Founded in 1905 by George Ball, Ball Horticultural remains family owned. The Ball clan also owns W. Atlee Burpee, a major seed seller to home gardeners. Flower power still reigns at Ball Horticultural. One of the nation's largest sellers of commercial seed for flowers and ornamental crops, Ball Horticultural develops, produces, and distributes seeds, young plants, and cuttings to professional growers, landscapers, wholesalers, and retailers. It operates in more than 20 countries through subsidiaries and joint ventures, including PanAmerican Seed and Ball Seed. The firm sells through its own sales force and online. It also publishes FloraCulture International, Green Profit, and "GrowerTalks" magazines.

Molbak's, LLC company was founded by Danish immigrants Egon and Laina Molbak and is now owned by their son, Jens Molbak, who founded Coinstar in 1988. While Molbak might sound like something you'd want to get out of your garden, Molbak's is all about being in the garden. The company operates a nursery and gift shop in Washington that retails bulbs, garden and nursery plants, indoor plants, seeds, and other gardening-related products like statuary, outdoor furniture, floral arrangements, and gift items. It grows about 80% of its products on 36 acres near its headquarters and retail store. Molbak's also hosts horticultural classes and seminars and offers custom design services for parties or outdoor landscaping.

Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furnishings offers high-end furnishings in a variety of styles -- ranging from traditional to contemporary and from casual to refined -- for your living room, dining room, family room, bedroom, and home office. Gabberts' 63,000-square-foot store in Edina, Minnesota employs in-house interior designers, which it considers a competitive advantage. Founded in 1946 by Don Gabbert as a tire and appliance store, the company was owned and run by the Gabbert family until it was acquired by HOM Furniture in 2008. Gabberts' new owner continues to operate the business under the Gabberts banner.

Destination Maternity Corporation engages in the design and retail of maternity apparel. Destination Maternity Corporation offers casual and career wear, formal attire, lingerie, sportswear, and outerwear. As of September 30, 2009, Destination Maternity Corporation operated 1,084 retail locations, including 724 stores in 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Canada, and 360 leased departments located within department stores and baby specialty stores throughout the United States. It operates stores under Motherhood Maternity, A Pea in the Pod, and Destination Maternity brand names. Motherhood Maternity brand serves the value-priced portion of the maternity apparel industry; and stores are located in regional malls, strip and power centers, and central business districts. A Pea in the Pod brand serves both the medium-priced portion and the luxury portion of the maternity apparel business; and stores are located in regional malls, lifestyle centers, central business districts, and certain stand-alone stores in affluent street locations. Destination Maternity brand carries Motherhood and Pea merchandise; and stores are located in regional malls and lifestyle centers. Destination Maternity Corporation also sells its products on the Web through its DestinationMaternity.com and brand-specific Web sites. In addition, Destination Maternity Corporation offers Two Hearts Maternity by Destination Maternity collection at approximately 600 Sears and Kmart locations throughout the U.S. through a leased department relationship. Destination Maternity Corporation also distributes its Oh Baby by Motherhood collection through a licensed arrangement at Kohl's stores in the U.S. and on Kohls.com. Further, it has franchise and product supply relationships in India and the Middle East. Destination Maternity Corporation was formerly known as Mothers Work, Inc. and changed its name to Destination Maternity Corporation in December 2008. Destination Maternity Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Furnitureland South, Inc sells mid-priced to high-end furniture from more than 400 manufacturers. Its 70,000-square-foot Furnitureland Express showroom features several manufacturers including Stanley, Broyhill, and Natuzzi. The company also offers a print and online catalog. (A Catalog Showcase Gallery allows shoppers to stroll through the pages at its retail store.) Founded in 1969 by CEO Darrell Harris -- who delivered the furniture himself in those days -- the family-owned and run company is closed for business on Sundays.

Pamida Stores Operating Co. offers more small-town values than a bandwagon of Republicans on the campaign trail. The rural retailer operates 200-plus Pamida general merchandise discount stores in about 15 states, mostly in the Midwest. The stores are located in small towns (5,500 people, on average), most of which are not served by mass merchandisers, such as Wal-Mart. Pamida's stores sell brand-name and private-label apparel, jewelry, health and beauty aids, housewares, electronics, and lawn and garden supplies. Most stores also sell groceries and two-thirds have in-store pharmacies. Formerly a division of ShopKo Stores, Pamida and ShopKo are portfolio companies of private equity firm Sun Capital Partners.

Paragon Pharmacies was formed by a reverse merger with Rinoa Enterprises in 2008. Paragon Pharmacies harkens back to the ideal of an old-fashioned community drugstore -- albeit one with electronic refills that has its own Facebook page. The company operates about 18 retail pharmacies, three central fill pharmacies, and one home healthcare operation in Western Canada. The stores -- operating under the Paragon Community Pharmacy and Super Drug Mart brands -- are located in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba. Paragon also offers prescription services to assisted living and long-term care facilities through its Paragon Home Health brand.

R.C. Willey Home Furnishings drives traffic by giving away some 600,000 hot dogs a year at about a dozen stores in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. Despite Sunday store closures and operations in only four states, R.C. Willey is one of the nation's largest furniture retailers. Its offerings include furniture (La-Z-Boy, Flexsteel), appliances (GE, Maytag), electronics (Sony, Panasonic), and flooring. The firm also sells mattresses (Serta, Spring Air, Simmons). In 1932 Rufus Call (R.C.) Willey sold appliances door-to-door; today the company he founded is run by his son-in-law, chairman Bill Child, and grandsons. Berkshire Hathaway purchased the company in 1995.

Boyles Distinctive Furniture sells home furnishings through five locations, including a clearance outlet, in North Carolina and online. Customers can buy traditional wood, leather, and upholstered pieces from manufacturers such as Bernhardt, Hooker Furniture, Maitland-Smith, and Ralph Lauren. The company offers interior design support and nationwide delivery service. Internet shoppers can chat with store reps and get a quote via the retailer's Web site. Boyles' showrooms are distinctive as well, ranging from glass-fronted modern stores to shaker-style buildings. Founded in 1949, the company is part of the Hendricks Furniture Group, which filed for Chapter 11 in 2009.

Woolworths' 160-odd general merchandise discount stores operate under the Big W name. It also runs about 415 consumer electronics shops under the Dick Smith Electronics and Tandy brand names. The retailer's Taverner Hotel Group operates some 285 hotels.Chow Down Under with Australia's #1 food retailer (ahead of Coles) -- Woolworths (aka "Woolies"). The diversified retailer operates about 3,200 stores in Australia and New Zealand, including 975 supermarkets under the Woolworths, Safeway, Foodtown, and Countdown banners. It also operates BWS and Dan Murphy's liquor stores. In addition, Woolworths sells gasoline and leverages its distribution network to provide wholesale merchandise for third-party supermarkets.

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