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.

Walter Alexander, the company's president, is a grandson of the founder, John Alexander, who ran Alexander Lumber until his death in 1944. Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Alexander Lumber can tell you about 100 years of selling wood. More than a century, in fact. The family-owned company was established in 1891. Alexander Lumber conducts wholesale and retail sales of tree products from about 25 retail lumberyards in Illinois and Wisconsin. Alexander Lumber's manufacturing division, Cortland Components, designs and builds wooden trusses and joists for construction at a plant in Cortland, Illinois.

Replacement Parts works Bumper to Bumper. Replacement Parts company's subsidiary Crow-Burlingame operates about 160 stores under the Bumper To Bumper banner in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Replacement Parts also distributes auto parts through three Parts Warehouses in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The company was founded in 1919 by grocer J.G. Burlingame and candy salesman William Robert Crow, grandfather of president Fletcher Lord Jr. The duo first entered the auto business by purchasing new cars in St. Louis and driving them around Little Rock to attract buyers. Employees own about 15% of Replacement Parts through its stock ownership program.

There might be a trip to Best Buy for some CDs or a television in your future. Best Buy Canada operates about 210 consumer electronics superstores under the three brands: Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, and Future Shop. The retail outlets offer televisions, computers, and DVD players, as well as cameras, CDs, DVDs, mobile phones, and software. In addition the Future Shop stores, which average 26,700 square feet and are smaller than Best Buy Canada locations, offer home appliances, office supplies, and maintenance services. Best Buy Canada also offers customers in-home and commercial technical support through its Geek Squad services unit. US-based retail giant Best Buy acquired the Future Shop chain in 2002.

Temperature Equipment Corporation has been selling Carrier equipment for over 70 years. TEC, started in 1935, is Carrier's third oldest independent distributor and one of Carrier's top performing distributors. TEC provides all HVAC needs from residential to commercial to industrial including equipment, controls, parts and supplies. TEC sells all Carrier brands, including Bryant, Payne, and Racan. TEC also sells complementary equipment and accessories. Headquartered in Lansing, IL, TEC's distribution territory covers all of Chicagoland, southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana with locations East to South Bend, IN and Northwest to Rockford, IL. TEC serves its customers from 16 locations. In addition to its HVAC business, TEC-Properties leases office and warehouse space to a variety of tenants.

While navigating the world of online storefronts, Hayneedle hopes to help its customers find a needle in all those virtual haystacks. Among the company's more than 220 Internet shopping domains are AdirondackChairs.com, Barstools.com, Hammocks.com, and PatioFurnitureUSA.com. Although an individual specialty store's scope of merchandise may be narrow, Hayneedle's ownership of multiple domains allows it to offer a vast range goods. Its products include home and patio furniture, kitchen appliances, outdoor decor, sporting goods, and toys and games. Hayneedle (formerly named NetShops) was formed in 2002 after its founders saw success with Hammocks.com. It is held by Sequioa Capital and Insight Venture Partners.

Mothercare plc sells maternity, baby, and children's clothes; nursery equipment; and toys from more than 1,000 company-owned and franchised stores, more than 600 of which are outside the UK. Mothercare operates in about 50 countries, primarily in other parts of Europe, the Middle and Far East, and in Africa and Southeast Asia. It also offers its merchandise, including the in-house MODA maternity clothing line, through catalogs and its website. Mothercare boosted its presence in the retail toy market with its purchase of the Early Learning Centre (ELC) in 2007. While the firm has struggled at home, it has been successful overseas, particularly in Russia and India.

Stock Building Supply is a leading building materials and solutions company for professional homebuilders and contractors in the United States. We are committed to providing an exceptional customer experience for builders and contractors who are engaged in single- and multi-family residential, repair and remodel and light commercial construction.As a leading building materials and solutions company, we have learned a great deal about creating and sustaining customer relationships. We serve many markets throughout the United States and leverage our national presence to offer the products that homeowners demand, delivered with our “customer-focused, associate-driven” spirit. We appreciate your partnering with us.

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).

Chairman and owner Bruce Halle founded Discount Tire in 1960 with six tires -- four of them recaps. Concerned about that upcoming "re-tire-ment"? Discount Tire, one of the largest independent tire dealers in the US, can provide several options. With more than 780 company-owned stores in 20-plus states, the company sells such leading tire brands as Michelin, Goodyear, and Uniroyal, as well as wheels from Enkei, Konig, and TSW. Discount Tire operates mostly in the West, Midwest, Southwest, and Southeast. Some of its California stores operate as America's Tire Co. because of a naming conflict. Customers can search for tires by make and model on the company's website.

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