1715 - Silvanus Bevan established Plough Court Pharmacy off Lombard Street, London; Timothy Bevan took over, after his father's retirement; 1792 - William Allen became clerk; 1795 made partner; Bevan passed company to Samuel Mildred and William Allen, renamed Mildred and Allen; 1797 - Allen became sole owner; Luke Howard joined company, became known as Allen and Howard; 1806 - Allen and Howard separated business interests; company renamed William Allen & Co.; 1808 - Daniel Hanbury joined pharmacy (sponsored by his uncle, William Allen); 1824 - made partner; name changed to Allen, Hanbury's and Barry; 1868 - Daniel and Cornelius Hanbury (cousins) became the two active partners in Allen & Hanbury's (on retirement of Daniel's father; renamed Allen and Hanburys; 1958 - acquired by Glaxo

1820s - Alexander Annin made signal flags for sailing ships in a sail loft in downtown New York City; 1847 - Annin's sons, Edward and Benjamin, incorporated Annin & Co.; oldest and largest manufacturer of flags in the United States; official flag manufacturer to the United Nations.

1830 - James Smith founded James Smith and Sons at Foubert Street in London's West End; 1857 - moved business to New Oxford Street (remains there today, retains original fittings); home of the London umbrella; leading umbrella company, first name in sticks and canes; still family owned.

1839 - Wesleyan minister opened his living room to his congregation in Halifax, NS so they could buy books; 1925 - became Ryerson Press Book Room; 1949 - fire; Charles Burchell rallied local businessmen, reopened store; 1966 - Charles Burchell (son) joined store; March 2008 - closed, couldn't compete with big box bookstores (huge inventories, deep discounts), ease of ordering books online, competition from book selling pharmacies and grocery stores, pressure to lower prices to reflect stronger Canadian dollar (higher selling prices in Canada than in United States); Canada's oldest trade bookstore.

February 1847 - William Orgill and RT Lamb established Orgill Brothers & Co. in Memphis, TN; largest independent hardware distributor in U.S.; oldest business in Memphis still owned by same family.

1849 - John Boot opened The British and American Botanic Establishment in Goose Gate, Nottingham, UK (small shop sold herbal remedies, medicines made from plants); 1871 - Jesse Boot (21) made partner, renamed ‘Mary & Jesse Boot' – Herbalists; 1877 - name changed to 'M & J Boot’; 1883 - name changed to ‘Boot and Company Limited’; 1884 - opened first shop outside Nottingham (in Sheffield); 1913 - 560 shops around the country; 1920 - acquired by acquired by Louis K. Liggett (United Drug Company) for $10 million; 1927 - John Boot (Jesse’s son)  became chairman of Boots division; 1933 - 1,000th Boots store opened in Galashiels, Scotland; acquired by group of British financiers for just over $32 million; John Boot chairman and managing director; 1938 - group of retail pharmacists in London formed UniChem group; initial business of wholesaling pharmaceutical products to independent pharmacists; 1968 - Boots acquired Timothy Whites and Taylors Ltd chain (622 stores); 1997 - Alliance UniChem Group when UniChem PLC ("UniChem") merged with Alliance Santé S.A. ("Alliance Santé" - from Alliance Santé Participations S.A., indirectly owned by Stefano Pessina); July 31, 2006 - in £7 billion pound merger Boots Group PLC and Alliance UniChem plc formed Alliance Boots, Europe’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty group.

September 19, 1849 - First commercial laundry established in Oakland, CA.

1851 - John Kiehl established old-world apothecary in New York’s East Village neighborhood; offered homeopathic, herbal remedies, essential oils, over the-counter drugs, first Kiehl’s brand products; October 23, 1990 - Kiehl's Since 1851, Inc. registered "Kiehl's" trademark first used in 1959 (skin care products).

1851 - Bavarian publisher and book dealer, Anton Roman,  struck gold in Shasta City, CA; established bookstore on Montgomery Street, San Francisco; moved, bought, sold, burned, rebuilt; July 1868 - launched Overland Monthly (Bret Harte, editor), regional literary magazine (West Coast's Atlantic Monthly) with advertising, original news, fiction, poetry by Western writers only (early circulation of 3,000); 1946 - renamed Books Inc. by Lew Lengfeld; early 1970s - 26 stores along West Coast; 1996 - Lengfeld died, left company (2 stores) to employees; filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in effort to restructure, save company; August 1997 - emerged from Chapter 11, under ownership of Michael Grant, Michael Tucker (4 stores); 1998 - added 5th store; 2007 - 11 stores, over 200 employees; West's oldest independent bookseller.

