Founded in 1932, the firm is majority owned by private equity firm The Carlyle Group. Brentwood Associates owns about a 25% stake. Oriental Trading Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010 and is reorganizing. Party planners don't have to travel to stock up at Oriental Trading Company. The company sells more than 30,000 products, including party supplies, toys and novelties, arts and crafts, and home decor through its websites and catalogs. It mails about 300 million copies of its seasonal catalogs, which include such titles as Oriental Trading Company, Terry's Village, Crafts, Hands on Fun, and Inspirations. Oriental Trading supplies carnivals, schools, churches, nonprofits, and businesses.

Noevir Holding of America operates Noevir USA and Noevir Canada, which distribute personal care products, such as cosmetics and skin care, formulated from natural ingredients. It also sells products for hair care, body care, and nutrition such as herbal teas and spirulina. Brand names include Noevir 505 and Noevir 99, which are sold by the company's independent sales consultants as well as in stores and online. Noevir's products are developed at about a dozen research centers in Japan and the US. The firm is a subsidiary of Japan's Noevir Co. Ltd., which imported aircraft parts when it was first founded in 1964. Noevir began operating in the US in 1979.

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.

MBS Textbook Exchange gives college kids around the country some spending cash at the end of every semester. In addition to distributing new and used textbooks to more than 4,000 colleges and universities nationwide, the company also develops and sells the systems that enable bookstores to sell books and buy them back. MBS is organized into MBS Wholesale, MBS Direct, and MBS Systems. The wholesale division supplies campus bookstores, while the direct division provides books to private K-12 schools, vocational schools, teaching hospitals, and community colleges. The company was founded in 1909 as The Missouri Store Company and became MBS Textbook Exchange in 1980.

Desert Sun Motors Inc sells new Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Toyota brand vehicles. And of course, it sells used cars, provides parts and annual service, and operates a quick lube center. The dealership has three locations in New Mexico -- one in Roswell and two in Alamogordo. The Desert Sun Motors Web site allows customers to view featured vehicles and Internet specials, print out service coupons, search the inventory, and make reservations for a test drive. Founder Bobby Martinez owns the company.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a gift retailer in the United States. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. provides a range of products, including fresh-cut flowers, floral arrangements and plants, gifts, popcorn, gourmet foods, cookies, chocolates, and wines. It offers its products through the Internet, company-owned and operated retail floral stores, and franchised stores. As of June 28, 2009, the company operated 2 floral retail stores located in New York, 1 fulfillment center, and 104 franchised stores primarily located in California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. It has online relationships with AOL, Yahoo!, Microsoft, and Google. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Carle Place, New York.

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.

Hicks may be in the sticks, but it has the supplies sporting goods retailers need. The company distributes marine, fishing, hunting, archery, and other outdoor products to retailers nationwide. Its bi-annual trade shows draw more than 1,500 retailers nationwide to look at boats, guns, fishing tackle, bows, arrows, and other recreational goodies. The company carries more than 30,000 items from 700 vendors and sells through a B2B site, as well. Hicks was founded in the early 1900s and has been family owned and run since. Third- and fourth-generation family members hold the chairman and CFO (John M. Wise) and president and CEO (John M. Wise, Jr.) positions.

Founded in 1978, Aloette is part of Astral Health & Beauty, which also makes and markets the Pur Minerals and CosMedix skin care brands. Since hiring a new CEO in 2009, Astral and its investors are looking to expand Aloette and its sister brands. Aloette Cosmetics loves a good party. Best known for selling aloe vera-based skin care products, Aloette also markets cosmetics, fragrances, and other personal care items. The company's products are sold mainly through home parties held by Aloette's direct-sales network of more than 10,000 consultants in some 40 franchises across the US and Canada. Aloette also markets its goods through a website, catalog, and on television shopping channels.

Tejas Office Products, founded in 1962, is owned by the Fraga family. Houston-based Tejas Office Products distributes office products throughout the US. Tejas Office Products, Inc. offers a huge portfolio of products from such manufacturers as 3M, Crayola (formerly Binney & Smith), Imation, Fellowes, Hewlett Packard, and Nu-Kote International. Tejas Office Products sells more than 10,000 items including furniture, paper products, desk supplies, computer accessories, and office electronics. Tejas Office Products, Inc. distributes its goods from a 25,999-sq.-ft. warehouse located in the downtown area.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.