Famed toy store FAO Schwarz is a kid pleaser, but as a business it's had its ups and downs. The oldest toy store in the US charms the young (and young at heart) at its landmark store on New York's Fifth Avenue where it sells unique, hard-to-find toys, such as life-size stuffed bears and $50,000 kid-size Ferraris. A major tourist attraction, it hosts more than 3 million visitors each year. Being a kid itself, FAO Schwarz has a sweet tooth, with its sweets shop called FAO Schweetz. After years of unprofitable expansion in an age where mass merchants, such as Wal-Mart, rule toy retailing, it's down to a single location, a catalog, and a website. Toy titan Toys "R" Us added FAO Schwarz to its toy chest in 2009.

Adventure 16, Inc. operates a chain of retail outdoor outfitters in Southern California. It has about half a dozen locations, plus a wholesale division that distributes accessories for backpacking, camping, climbing, and adventure travel. The company offers lifetime guarantees on all its private-label products. Its Web site offers resources, guides, and classes for outdoor journeys, a backpacker's checklist, an interactive map and reviews of recommended hikes, a gallery of adventure photos, and an outdoor blog written by staff. Adventure 16 was incorporated by Mic Mead in 1970.

For Douglas Holding, there is no scent sweeter than perfume. The retail conglomerate operates about 2,000 stores in some two dozen European countries and the US. It is a leading perfume retailer in Europe with more than 1,100 perfumeries (445 in its home market Germany). In addition to perfume, Douglas Holding sells skin care and cosmetic products. The company's other retail divisions include jewelry and watches (Christ, Rene Kern), fashion (AppelrathCupper and Pohland), books (Thalia and Internet book seller buch.de), and confectionery (Hussel). While about two-thirds of the group's sales originate in Germany, its non-German operations are driving growth.

IKON was acquired by Japan's Ricoh, a key supplier, in 2008 for $1.6 billion. IKON Office Solutions works to ensure that when it comes to buying business equipment, customers say, "I can and I will." A subsidiary of office equipment giant Ricoh, IKON sells and services its parent's brand of office equipment, including copiers, printers, scanners, fax machines, and more, throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. IKON Office Solutions, Inc. also offers such services as document management outsourcing, electronic file conversions, facilities management, and training. Customers are primarily large and small businesses and government agencies.

Aristocrat Motors operates a Kansas City showroom complete with parts and service departments. Online, customers can search inventory, look up Blue Book values, request price quotes and test drives, and apply for credit. Aristocrat Motors is owned by Detroit-based holding company Soave Enterprises.To find out what an aristocrat would drive, just visit the dealership! The company sells and services new and used vehicles from such refined brands as Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Saab. It also carries vehicles from mini-car maker smart

Michaels Stores is pretty crafty. The nation's #1 arts and crafts retailer owns and operates about 1,040 Michaels Stores canvassing the US and Canada. Michaels sells more than 40,000 products including art and hobby supplies, decor, frames, needlecraft kits, party supplies, seasonal products, and silk and dried flowers. Michaels also operates about 140 Aaron Brothers stores in California, Texas, and about half a dozen other states, which provide framing and art supplies. The retailer's Artistree subsidiary manufactures frames and molding for Michaels and Aaron Brothers stores. Michaels Stores was taken private in 2006 by the investment firms Bain Capital Partners and The Blackstone Group.

Aldeasa S.A. company is owned by Italy's Autogrill, which bought out its joint venture partner Altadis in April 2008. Aldeasa, Spain's #1 operator of duty-free shops, runs about 270 travel shops, gift boutiques, and outlets in museums, historic and cultural centers, and other tourist locations. Most of its stores are in Spain, but it also has operations in about a dozen other countries, including Portugal, Chile, Peru, and the US. Besides the usual tobacco and liquor products, Aldeasa sells cosmetics, watches, food, and more -- much of it brand names; it also sells online. Many of Aldeasa's stores were duty-free until the EU prohibited such trade for intra-European travel.

Contract Associates, Inc. was founded in 1988 by president and CEO Maria Griego-Raby. If you need furniture for your office, you can contact Contract. Contract Associates sells commercial and office furniture at two retail outlets located in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The company also manages a store in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Contract Associates sells office furniture, desks, filing systems, and flooring from Haworth, Intellaspace, Workrite, La-Z-Boy, and other major suppliers. It also offers space planning, installation, furniture brokerage, and project management services.

Henry Modell & Company sells sporting goods, fitness equipment, apparel (including local team apparel), and brand-name athletic footwear at more than 140 Modell's Sporting Goods stores in 10 East Coast states, the District of Columbia, and online. Best known for offering branded products at reasonable prices, Modell's stores are in malls, regional shopping centers, and busy urban areas, including Manhattan. Founded in 1889 by Hungarian immigrant Morris Modell (who first sold menswear from a Lower East Side pushcart in New York City), the chain is the oldest family-owned sporting goods retailer in the country; it is in its fourth generation of Modell management.

Dijon Limited was started in 1973 in a bedroom and garage by company director Diane Kirkness; she runs it with her two daughters. Dijon Limited, also known as The Original Dolls House Company, offers everything, including kitchen sinks, for the hobbyist to outfit dollhouses and miniature shops - even pubs - to the teeth. Its 1/12th-, 1/24th-, and 1/48th scaled items include handmade books that can be read with a magnifying glass, melted snowmen, kits for constructing dollhouses and miniature conservatories, electric wiring kits, and garden tools, along with play families and pets. Dijon Limited distributes to retailers throughout the UK, as well as by mail order and through the company's Web site.

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