Bare Escentuals sells its products in the US through about 120 company-owned shops, 870 beauty product retailers, and 1,470 spas and salons. It also boasts distributors in Canada, Japan, and the UK and other European countries. Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido acquired Bare Escentuals for $1.7 billion in 2010. When it comes to keeping its customers looking naturally pretty, Bare Escentuals has a mineral interest. The company, which rolled out its bareMinerals makeup brand in 1976 along with its first retail shop, develops, markets, and sells natural cosmetics, skin care, and body care items. Brand names include bareMinerals, Buxom, md formulations, RareMinerals, and its namesake line.

Ryman is owned by chairman Theo Paphitis, who purchased the company in 1995. Ryman thinks that if you really want to inject something inspired and clever into your love letters, you'd better sit down and write them using the proper equipment. Ryman Limited, better known by its retail brand, Ryman the stationer, sells office supplies through about 100 stores throughout the UK. Its products include paper and envelopes, writing instruments and desk accessories, and filing and storage items. Ryman also sells office equipment that will help you with your earlier letter drafts, such as printers, fax machines, shredders, and laminating equipment, as well as calculators, typewriters, and mobile phones.

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.

CEO Sharon DiMinico founded Learning Express, Inc. in 1987. For kids (and parents) who want to get on board the educational entertainment train, Learning Express is the first stop. The specialty toy store franchiser has more than 100 locations in about 25 states. It sell toys for every age group with a focus on educational items. Major brands include Alex Toys (craft kits), Calico Critters (animal figures), Groovy Girls (dolls and accessories), Rokenbok (remote controlled vehicles and construction sets), and Thomas the Tank (wooden train sets and construction toys). It offerings are designed to spark creativity, teach diversity, and encourage development.

Founded as Noah's Ark in 1760 by William Hamley, the store is known for its vast selection of high quality toys, which it also sells worldwide online and by catalog. In addition to its Regent Street flagship store, Hamleys operates about 15 other toy shops, including about a half dozen inside House of Fraser department stores, several at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, and three shops in Denmark. The UK investment arm of Iceland's Baugur Group owns a 64% stake in Hamleys. What is seven stories tall and full of toys? That would be Hamleys toy store, one of London's most enduring and playful attractions. Hamleys has been located on Regent Street since 1881.

Tattered Cover Book Store, an independent seller of new books in Denver. Tattered Cover stocks some half a million titles in three locations: inside the Lowenstein Theater on Colfax Avenue, historic lower downtown (LoDo) Denver, and suburb Highlands Ranch. Each store encourages customers to linger by offering overstuffed chairs and reading lamps. Tattered Cover attracts customers with activities such as book groups for adults and children and author readings and signings. The company was founded by owner and CEO Joyce Meskis, a former librarian, in 1974.

Established in 1973, PartyLite has been owned by Blyth since 1990. It's tough to make money by selling ambience, but PartyLite Worldwide pulls it off. The company sells candles, incense, diffusers, sachets, bath products, and decorative accessories for the home through more than 65,000 independent consultants in about a dozen markets worldwide, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Mexico, the US, and the UK. It also markets breads, cheeses, desserts, sauces, and other snack foods under the Two Sisters Gourmet brand. Consultants sell PartyLite's products through home parties held by hostesses and via personalized e-commerce sites.

Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) can prepare you for a life of climb. EMS sells a wide range of outdoor gear, apparel, footwear, and accessories from about 65 stores in a dozen East Coast states from Maine to Virginia and on its website. Outdoor enthusiasts can purchase or rent tents, sleeping bags, and other equipment -- choosing from brands such as Patagonia, Columbia, The North Face, and Teva. The retailer's own EMS branded products account for more than a third of sales. EMS offers outdoor skills clinics, provides guides for hire, and arranges day and overnight trips. It also operates climbing and kayaking schools. EMS was founded in 1967 by two New England rock climbers.

Creative Office Interiors was founded in 1986. The artists at Creative Office Interiors use office furniture, cubicles, and filing cabinets as their medium. The company, commonly known as Creative Office Pavilion (COP), is a furniture and flooring dealer servicing the New England area from about 10 offices in five states. It offers a large line of desks, walls, seating options, and floor coverings from Herman Miller, Falcon, La-Z-Boy, and Armstrong, among others. COP also provides furniture reconditioning, interior design services, delivery, and installation. Visitors to the company's Web site can use its online tools to estimate a project's time and budget requirements.

Goldsmiths doesn't necessarily turn raw materials into gleaming baubles, but it does deal with the goldsmith's end result: jewelry. The firm, which was founded in 1778 and is the UK's #2 jewelry chain (behind Signet Jewelers' H Samuel) operates about 160 stores. Keeping up with the times, Goldsmiths also sells jewelry online. The chain was the country's first authorized Rolex merchant, and remains a top dealer of Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer, and other watch brands. Goldsmiths is 70% owned owned by Aurum Holdings, which also owns the Mappin & Webb chain of jewelry shops. Goldsmiths' previous owner, Iceland's Baugur Group, acquired Goldsmiths in 2004 and later bought Mappin & Webb to form Aurum Holdings.

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