Current USA is a leading direct marketer of greeting cards and gift wrap, scrapbooking supplies, stationery, and home decorating items. It sells under the brands Times to Cherish (scrapbooking supplies), Colorful Images (personalized address labels and other paper products), Lillian Vernon (gifts and home decor), and, of course, Current. The company also operates an outlet store in Colorado and a fundraising business that lets not-for-profit groups sell its products and share the proceeds. Founded in the 1950s, Current USA was initially run out of the basement of founders Orin and Miriam Loo. The company, which was family owned and operated until 1986, is a subsidiary of printing giant Taylor.

Aaron Brothers has its hand in custom-framing and crafting. Aaron Brothers, Inc. opened its first shop in Los Angeles in 1946; today it operates some 150 stores in about 10 states. Its stores are located mostly in Texas and in the western US, but also reach to Georgia and Virginia. Aaron Brothers stores offer ready-made frames and mattes, art supplies, and custom framing services. A subsidiary of big brother hobby-retailer Michaels Stores, Aaron Brothers stores average about 5,600 sq. ft. and offer its customers some 7,100 products. Parent company Michaels Stores was taken private in 2006 by a pair of private equity firms (Bain Capital Partners and The Blackstone Group).

Fletcher Jones Management Group holds the title as the US's top Mercedes seller. It rolls out Benzes from a 225,000-sq.-ft. superstore in Las Vegas; a 186,000-sq-ft. store in Newport Beach, California; a dealership in Chicago; and another in Honolulu. Fletcher Jones also operates another dealership in Chicago, five more in Hawaii, an another two in California, two more in Las Vegas, and one in Reno, Nevada, selling cars from Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen. The company is owned by president and CEO Fletcher Jones Jr., whose father started it in 1954 with one Los Angeles dealership.

Star Gas Partners, L.P. operates as a home heating oil distributor and services provider in the United States. It provides its services to residential and commercial customers to heat their homes and buildings. As of September 30, 2009, the company sold home heating oil to approximately 374,000 full service residential and commercial home heating oil customers and propane to approximately 7,000 propane customers. It also sells home heating oil, gasoline and diesel fuel to approximately 34,000 customers. In addition, Star Gas Partners installs, maintains, and repairs heating and air conditioning equipment, as well as provides ancillary home services, including home security and plumbing to approximately 11,000 customers. Kestrel Heat, LLC operates as the general partner of the company. Star Gas Partners was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

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.

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.

Timberlane, Inc. was founded in 1996. Customers shudder at the beauty of their shutters. Timberlane Woodcrafters manufactures custom-made exterior and interior wooden shutters. Its shutters are all crafted from western red cedar and come in authentic Cape Cod, Colonial, Federal, Greek, Mediterranean, and Victorian designs, to name a few. In an effort to ensure historical accuracy, the company employs blacksmiths to craft hand-forged, wrought iron hardware for use on their shutters. Timberlane sells directly to the individual consumers through catalogs and the company Web site, which also offers customers a shutter design tool and an online quote request form.

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.

Founded in 2001, Floor and Decor Outlets of America, Inc. company has ambitious plans to equal the market share of big-box rivals Home Depot and Lowe's in its markets. Floor and Decor Outlets of America is cashing in on the home improvement craze. The hard-surface flooring and accessories retailer operates 20-plus stores in half a dozen states, including California, Florida, and Texas. Floor and Decor Outlets of America, Inc. stocks a selection of hardwood floors, flooring tiles (ceramic, granite, marble, porcelain, slate, travertine), decorative bathroom items (sinks, glass and wall tiles), and the tools necessary to perform flooring jobs (grout, mouldings, wet saws). By bypassing distributors, Floor and Decor can offer its products at 20% to 50% less than its competition.

Cole's was founded in 1986. Cole Office Products challenges the idea that big-box stores have the lowest prices. The independent retailer distributes about 3,000 workplace essentials, including business cards, forms, filler paper, writing implements, computer peripherals, office furniture, and maintenance and break room supplies. It features products from such makers as Avery, Safco, and Xerox. Orders can be placed by phone, fax, or through Cole's e-commerce site. As a veteran-owned small business, Cole Office Products, Inc. is an authorized supplier for the government.

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