1852 - George C. Shreve, nephew Samuel S. Shreve opened small jewelry shop, The Shreve Jewelry Store, on Montgomery Street in San Francisco, CA; sold wide range of European fancy goods, California-manufactured jewelry; launched design, manufacture of fine quality silver; September 1857 - renamed Geo. C. Shreve & Co. (Samuel lost at sea on board steamship Central America during hurricane); 1881 - opened jewelry-making factory; 1894 - incorporated as Shreve & Co., George Rodman (George Shreve's son) as president, partner Albert J. Lewis (since 1881) as majority stockholder; 1912 - acquired by George Lewis (Albert's son); 1948 - acquired by Hickingbotham family; 1967 - acquired by Dayton-Hudson Corporation.

1853 - Francois Goyard succeeded Monsieur Morel (La Maison Goyard); 1885 - company renamed E. Goyard Aine ("E" for Edmond, son) at 233 Rue St. Honore; December 3, 1931 - received French patent for a "Malle Bureau" (portable trunk with writing table).

1856 - Charles Orvis opened C. F. Orvis Company, fishing tackle company in Manchester, VT, with sales rooms in a small stone building next to his brother's Equinox Hotel; prospered as trains brought increasing numbers of tourists from New York and other cities; word-of-mouth advertising generated repeat orders by mail; oldest mail order company in the US; May 12, 1874 - received patent for "Fishing-Reels" ("devices for winding up the line of a fishing-rod"); first ventilated narrow spool fly reel to be mounted upright - prototype for modern fly reels; 1885 - glass Minnow Trap launched (sold briskly until 1960s); 1892 - Mary Orvis Marbury (daughter) received national acclaim for "Favorite Flies and Their Histories", world's first illustrated classification, standardization of fishing flies.

1860 - James Spratt (Cincinnati, OH) created "Spratt's dog cake" in London, UK; made from blended wheat meals, vegetables, beetroot, meat; baked by Walker, Harrison and Garthwaite, packaging company serving English foxhound trade; firm claimed to have baked first dog biscuits; 1885 - Spratt’s Patent, Limited, English public company, registered; birth of pet food industry.

1861 - David Hausmann opened parlor and library mirrors, frame shop on Clay Street, San Francisco, CA; 1863 - Solomon Gump, German immigrant, and brother-in-law, acquired  an interest; 1864 - bought entire business; 1871 - Gustave Gump (brother) joined company, renamed S. &. G. Gump; 1906 - Abraham Livingston ("A. L.") Gump (son) took over; established company as leading dealer in Asian art, antiquities on West Coast; March 1947 - Richard B. Gump (grandson) took over; February 8, 1949 - registered "Gump's" trademark first used April 22, 1919 (bracelets, brooches, earrings, necklaces, and finger rings made of gold and silver, solid and plated hollow ware); July 10, 1989 - acquired from Macmillan by Charterhouse Group International, Tobu Department Store Co. fro $32.75 million; May 1993 - acquired by Hanover Direct Inc. (formerly Horn & Hardart) for $13.2 million; 2005 - acquired by Gump's Holdings, LLC (venture capital firms WaldenVC, Stone Canyon Venture Partners, private investment firm Sand Springs Holdings) for $8.5 million.

1862 - Frederick August Otto Schwarz and his three brothers from Westphalia, Germany opened their first shop in Baltimore, MD; 1870 - opened Schwarz Toy Bazaar on 9th and Broadway in Manhattan; 1876 - FAO Schwarz issued first catalogue exclusively for loyal clientele; 1880 - moved to larger quarters in Union Square; 1931 - moved to 745 Fifth Avenue, heart of Manhattan's most prestigious shopping district; 1963 - acquired by Parent's Magazine; 1970 - acquired by W.R. Grace & Co. Grace; 1974 - acquired by toy retailer Franz Carl Weber International of Zurich, Switzerland; 1985 - acquired by Christiana Companies, Inc., real estate, investment firm for $10.5 million; acquired by Peter L. Harris (42, Christiana Companies president, CEO), Peter C. Morse, Philadelphia-based investment banker; Harris introduced concept of "entertainment retail" (customer should have an experience in store); November 6, 1986 - moved to 767 Fifth Avenue (40,000 square feet at foot of General Motors Building); 1990 - acquired by Dutch retailer NV Koninklijke Bijenkorf Beheer (KBB), for estimated $40 million; 1998 - KBB acquired by Dutch retailer, Vendex International; 2001 -22 of the 40 stores acquired by The Right Start Company,18 unsold stores closed, name changed to changed to FAO Inc.; December 2002 - Right Start filed for bankruptcy; April 2003 - emerged; December 2003 - re-filed for bankruptcy; February 2004 - acquired by D. E. Shaw group, global investment firm.

