Calhoun Enterprises operates a handful of supermarkets under the Calhoun Foods banner in central Alabama. The Alabama grocer locates its stores in buildings vacated by national chains, such as Winn-Dixie, and in areas the larger national chains avoid. The family-run company is one of the largest African-American-owned and -run businesses in the South. Calhoun Enterprises was founded by president and CEO Gregory Calhoun (who started his food industry career as a package clerk at a local supermarket when he was 14 years old) in 1984.Calhoun Enterprises also runs subsidiaries involved in telecommunications, warehousing, consulting, investments, and food brokering and distribution.

O'Connell Oil operates about 30 Convenience Plus convenience stores and a half a dozen gas stations throughout western Massachusetts, serving customers with Citgo, Mobil, and Shell brand gasoline. Three O'Connell's Heating Oil & Service locations provide heating oil and air conditioner repair services. The company also runs plumbing and industrial lubricant divisions. Namesake Ralph M. O'Connell founded the company in 1925.

Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furnishings offers high-end furnishings in a variety of styles -- ranging from traditional to contemporary and from casual to refined -- for your living room, dining room, family room, bedroom, and home office. Gabberts' 63,000-square-foot store in Edina, Minnesota employs in-house interior designers, which it considers a competitive advantage. Founded in 1946 by Don Gabbert as a tire and appliance store, the company was owned and run by the Gabbert family until it was acquired by HOM Furniture in 2008. Gabberts' new owner continues to operate the business under the Gabberts banner.

Jeg's Automotive Inc. operates a warehouse, chassis shop, call centers, and a distribution center in the metropolitan Columbus area. It's a family affair at Jeg's Automotive, and it's even a little racy. The family-owned retail speed shop business is owned and operated by four racing brothers - Jeg Jr., John, Troy, and Mike Coughlin - who took over the business their dad, Jeg Sr., started back in 1960. Jeg's Automotive operates online and from a pair of stores in Ohio (in Columbus and Reynoldsburg) to supply high-performance parts for domestic and import cars, street rods, Pro Stock cars, and sportsman-level and bracket racing cars.

Founded in 1939, RONA generates about 40% of its sales from distribution. RONA has employed an aggressive acquisition strategy to expand throughout Canada. RONA believes a tool belt befits both genders. The company is Canada's top home improvement retailer (ahead of Home Depot of Canada) with about 685 franchised, affiliated, and corporate stores. Looking beyond traditional male customers, RONA stores court women shoppers (more than half of its customers) with features such as decorator boutiques and product displays set for the average woman's eye level. The stores range in format from small RONA L'express shops to RONA L'entrepot big-box outlets and the retailer carries some 2,000 RONA-branded products.

Robb & Stucky sells home furnishings and decor from about 30 retail showrooms in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, and Texas. It also operates an outlet location in Florida. The stores sell indoor furniture, including dining room table sets, sofas, loveseats, chairs, occasional tables, and accent pieces, as well as patio furniture. The company also markets furnishings through its catalogs and website. In addition to its retail operations, Robb & Stucky serves up international cuisine from a culinary center in Florida. The company was founded in 1915.

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.

Sixth Avenue Electronics is the Premier Source for high-end electronics and accessories. We have the products you want, the products you need, and the experience and knowledge you should expect from a retailer. With firm roots in the consumer electronics industry and a growing chain of stores in New Jersey and New York, Sixth Avenue Electronics is paving the way into the future. Sixth Avenue Electronics has been serving our customers for over 22 years, consistently providing the kind of hassle-free shopping experience you deserve. A six time consecutive winner of Audio/Video International Magazine’s Retailer of the Year award, our leadership is empowered by our commitment to customer service and care.

Founded as an auto supply store in 1938 by chairman Dave Lack, Lack's Stores branched out into furniture during WWII, in an effort to maintain company sales. Its diversification paid off, and Lack's automotive and hardware offerings were phased out in the 1970s. Today, the family-owned and -operated company sells home furnishings, bedding, major appliances, and home electronics through some 35 retail stores, operating under the Lacks and Lacks Home Furnishings banners. Most of the company's stores are located throughout the state of Texas. Lack's operates one retail location in Duncan, Oklahoma.

L.L. Bean was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean and is controlled by his descendants. With L.L. Bean, you can tame the great outdoors -- or just look as if you could. The outdoor apparel and gear maker mails more than 200 million catalogs per year. L.L. Bean's library includes about 10 specialty catalogs offering products in categories such as children's clothing, fly-fishing, outerwear, sportswear, housewares, footwear, camping and hiking gear, and the Maine hunting shoe upon which L.L. Bean, Inc. was built. L.L. Bean also operates about 15 retail stores and an equal number of outlets throughout the Northeast, Illinois, and China. In addition, it sells online through English- and Japanese-language websites.

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