The chain was co-founded in 1988 by Joe Barreiro and CEO Leonard Flax (and named after Flax's wife). Kate's Paperie believes the medium is the message. The luxury paper products retailer stocks some 4,000 papers from more than 40 countries, plus other items, including desk accessories, gift wrap, journals, organizers, photo albums and frames, stationery, and more than 1,500 ribbons from around the world. With five locations (one in Connecticut and four in New York City) and an e-commerce site, the upscale stationer carries designer brands such as Anna Griffin, Molly West, and Cavallini. Kate's also offers custom printing services, corporate purchase programs, and, of course, gift wrapping.

West Coast Paper was founded in 1930. West Coast Paper coasts along on a paper trail out West. West Coast Paper distributes an array of paper, including varieties of bond, uncoated book, carbonless, and cardboard, to commercial printers primarily in the Pacific Northwest. It also markets packaging (boxes, shrink films), janitorial supplies (soaps, dispensers), and food service products (disposable cups, plates). In addition to the graphic arts market, West Coast Paper serves customers in the health care, hospitality, freight, and manufacturing industries. The firm operates more than 10 locations in Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Its international sales group serves Pacific Rim countries.

Dijon Limited was started in 1973 in a bedroom and garage by company director Diane Kirkness; she runs it with her two daughters. Dijon Limited, also known as The Original Dolls House Company, offers everything, including kitchen sinks, for the hobbyist to outfit dollhouses and miniature shops - even pubs - to the teeth. Its 1/12th-, 1/24th-, and 1/48th scaled items include handmade books that can be read with a magnifying glass, melted snowmen, kits for constructing dollhouses and miniature conservatories, electric wiring kits, and garden tools, along with play families and pets. Dijon Limited distributes to retailers throughout the UK, as well as by mail order and through the company's Web site.

WH Smith PLC (known simply as "WHSmith") is one of the UK's largest book and magazine sellers. Its more than 570 high street stores sell reading materials, stationery, and movies. WHSmith also runs more than 515 travel shops in London and regional airports, railway stations, hospitals, and motorway service areas that offer selected newspapers, magazines, tobacco, and confectionery. Additionally, it operates the Internet site WHSmith Direct (the UK's second-largest online bookseller behind Amazon), and its Smiths News wholesale business is the largest magazine and newspaper distributor in the UK, supplying about 23,000 retailers daily.

JJB Sports can't help you with natural ability, but it sells just about everything else you need for sports. JJB, one of the UK's largest sporting goods chains, operates about 250 stores in England and Ireland, including superstores that feature such amenities as basketball courts. The shops offer apparel, footwear, bicycles, and golf gear, among other athletic equipment and accessories. The firm also runs a LifeStyle division, which operates the money-losing fashion footwear and apparel retailers Qube Footwear and the Original Shoe Company (OSC). The struggling Qube and OSC chains were placed into administration (the equivalent of bankruptcy in the US) in 2009.

The Bradford Exchange was founded by J. Roderick MacArthur in 1973. In need of a figurine to complete your latest collection? The Bradford Exchange can help. The company, doing business as CollectiblesToday.com, is the e-commerce arm of The Bradford Group, one of the world's largest trading centers for collectibles. The company also sells products of affiliated companies, including The Hamilton Collection (plates, dragon collectibles), Hawthorne Village (villages, trains), Ashton-Drake Galleries (dolls), and Ardleigh Elliot (music boxes), as well as Precious Moments decorations, Elvis memorabilia, personalized jewelry, and works from artists such as Norman Rockwell and Thomas Kinkade.

Flying Brands' company products are continually flying off the shelves. Flying Brands Limited company sells animal and bird feed, audio books, flowers, and other items through its mail-order operations. It operates under such names as Flying Flowers and Gardening Bird Supplies. Flying Brands Limited company was established in the 1980s as a carnation exporter and has expanded each year since then. Flying Brands owns UK greeting cards business Greetings Direct, as well. Flying Brands Limited company also operates retail websites for each of its subsidiaries, including Flowers Direct and Garden Centre Online. Flying Brands sold its Benham Collectibles business to The Stanley Gibbons Group in late 2010.

DSGE Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, buys and sells jewelry, bullion products, and rare coins in the United States. The company offers finished jewelry, gem stones, and gold jewelry components, and makes custom jewelry to order; and provides jewelry repair services. It also provides precious metals products, including the United States and other government coins, medallions, art bars, and trade unit bars; and makes pawn loans on the pledge of tangible personal property, primarily jewelry, as well as conducts regular online auctions. In addition, the company makes collateralized loans to individuals in the state of Texas. Further, DSGE Companies, Inc. operates a retail store under the name Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange. The company markets its products and services through its facilities in Dallas and Euless, Texas; Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina; and Woodland Hills, California, as well as through its Internet Web sites DGSE.com, CGDEinc.com, SGBH.com, SuperiorPreciousMetals.com, SuperiorEstateBuyers.com, USBullionExchange.com, Americangoldandsilverexchange.com, and FairchildWatches.com. It operates 8 primary Internet sites and approximately 900 related landing sites. The company serves individual consumers, dealers, and institutions. DSGE Companies, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

It's a good thing Marshall of Cambridge is headquartered at that city's airport, because it needs a hangar-sized container to hold all of its businesses. Among the largest privately held entities in the UK, the Marshall Group comprises several operating subsidiaries. Marshall Aerospace designs, develops, and converts military, civil, and general aircraft, while Marshall Motor Group includes auto dealerships. Marshall Specialist Vehicles designs and supplies specialized commercial vehicles for the military and medical markets. The Marshall Group was founded by David Gregory Marshal in 1909 as a chauffeur drive company; his grandson Michael is now Chairman and CEO.

The Booksource Inc. company sells new hardcover and paperback books to school libraries and classrooms across the US. It's part of a growing trend to place small libraries in classrooms to encourage kids to pick up a book and read. Booksource also owns San Val, which operates two binderies that turn paperback books into hardcovers for use in schools and public libraries. Its Peaceable Kingdom Press makes cards, calendars, posters, and other paper products for kids that are sold in book and toy stores worldwide. The firm is owned by founder Sandy Jaffe and his children Neil (president), Gary (COO), and Donna (head of Peaceable Kingdom).

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