1866 - Two men, Stultz and Mansur, formed small brass shop in Boston; 1888 - sold shop to Henry McShane (Baltimore, MD) - famous for church bells; Frank W. Webb (McShane's brother-in-law) General Manager of Boston distribution facility; 1900 - Webb purchased Boston facility, changed name to The F.W. Webb Manufacturing Company; produced brass fittings, faucets, accessories; offered china, enameled iron plumbing fixtures (made primarily by Trenton pottery) under F.W. Webb label; 1930 - acquired by Pope family; 1933 - sales less than $350,000; 1945 - Roger W. Pope expanded within, outside  state; 1962 - 7 locations, sales in excess of $5,000,000; 1990s - solidified presence in HVAC business, developed control valve capabilities, legitimacy in more sophisticated world of PVF, furthered involvement in control and safety valve industries; 2006 - over 64 locations in 7 states, employed over 1100 employees, sales exceeded $500,000,000.

1867 - Jules Delhaize, professor of commercial sciences, Edouard Delhaize (brother), Jules Vieujant (brother-in-law) opened a warehouse, Delhaize "Le Lion", to revolutionize food retailing in Belgium, create branch network, charge set prices, cut down on succession of intermediaries; chose lion as symbol of strength (emblem of Belgium, motto: unity is strength); 1871 - established in Brussels; 1883-1914 - opened more than 500 branches throughout country; sold best American preserves (Californian salmon, fruit), offered customers best coffees, varied range of wines; branch manager specialized in products he knew, promoted to perfection; 1939 - over 744 branches, 1500 affiliated shops, several shops in Belgian Congo; 1950 - merged with Adolphe Delhaize, brother of founders (had established his own company with multiple branches); December 1957 - set up first fully self-service supermarket in continental Europe; 1962 - went public as S.A. Delhaize Frères et Cie "Le Lion"; 1975 - 80 supermarkets, covered main towns in Belgium; acquired share in Food Town Stores in U.S. (22 supermarkets in North, South Carolina); 1983 - renamed Food Lion; 226 supermarkets by 1993; 1992 - 1,021 supermarkets in United States, 410 outlets in Belgium (108 supermarkets), seven in Czech Republic; sales network of 1,453 retail outlets, staff of 76,000; 1997 - operated 13 supermarkets in Asia; 1999 - sales network of of 2,000 outlets throughout world; July 2000 - acquired Hannaford Bros., Inc., supermarket operator in Northeast U.S. (sales of $3.0 billion, 106 stores).

1870 - Leander Sherman founded Sherman Clay music store in San Francisco, CA; sold music, musical instruments; manufacturers representative for several organ companies (Aeolian, Estey, Kimball); 1892 - authorized as Steinway dealer.

1873 - Charles M. Barnes started a book business from his home in Wheaton, IL; 1894 - incorporated as C.M. Barnes Company; 1917 - William R. Barnes (son) moved to New York, acquired interest in Noble & Noble, educational bookstore; partnered with G. Clifford Noble; name soon changed to Barnes & Noble; 1929 - Noble left company; 1965 - Leonard Riggio established Student Book Exchange (SBX) in Manhattan's Greenwich Village; 1969 - acquired by Amtel, Inc., a conglomerate; 1971 - Barnes & Noble trade name, flagship bookstore in Manhattan acquired by Riggio; 1974 - Barnes & Noble first bookseller in America to advertise on television; 1975 - first bookseller in America to discount books, offered New York Times bestsellers at 40% off publishers’ list prices; 1986 - acquired  B. Dalton Bookseller chain.

1876  -W. Atlee Burpee (18) borrowed $1000 dollars from his mother to get started in business of breeding poultry; needed repeat business every year, product that survived shipping well; realized that shipping feed and seed was easier, less costly than shipping animals, and solved farmers' problems with purity and germination of seeds for their vegetable crops; guaranteed satisfaction for one year from date of purchase or a replacement of the seeds; 1888 -  improved and adapted best European vegetables and flowers to American growing conditions at Fordhook Farm (he bought near Doylestown, PA); 1890s - largest seed company in the world; 1915 - sending out million catalogs a year.

February 12, 1876 - Al (Albert) Spalding opened sporting good shop in Chicago (after Hall of Fame baseball career; retired at age 28); eventually named A.G. Spalding & Brothers, emerged as the era's dominant sporting-goods firm.

September 15, 1879 - Francis R. Chown opened hardware business in Portland, OR; offered farm implements, logging supplies, construction materials and tools; became industry leader in Architectural Hardware, Commercial Hardware, Hardware and Access Control Services, residential hardware and high-end plumbing fixtures.

1882 - Giovanni Beltramo, from Castel Nuovo di Don Bosco in the province of Asti, Italy, established a wholesale-retail wine and spirits business in Menlo Park, CA; mid-1960s - John R. and Daniel Beltramo (grandsons) took over.

