The Contender Entertainment Group (CEG), which was acquired by Entertainment One in mid-2007, is a home video distributor and book publisher focusing on children's entertainment and television classics. The company is quite the contender, too. It was established in 1994, began trading in 1995, and a decade later is the largest independent distributor of DVDs and videos in the country. Products include special interest films such as cult classics, animated children's features, fitness videos, Asian films, and classic television series. All videos and DVDs are distributed within the UK.

Lipsey's fancies itself a bit of a hot shot. The company distributes firearms to federally licensed dealers nationwide. It sells regular, lefty, and youth models of shotguns, handguns, rifles, and revolvers by manufacturers that include Beretta, Browning, Glock, North American Arms, Ruger, and Winchester. Lipsey's also carries ammunition, scopes, binoculars, holsters, and other accessories. The company also sells guns made exclusively for the company. Lipsey's was founded in 1953 as S & S Wholesale Sporting Goods and was purchased by the Lipsey family, including chairman and CEO Richard Lipsey, in 1977.

The Birthdays concept was later launched in 1986. Clinton Cards purchased its rival Birthdays in 2004 and runs the unit as a separate business. Amid economic turmoil and slowed consumer spending, however, Birthdays collapsed into administration (the equivalent of bankruptcy in the US) in 2009. You say it's your birthday? Well, your friends better run to a Birthdays store for those cards! The company operates about 200 (down from more than 400) Birthdays stores in the UK and Ireland offering discount greeting cards and party supplies for every occasion. Founded in 1966 as Ron Wood Greeting Cards, the company was originally a distributor of cards and gift wrap until the mid-1970s when it opened three card shops.

AFD Contract Furniture Inc. was founded in 1980. AFD Contract Furniture helps businesses keep its workers seated and productive. The company distributes desks, seating, storage items, tables, and other office furnishings throughout the US. Its inventory includes products made by such manufacturers as American Seating, KI, Kimball, La-Z-Boy, and Steelcase. The firm also provides and manages space planning, furniture maintenance, project and asset management, and delivery and installation services. In addition to its New York headquarters, AFD Contract Furniture conducts its operations in California, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico.

Gold Crest Distributing was founded in 1995 by its president Mel Toellner. Gold Crest Distributing boasts a good-as-gold guarantee. Gold Crest Distributing, LLC sells some 5,000 backyard nature and bird items, including bird seed, feeders, baths, Purple Martin houses, and accessories to wholesale and retail businesses nationwide. The company has been expanding its product line to include gifts, pet products, and seasonal items. Gold Crest distributes bird supplies to some 1,900 retail stores throughout the US and Canada. Gold Crest Distributing, LLC also operates two Songbird Station stores in Missouri and an online store.

Timberlane, Inc. was founded in 1996. Customers shudder at the beauty of their shutters. Timberlane Woodcrafters manufactures custom-made exterior and interior wooden shutters. Its shutters are all crafted from western red cedar and come in authentic Cape Cod, Colonial, Federal, Greek, Mediterranean, and Victorian designs, to name a few. In an effort to ensure historical accuracy, the company employs blacksmiths to craft hand-forged, wrought iron hardware for use on their shutters. Timberlane sells directly to the individual consumers through catalogs and the company Web site, which also offers customers a shutter design tool and an online quote request form.

FMG was founded in 1981. Furniture Marketing Group (FMG) does what it says it does. Furniture Marketing Group, Inc. supplies businesses with desks, tables, seating, file cabinets, shelves, and other office interior products. In addition, FMG installs furniture and office systems, offers space planning and reconfiguration services, and project management. Furniture Marketing Group, Inc. serves clients in the biotechnology, health care, hospitality, education, and commercial markets, as well as government agencies. It operates three showrooms in Texas and has offices in the US, the UK, Australia, and India.

Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) operates more than 15 Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) stores located on bases on the East and West Coast and in Hawaii and Japan. MCX outlets offer a full line of retail products to active duty Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, their family members, and retirees. Other services provided by the MCCS include restaurants, temporary lodging, golf courses, and travel services. A proposal made by the The Bush Administration to merge the Marine Corps Exchange with its sister service counterparts -- the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and the Navy Exchange Service Command -- has been scrapped.

Founded in 1937 with a $35 investment, Stuckey's operated more than 350 stores at its zenith in the 1970s. The Stuckey family, including Bill Stuckey (chairman and son of the founder), is the company's majority owner. Once as integral to a road trip as the destination, Stuckey's owns or franchises about 175 stores located along interstates in some 20 US states, mostly in the Southeast. Its store concepts include the traditional blue-roofed stand-alone locations and Stuckey's Express, in which a Stuckey's outlet is located inside other convenience stores and travel centers. Stuckey's sells primarily candy (taffy, peanut brittle, and its famous pecan logs) and souvenirs (T-shirts, postcards, and trinkets).

Aaron Brothers has its hand in custom-framing and crafting. Aaron Brothers, Inc. opened its first shop in Los Angeles in 1946; today it operates some 150 stores in about 10 states. Its stores are located mostly in Texas and in the western US, but also reach to Georgia and Virginia. Aaron Brothers stores offer ready-made frames and mattes, art supplies, and custom framing services. A subsidiary of big brother hobby-retailer Michaels Stores, Aaron Brothers stores average about 5,600 sq. ft. and offer its customers some 7,100 products. Parent company Michaels Stores was taken private in 2006 by a pair of private equity firms (Bain Capital Partners and The Blackstone Group).

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