SmartBargains is looking smarter and smarter as it develops into a full-blown electronic clearing house. Started in 2000 as an offshoot of liquidator Gordon Brothers Group, SmartBargains is a giant electronic bargain bin, offering such items as apparel, bedding, home decor, and luggage, at grossly reduced rates, often at costs up to 75% lower than retail. One of the few survivors of the dot-com bubble burst and operating only through its website, the company is a clearing house for closeouts and odd lots. SmartBargains is a division of Retail Convergence, which was acquired by e-commerce powerhouse GSI Commerce in late 2009.

In 1974 our business opened its doors as Metro Builders Supply with the first appliance showroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 36 years later, Metro is now the largest appliance dealer in the Midwest. January 1, 2010 we changed our name to Metro Appliances & More to better reflect that selling appliances is the very core of our business. With 11 stores in five states, Metro has the buying power to offer the lowest possible price on more than 40 major brands of appliances. Whether you are a builder, contractor or homeowner, Metro has the product to meet your needs and your budget. Each of our locations provides an extensive display of products, many showcased in kitchen cabinetry. Our employee-owned company prides itself with expert salespeople who offer years of appliance sales experience and extraordinary customer service. Our showrooms in Springfield, MO and Oklahoma City, OK offer extensive lighting departments, as well. The largest selection at the lowest possible price...experience Metro.

The Kitchen Collection, Inc. sells discounted cookware, bakeware, small appliances, cooking tools and gadgets, kitchen products seen on TV, and decorative items through more than 295 Kitchen Collection and Le Gourmet Chef stores in 40-plus states, as well as on its website. It stocks both private-label and brand-name merchandise (including the Hamilton Beach line owned by The Kitchen Collection's parent, NACCO Industries). The company's stores are primarily located in factory outlet malls nationwide.

Founded in 1885, the company is employee-owned. E. C. Barton & Company has the goods if you are expecting visitors at your house and need to add on. The firm, a member of industry cooperative Do It Best, sells lumber and building materials through some 125 locations throughout Texas as well as a dozen other states in the Southeast and the Northeast. Its divisions include Barton's, Builders Material Company, E.C.B. Brokerage and Surplus Purchasing, Surplus Warehouse, and Grossman's Bargain Outlet. E. C. Barton also manages an e-commerce site. Professional builders and remodelers generate most of its revenue.

The Athlete's Foot® is the world's first franchisor of athletic footwear stores and is recognized today as the world leader in athletic footwear franchising. Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's Foot® store in 1971 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first athletic footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. Soon thereafter, The Athlete's Foot® began franchising domestically, with the first franchise store opening in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The first international franchise store opened in 1978 in Adelaide, Australia, the beginning of The Athlete's Foot® expansion into over 40 countries.

OrePac company was founded in 1977 by president Glenn Hart. What's best for OrePac is western home centers. The company distributes lumber and building materials to retail lumberyards, home improvement stores, and door and manufactured-home plants, primarily in the western US. OrePac operates about 10 branches in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. In addition, the company's distribution zone includes Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Products include finished lumber, millwork, molding, roofing, and siding. OrePac also exports lumber and specialty building products to international customers.

Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg founded the employee-owned firm in 1930. It takes its name from a combination of its founders' names.Give Hy-Vee a high five for being one of the largest privately owned US supermarket chains, despite serving some modestly sized towns in the Midwest. The company runs more than 200 Hy-Vee supermarkets in eight Midwestern states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. About half of its stores are in Iowa, as are most of its two dozen Hy-Vee drugstores. It distributes products to its stores through several subsidiaries, including Lomar Distributing (specialty foods) and Perishable Distributors of Iowa (fresh foods).

PriceSmart is wise in the ways of members-only club retailing. The retailer runs more than 25 membership stores under the PriceSmart name in about a dozen countries and one US territory in Central America and the Caribbean. It sells low-cost food, pharmacy, and basic consumer items. In each store, nearly half of the merchandise comes from the US, and the other half is sourced locally. In-store services include auto/tire centers, banking, and photo developing. PriceSmart stores are typically smaller than wholesale clubs in the US, averaging about 50,000-75,000 sq. ft., and the membership fees average about $25. PriceSmart was founded in 1976 by father-and-son team Sol and Robert Price.

Agri-Starts was founded in 1984 by owners Randall Strode and Gerri Abner. Agri-Starts produces and wholesales tissue culture liners and micro cuttings. Put more simply, the company clones plants. The cloning process begins with a single growing tip cut from a plant. From this cut thousands of small plants are grown on a gelled nutrient-rich medium with growth regulators in a temperature- and light-controlled environment. Once the plants are large enough to harvest, Agri-Starts sells them as liners in cell packs to nurseries worldwide. The company maintains about 1,300 plant varieties, and its specialties include elephant ears, bananas, blueberries, and coleus plants.

Stage Stores, Inc. operates as a specialty department store retailer in the United States. It offers brand name and private label apparel, accessories, cosmetics, and footwear, as well as sportswear, dresses, intimates, home and gift products, outerwear, swimwear, and other products for women, men, and children. It primarily focuses on consumers in small and mid-sized markets. As of January 30, 2010, the company operated 758 stores in 39 states under the names of Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles, and Stage. Stage Stores, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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