December 16, 1884 - William H. Fruen, of Minneapolis, MN, received a patent for an "Automatic Liquid-Drawing Device"; automatic liquid vending machine; coin inserted in a slot, measured quantity of liquid released from a reservoir.

1885 - Reginald Turnbull, hosier, Ernest Asser, salesman, opened John Arthur Turnbull store on Church Street in St. James's in central London; 1895 - name changed to Turnbull & Asser; 1986 - acquired by Ali al-Fayed (younger brother of Mohammed Al-Fayed, owner of Harrods); 1997- opened first store in New York.

1888 - Frank Marini, John B. Perata and Virgil Valente established Valente Marini Perata & Co. funeral service in San Francisco's burgeoning North Beach district to serve growing population of immigrants who arrived at end of 19th century; 1906 - horse-drawn livery and transport wagons served double duty as emergency rescue vehicles during earthquake; 2007 - fifth generation of being family owned, operated.

1889 - Morris A. Modell opened store on Cortlandt Street in lower Manhattan; 1920 - Henry (son) became president; name changed to Henry Modell Company, Inc.; 1963 - four stores; 2007 - 125 stores; nation's oldest, family-owned and operated, retailer of sporting goods, sporting apparel, menswear and brand name athletic footwear.

1889 - Drewes Brothers opened butcher shop in Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA ; 1998 - acquired by fourth owners, Josh and Isaac Epple; thought to be oldest operating butcher shop in California.

1890 - George H. Bartell Sr. (21), pharmacist from Kansas, purchased the Lake Washington Pharmacy at 2711 Jackson Street, Seattle, WA; 1939 - George H. Bartell Jr. became president; 2007 - 55 stores located in Puget Sound neighborhoods; oldest family owned drugstore chain in nation.

1892 - J.C. Pedersen, Danish immigrant and cabinet maker, opened first Pedersen Furniture company at corner of Fourth and A Streets in Santa Rosa, CA (population 6,000); four generations of Pedersen family have owned, operated company.

1895 - Paul Joseph Bonwit opened store at Sixth Avenue and Eighteenth Street in Manhattan; 1897 - Edmund D. Teller joined company, renamed Bonwit Teller; 1907 - incorporated; 1911 - relocated to corner of Fifth Avenue and Thirty-eighth Street; 1932 - acquired by Atlas Corporation (financier Floyd Odlum); 1938 - Hortense Odlum (wife) named president, first female president of major department store in United States; 1946 - acquired by Hoving Corporation, subsequently Genesco, Allied Stores Corporation; 1987 - acquired by L. J.  Hooker Corporation; August 1989 - filed for bankruptcy; May 1990 - ceased operations.

1896 - Thomas Sperry and Shelly Hutchinson founded Sperry and Hutchinson company in Jackson, MI; offered stamps to U.S. retailers as consumer incentive to pay cash (filling stations, shops, supermarkets bought the stamps from S&H, gave them as bonuses with every purchase); shoppers given stamps based on dollar amount of their purchase; 1906 - Sperry bought out Hutchinson; 1923 - Beinecke family ((married into Sperry family) bought Sperry and Hutchinson Company from Sperry family; 1951 - Edwin Beinecke re-launched S&H Green Stamps; 1964 - single largest publisher of stamps in United States (estimated that 80% of U.S. households collected the stamps), largest purchaser of consumer goods in world; January 30, 1981 - 43 percent of Sperry stock controlled by Beinecke family, agreed to be acquired for $366 million by Baldwin-United Corporation, diversified financial services and musical instruments company.

1897 - Clinton C. Filson, experienced in experience operating small loggers' outfitting store, opened C.C. Filson's Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers in Seattle, WA; specialized in goods to outfit stampeders to Klondike Gold Rush; 1902 - added clothing for timber industry; March 3, 1914 - received a patent for a "Shirt" ("...for the especial use of field engineers, forest rangers, cruisers, prospectors and others requiring a strong, serviceable garment adapted to afford protection from the weather and to furnish the conveniences required in such usage"); Filson Cruiser, best selling item, over half million sold.

1898 - William Betts founded W. B. Mason Co. in Brockton, MA as rubber stamp company serving Brockton shoe industry; 1987 - largest office supplies and office furniture company on southeastern Massachusetts; 2006 - largest privately held office products dealer in U. S.

May 10, 1898 - First vending machine law in U.S. enacted in Omaha, NE.

1899 - Edward and Leonard McRoskey of St. Louis and Chicago, brought mattress making equipment to California to sell, made mattresses instead; 1930s - Leonard and Robert (Edward's sons) joined company; 2007 - Robin McRoskey Azevedo (Robert's daughter) is President; made by hand.

