Blackwell UK (known as Blackwell's) operates about 50 bookshops throughout the UK under the Blackwell's and Heffers names, as well as Blackwell's Online Bookshop. Blackwell's Book Services (headquartered in the US, with offices in the UK) supplies books and bibliographic products to some 3,500 research, academic, and specialty libraries around the world. The original B.H. Blackwell's store was opened in Oxford on New Year's Day 1879, and today it is one of the company's flagship locations. The Blackwell family still owns and runs Blackwell's. The family also owns academic publisher Blackwell Publishing.

Alliance Entertainment, LLC distributes music and video CDs, DVDs, games, and related products to some 3,000 merchants, including Target, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, and Borders, as well as Internet retailers such as Amazon.com. Alliance also provides fulfillment, e-commerce, and related support services through its AEC Direct division. Its NCircle Entertainment unit licenses and distributes family entertainment titles based on such characters as Super Mario Bros. and My Little Pony. Alliance Entertainment was founded in 1990. Today it is owned by investment firms Platinum Equity and The Gores Group.

Union Diamond Corporation continues to add twinkle to its sparkling reputation. Union Diamond Corporation sells wholesale and retail loose diamonds, pre-made and custom-made jewelry, and watches through its Web site and through a flagship showroom in Atlanta, Georgia. All products are distributed from one location. Prices range from $300 to $500,000, with some items topping $1 million. Customer service includes education by live diamond experts offering telephone consultations-- including advice from diamond industry veterans president and CEO Scott Anderson and COO Tony Rixom. The same pair owns Union Diamond Corporation company.

Kuni Automotive has the right wheels for the Left Coast. The auto group annually sells new BMW, Buick, Honda, Land Rover, Lexus, Smart, and Volkswagen cars at about eight dealerships in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. The dealership group also sells used cars. Kuni Automotive's dealerships provide parts and services, and some of them also perform collision repair. On the group's Web site, car shoppers can browse for new and used offerings, order parts, schedule service, or apply for financing. With Burt Automotive, Kuni operates Burt-Kuni Honda near Denver, Colorado.

Golfsmith International caters to country club sports fans. Through its catalogs, website, and more than 70 stores in about 20 states, the company sells golf and tennis equipment, apparel, and accessories from major makers (such as TaylorMade-adidas, Callaway, Mizuno, and Nike) and its own brands (Golfsmith, Clubmaker, Killer Bee, J.G. Hickory, Lynx, and ZTech, among others). It also teaches golfers to assemble their own clubs, and offers custom fitting and repair services for clubs and racquets. In addition to its retail operations, Golfsmith runs the Harvey Penick Golf Academy, an instructional school for golfers in Texas. The company was founded in 1967 as a mail-order seller of custom-made golf clubs.

Bookazine Company, Inc. is an independent wholesale distributor of books and magazines, working with more than 25,000 publishers across the globe. In addition to its range of best sellers and new releases, Bookazine specializes in children's books, small press titles, regional publications, graphic novels and manga, gay and lesbian books, and periodicals. Clients have included major retailers (F.Y.E., Sam Goody), airport newsstands, and independent bookstores in the US and abroad. Bookazine was founded in 1929 by Ruwin and Jacob Kallman and has been family run for three generations. Today Robert and Richard Kallman lead the company as CEO and EVP, respectively.

Lakeshore Equipment Company aims to make learning fun. Through about 50 Lakeshore Learning Stores in two dozen states, Lakeshore Equipment company sells educational toys and classroom tools, including art supplies, games, learning kits, textbooks, and teacher resource packets. It also offers products that address multicultural learning environments and special needs children, as well as in-store teacher workshops. In addition to its store network, Lakeshore Equipment markets learning materials via its two mail-order catalogs and website. Ethelyn Kaplan founded Lakeshore Equipment company in 1954. Today it is run by her son Michael (chairman) and grandsons Bo (president and CEO) and Josh (VP of Merchandising).

CD Warehouse franchises (mostly) and owns music stores that sell, trade, and buy new and used CDs. The company sells through about 150 CD Warehouse, CD Exchange, Music Trader, and Disc Go Round stores located in more than 35 states. The company also has stores in Canada, Guatemala, France, Thailand, the UK, and Venezuela. Most stores are in strip shopping centers and offer between 10,000 and 16,000 CDs. The majority of sales are from used CDs; the company also sells DVDs, posters, and T-shirts. CD Warehouse is owned by Magnolia Entertainment.

Beauty Brands, Inc. was founded in 1995 by Bob Bernstein, who remains CEO of the Beauty Brands organization. Beauty Brands has built a business that offers its customers one-stop shopping and nonstop primping. The company combines its retail superstores (which measure between 5,000 and 9,000 sq. ft.) with full-service salons and spas. Beauty Brands operates more than 50 locations in about a dozen US states. In addition to selling more than 10,000 top salon products, Beauty Brands offers some 30 services including facials, haircuts and highlights, hair removal, manicures and pedicures, special occasion makeup and hair styling, children's hair cuts, and massage therapy.

Maurice Sporting Goods, Inc. company is a wholesale supplier of athletics, boating, camping, fishing, and hunting gear to both domestic and international retailers and mass merchandisers. It operates about five warehouses in the US and Canada that supply The Sports Authority, Kmart, Modell's, and Wal-Mart, among others. Maurice Sporting Goods also provides inventory management and promotional planning services. The company was founded as a sporting goods store by Maurice and Mae Olshansky in 1923. It is still family owned.

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