Though it hooks a lot of do-it-yourselfers, Fisher Auto Parts is primarily trying to lure the professional installer. The company operates through about 300 stores in some 15 states (mostly on the East Coast and in the Midwest). It is also the founding member of Federated Auto Parts, an automotive supply distribution network that serves more than 3,800 retail locations. Fisher Auto Parts provides for do-it-yourselfers, but its business focus is on professional installers. To enhance service for them, company workers are Automotive Service Excellence certified.

Kelly Pipe was founded in 1898 by an entrepreneur who is now known to history only as Old Man Kelly. Kelly Pipe helps keep the Earth green. Operating through some 15 branches and 20-plus stocking locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, Kelly Pipe is a leading distributor of steel and plastic pipes, valves, and fittings from manufacturers worldwide. It also operates a subsidiaries in Mexico and the UK. Customers include the agriculture, oil processing, water service, and other industries. The company's Imperial Poles division distributes poles for street lighting, traffic signals, cellular towers, signs, and other purposes.

Founded in 1912, furniture retailer Star Furniture operates 10 stores in Texas (seven in Houston and one each in Austin, Bryan, and San Antonio). The regional chain sells bedroom, dining room, living room, and home office furniture, as well as clocks, home entertainment walls, rugs, and more. Brands include Bernhardt, Broyhill, Howard Miller, Natuzzi, Hooker, Kincaid, Serta, Tempur-Pedic, and Thomasville, among others. The company also carries big screen HD televisions in its home theater department, but does not stock other appliances. Star Furniture is owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

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.

Founded in 1922 as a single Phil's Shoes store, Rack Room Shoes is owned by Europe's largest shoe retailer -- Deichmann Schuhe of Germany -- which acquired Rack Room Shoes in 1984. As part of its expansion strategy, the off-price retailer plans to continue opening new stores in the southeastern US; it's focusing specifically on Texas and Arizona. Shoe-a-holics on the hunt for budget-brand names frequent the Rack Room for a fix. Rack Room Shoes sells private-label and brand-name footwear, handbags, and accessories to thrifty customers from some 390 stores in more than 25 states. Rack Room Shoes company also operates some 60 stores under the Off Broadway banner in about 10 states.

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