1901 - Charles Walgreen Sr. (registered pharmacist in 1897) paid $6,000 for the pharmacy owned by Isaac W. Blood located in Barrett's Hotel at Cottage Grove and Bowen Avenue on Chicago's South Side; 1910 - two stores; began food service with simple sandwiches, soups, desserts; kept his fountain open during winter, provided customers with affordable, nutritious, home-cooked meals; 1913 - four stores; 1919 - 20 stores; 1929 - 525 stores (locations New York City, Florida, other major markets); formula for growth: superb management team, modern merchandising, innovative store design, fair pricing, outstanding customer service, exceedingly high pharmacy quality and service; 1931 - largest promotion campaign in its history (more than $75,000); became first drugstore chain in country to advertise on radio (legendary Chicago Cubs announcer Bob Elson as "voice" of Walgreens); 1939 - Charles Walgreen Jr. assumed leadership; 1975 - more than 1,500 pharmacists in 633 stores filled close to 30 million prescriptions annually (four times the 7.5 million dispensed in 1962, five million more than in 1972); 1984 - opened 1,000th store.

1902 - Shojiro Tatsuno (30) opened first Nichi Bei Bussan store on Dupont St. in San Francisco (now Grant Ave. in Chinatown); carried American goods, catered to immigrant Japanese population; April 7, 1942 - closed due to Japanese internment during WW II; July 15, 1946 - re-opened on Buchanan St. in San Francisco; July 11, 1948 - San Jose branch of newly-renamed "N.B. Department Stores" opened in Japantown in "Valley of Heart's Delight", now known as "Silicon Valley"; 1997 - San Francisco store closed with passing of Masateru "Tut" Tatsuno (Shojiro's younger son).

1902 - Jacob Press opened J. Press store on Yale University's campus.

1903 - Louis K. Liggett, drug salesman, organized United Drug Company (40 independent drug stores invested $4,000 in retailers' cooperative, sold products under the Rexall ("king of all') name - individual pharmacists and individual markets brought together into national organization) to manufacture drugs, related products, and to franchise Rexall drug stores with exclusive right to sell those products; December 8, 1908 - United Drug Company registered "Rexall" trademark first used July 1, 1908 (hot-water bags or bottles and fountain syringes); 1909 - gross revenues of $1.4 million; 1914 - $5.6 million; 1920 - $68 million in revenues; acquired Boot’s Drug Company (627 stores); 1928 - merged with Sterling Products; 1933 - Sterling agreement dissolved; on verge of bankruptcy; Boots sold; 1941 - 600 drugstores, nearly 8,000 Rexall franchisees, 16,000 employees, 5,000 products; hired Justin Dart, general manager of Walgreen drug chain (divorced from Ruth Walgreen, daughter of Walgreen's founder); 1944 - Liggett stepped down; Dart (37), new president, renamed UDC the Rexall Drug Co., moved headquarters to Los Angeles; 1958 - Rexall Drug Company largest U.S. drug store chain (11,158 stores); 1969 - company name changed to Dart Industries to reflect diversity (chemicals, plastics, glass, cosmetics, electric appliances, and land development); 1978 - sold Rexall assets to private investors for $16 million; 1980 - merged with Kraft Foods, formed Dart & Kraft Inc.; 1985 - Sundown Vitamins, Inc. acquired Rexall trademark and distribution rights; 1986 - Dart & Kraft demerged into 1) Kraft, Inc. (food operations plus Duracell batteries, 2) Premark International (remaining operations). 

1903 - William and Gilbert Foyle failed civil service exams, started selling their old textbooks from their parents' kitchen table in London, UK; grew into successful, family-run shop on Charing Cross Road; 1906 - "the largest educational booksellers in London", gained international reputation in literary industry; once largest bookshop in world; 1929 - Christina Foyle (William's daughter) joined store; 1945 - took over; 1999 - Christopher Foyle (nephew) took over as Chairman, Bill Samuel (cousin) Vice-Chairman; spent £4 million to refurbish main store, set up website (10% of sales), opened new branches (not done for half century).

1905 - Robert James Wisnom, William Wisnom, Robert Bonner opened Wisnom-Bonner Hardware, friendly general merchandise store, on the corner of Second Avenue and Ellsworth in San Mateo, CA; sold hammers and nails, nuts and bolts, horseshoe nails and barbed wire; 1920s - acquired Dodge dealership; sold, serviced cars, trucks; sold ladders, nail kegs, kerosene, thinners, other supplies; 1925 - partnership dissolved, name changed to Wisnom Hardware; 1940s - added record department, sold 78 rpm records; installed listening booth; 1980s - Robert F. and John D. Wisnom (Robert's sons) joined company; merchandise expanded, included housewares, cookware, garden tools, pet supplies, giftware, fireplace shop; 2007 - Suzi Wisnom (granddaughter, John D.'s daughter), Dick Nelson (her husband) own, operate store.

April 2, 1905 - Stewart Lake (S.L.) Dennis and P.W. Shepard formed Shepard & Dennis Transfer Company in Raymond, WA; sold firewood, delivered it with wagon and team of horses; 1919 - Dennis assumed sole ownership, renamed S. L. Dennis Transfer Co.; 1940 - began to stock, display merchandise for retail customers; 1968 - incorporating as Dennis Sales Company; 2007 - family owned, managed by great grandsons.

September 1906 - Maurice Moskovitz, 5'2'', founded Rochester Big and Tall in San Francisco as a working man's store to help rebuild the city after the city's April 18, 1906 earthquake; offered brand-name merchandise to the big and tall man (usual minimum: 40" waist, 6'2'', or unusual arm, leg, foot fits); 2006 - over 20 worldwide locations, catalog/ecommerce division. 

1907 - F. H. Bennett Biscuits Co. organized in New York City; 1908 - introduced Milk-Bone dog biscuit; first domestic canine food; January 26, 1909 - Sterling Biscuit Company registered "Milk-Bone Brand" trademark first used September 2, 1908 (dog-biscuits); 1931 - acquired by National Biscuits Co.

1910 - Jesse Shwayder established Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company in Denver, CO ( trunk and luggage manufacturing business); 1941 - introduced Samsonite Streamlite (wooden frame with vulcanised fibre upon which a rawhide effect was lithographed, looked like leather, sold for a comparatively low price); 1958 - introduced Silhouette (hardware was recessed to protect from wear and tea; 1965 - name changed from Shwayder Bros., Inc. to Samsonite Corporation; 1969 - introduced Saturn, first polypropylene case fully supported by injection-moulded shells; became world's leading manufacturer of moulded luggage and attaché cases; July 5, 2007 - agreed to be acquired by London-based private equity company, CVC Capital Partners, for $1.11 billion.

1912 - Leon Leonwood (L. L.) Bean founded L. L. bean in basement of his brother's apparel shop in Freeport, ME; obtained a mailing list of nonresident Maine hunting license holders, sent three-page flyer about Maine Hunting Shoe (leather uppers stitched to workmen's rubber boots - comfortable, functional boot for exploring Maine woods); received 100 orders, got 90 returns (rubber bottoms separated from leather tops); gave full refunds; learned value of personally testing his products, of honest advertising based on firm convictions, of keeping customer satisfied at any cost (service-based philosophy); 1934 - 52-page catalog; 1937 - sales surpassed $1,000,000; 1951 - L.L. Bean opened store 365 days a year, 24 hours a day; 1987 - employed almost 2,000 year-round workers, another 1,000 during peak season; July 2000 - extended retail store presence beyond Maine for first time, opened store in McLean, VA; 2005 - produced 61 catalogs distributed to customers in all 50 US states, more than 140 countries; over 14.5 million customer contacts were received, over 179,000 came on single busiest day of year; December 2005 - over 85,000 orders placed online in single day.

December 1, 1913 - Gulf Refining Company opened first U.S. drive-in automobile service station at the high traffic intersection of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street, Pittsburgh, PA; brick, pagoda-style station featured free air, water, crankcase service, restrooms and a lighted sign for "Good Gulf Gasoline"; open all night; first day sales were 30 gallons at 27 cents each; first Saturday - Gulf sold over 350 gallons; 1907 - Standard Oil Company of California opened the first service station, little more than a shed, near its Seattle kerosene refinery).

1915 - Israel Warshawsky founded The Warshawsky Company, scrap metal yard, in Chicago to mine replacement parts from derelict automobiles; began buying failed auto manufacturers, added new parts to inventory, added retail store; 1934 - wholesale catalog distributed exclusively through Chicago-area gas stations, mechanics; Roy Warshawsky (son) joined company; 1943 - assumed control; 1947 - retail store occupied entire city block, biggest automotive department store in world; 1967 - formed Automotive Parts & Accessories Association.

1916 - Charles and Albert Boni (Washington Square Bookshop) and advertising men Maxwell Sackheim and Harry Scherman founded Little Leather Library Corporation of New York; one of first attempts to mass-market inexpensive books in United States; series of miniature editions of classics for which publisher did not pay any copyright royalties); offered set of 30 imitation leather-bound books at price of $2.98 by mail (headline of an ad said "SEND NO MONEY!"); 1920 - marketed over twenty-five million volumes, many of them by mail; 1922 - Robert Haas joined original Little Leather Library Corporation; 1926 - Sackheim, Scherman, Haas formed Book-of-the-Month Club to sell books on a subscription basis; April 16, 1926 - The Book-of-the-Month Club in New York City chose as its first selection, "Lolly Willowes" or "The Loving Huntsman" by Sylvia Townsend.

1919 - Norton Hinckley, Dave L. Tandy started Hinckley-Tandy Leather Company in Fort Worth, TX; sold leather shoe parts (soles, heels, shoelaces) to shoe repair shops;  1941 -  crippled by WW II shoe rationing (two pairs per adult per year), leather for civilian use virtually disappeared;  1950 - Hinckley-Tandy split: Charles (son) and father formed Tandy Leather Company; Hinckley kept shoe business; 1954 - Tandy Leather Company grew into nationwide chain of hobby and leathercraft outlets (67 stores in 36 states and Hawaii, sales of $8 million); 1955 - acquired by American Hide and Leather (Boston, MA); name changed to General American Industries; suffered operating losses; November 1959 - Tandy reacquired control, elected Chairman of the Board; 1960 - incorporated as Tandy Corporation; 1963 - acquired RadioShack Corporation for about $300,00; 1975 - became exclusively an electronics company, spun off all other operations into Tandycrafts and Tandy Brands; August 1977 - introduced TRS-80 Model I microcomputer, first mass-produced personal computer; (September 1977 - 10,000 sold; 1977-1981 - over 200,000 sold); became "biggest name in little computers"; 1986 - spun off foreign retail operations into InterTAN, Inc.; 1988 - over 7,000 locations; May 2000 - name changed to RadioShack Corporation.

1919 - Charles Doppelt invented toiletries kit ("Doppkit") for travel purposes; February 15, 1955 - Charles Doppelt & Co., Inc. (Chicago, IL), registered "Dopp" trademark (for toilet cases);  1970's - acquired by Samsonite; January 19, 1982 - Samsonite registered "Dopp" trademark.

1920 - Eddie Bauer opened Eddie Bauer's Sports Shop in downtown Seattle; 1934 - company received U.S., Canadian patents on Bauer Shuttlecock (standard for the badminton  today); 1936 - manufactured goose down insulated garment, Skyliner jacket; February 20, 1940 - Eddie Bauer received design patent for a "Jacket" (Skyliner jacket); 1945 - first mail-order catalog; 1963 - outfitted Jim Whittaker, first American to summit Mount Everest; 1968 - company sold to partner William Niemi and his son; 1971 - acquired by General Mills; 1988 - acquired by Spiegel ; 2003 - Spiegel Inc, filed for Chapter 11 reorganization; 2005 - Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc. formed as result of Spiegel reorganization; stand-alone company for first time in 34 years; November 13, 2006 - agreed to be acquired for $286 million by Sun Capital Partners Inc (Boca Raton, FL) and Golden Gate Capital (San Francisco, CA).

1920 - P. M. Chappel, former horse dealer, horse breeder with connections in packing industry, organized cannery; canned dog food at Rockford, IL, under Ken-L-Ration brand; 1942 - acquired by The Quakers Oats CO.; laid groundwork for nationally recognized Ken-L-Ration, Puss’N Boots brands.

July 1921 - British composer, Sir Edward Elgar, opened first HMV store on London’s Oxford Street; first to catch burgeoning demand for recorded music; May 15, 2002 - went public; April 2004 - HMV Group plc operated 366 HMV stores in eight countries across Europe, North America, Pacific Asia as well as 193 Waterstone’s stores principally in the UK, Ireland.

1921 - Theodore and Milton Deutschmann opened one-store retail, mail-order operation downtown Boston; chose name, "RadioShack" to supply the needs of radio officers aboard ships, as well as "ham" radio operators (term for small, wooden structure that housed a ship's radio equipment); become leading electronics mail-order distributor to hobbyists;  1947 - RadioShack entered high-fidelity market, opened nation's first audio showroom; mid-1950s - began selling own private-label product line under Realistic® brand name; early 1960s - 9 RadioShack retail stores (plus mail-order business), leading distributor of electronic parts, products to do-it-yourselfers around world; went bankrupt due to poor operating practices, disastrous credit terms to customers; 1963 - acquired by Tandy Corporation for about $300,00.

1922 - Max and Clara Fortunoff opened neighborhood housewares store in Brooklyn, NY; opened seven more shops, all located under elevated subway on Livonia Avenue; 1957 - added fine jewelry, watches; 1964 - opened in first superstore in Westbury, LI; opened five more, including Fifth Avenue in New York City; January 2008 - in negotiations with private equity firm NRDC Equity Partners, owner of Lord & Taylor, to be acquired in $100 million dollar deal.

1922 - William H. Brine founded W.H. Brine Company in Boston as small sports equipment, uniform company; sold to private schools, regional camps; grew into major manufacturer of lacrosse, soccer equipment; 1960s - first company to manufacture soccer balls with synthetic leather cover to make it more durable; provided unconditional guarantee; 1970s - developed molding technique, used Surlyn DuPont plastic, as basic draft shape of standard in modern lacrosse sticks; produced its first plastic stick; June 7, 1983 - registered "Brine" trademark first used in 1923 (Soccer Balls, Ball Nets, Lacrosse Sticks, Lacrosse Balls, Lacrosse Ball Bags, Sports Protective Equipment-Namely, Elbow Guards, Knee Guards, Shin Guards); 1987 - named as "Official (soccer) Ball of the NCAA Soccer Championships"; 1990s - expanded into apparel, volleyball equipment, field hockey equipment, lacrosse helmets and goggles, footwear; August 2006 - acquired by New Balance.

1923 - John W. Stacey, skilled botanist and bookseller, quit Emporium book department, opened 216 square foot store in Flood Building on Market Street, San Francisco; 400 books on 240 feet of shelves, Stacey as lone employee; specializing in medical books; 1946 - began to carry comprehensive line of technical and professional titles, including the first computer books ever published; 1959 - second store opened; 1968 - acquired by Brodart company.

1925 - Clarence Gaines started Gaines Food Co., Sherburne, NY; 1928 - sold empty 5 and 10-pound bags to divide 100-pound bags into more manageable, less costly purchases; showed his pointer breed at field trials across the country where superior quality of his entries nurtured interested, good will for Gaines Dog Meal; 1943 - acquired by General Foods.

1931 - Aaron Hill bought snack stand on Liberty Island (New York, NY), home of Statue of Liberty; tabel and umbrella set up on pier wher ferry docked; named company Evelyn Hill, Inc. (wife); only shopkeeper on island since Park Service took control of statue in 1933; ranks among 10 biggest commercial operations in U.S. national park system ($15 million in annual sales); third generation management.

March 1, 1931 - Thirty farmers, mostly prune growers, considered buying their farm supplies as a cooperative, put up $30 each, created Orchard Supply a rented warehouse on Bassett Street, San Jose, CA; 1950's - no longer qualified as a cooperative as electronics industry developed, orchards became residential areas, many farmers retired; retail business name changed to Orchard Supply Hardware; 1962 - Albert B. Smith became president; 2004 - OSH is 84 stores strong with locations in California from Redding in the north to Laguna Niguel in the south.

1932 - Max Stern founded Hartz Mountain line of pet products (already largest livestock importer in America); 1959 - Leonard (son) joined company, expanded product lines into goldfish, tropical fish, full line of aquatic supplies; 1960s - expanded with dog and cat products; research, manufacturing facilities built, large sales force formed, strategically located regional distribution centers established; early 1980s - Hartz products sold in more than 40,000 U.S. and Canadian retail outlets; 2000 - acquired by fund managed by J.W. Childs Associates, LP, private equity investment firm; June 2004 - acquired by Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA).

1932 - Levi Justin (L. J.) Skaggs, brother of Marion B. Skaggs, co-founder of Safeway, opened first self-service drugstore in Tacoma, WA named PayLess Drug; 1939 - Peyton Hawes and Wiliam Armitage acquired controlling interest in 5 drugstores in OR and WA, founded PayLess Drug Stores.

April 18, 1934 - J. F. Cantrell opened first launderette (called a 'washeteria') in Fort Worth, TX; installed four washing machines, charged by the hour.

1938 - Mountain climbers Lloyd and Mary Anderson joined with 21 fellow Northwest climbers to found Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI). The group structured REI as a consumer cooperative to purchase high-quality ice axes and climbing equipment from Europe because such gear could not be purchased locally; 2005 - 82 retail stores in the U.S., nation's largest consumer cooperative with more than 2.8 million members.

1938 - Joseph M. and Thomas J. (son-in-law of Marion B. Skaggs, co-founder of Safeway Stores) Long opened Longs Self-Service Drug on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, CA; introduced idea of self-service in retail drug industry.

1938 - Ralph Ostrove founded Paul Stuart Inc. in New York; named for his son, Paul Stuart Ostrove; 1965 - Clifford Grodd, son-in-law, succeeded; remains family-run business.

1939 - Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr., founder in 1928 of Raritan Hospital for Animals in Edison, NJ (second exclusively small animal hospital in United States), believed certain diseases in pets could be managed through carefully formulated nutrition; young blind man named Morris Frank asked Dr. Morris if anything could be done to save his guide dog, Buddy, who was suffering from kidney failure; created Raritan Ration B, nutritional formulation that became first product in Hill's Prescription Diet line of therapeutic pet foods, world's first pet food designed to help dogs with kidney disease; first therapeutic dog food evolved into Hill's® Prescription Diet® k/d®; 1948 - contracted with Hill Packing Company (founded 1906 in Topeka, KS) to can food with new name, Canine k/d®, licensed Hill to produce his pet food formulas; June 7, 1949 - Hill Packing Company registered "Hill's" trademark first used April 7, 1937 (dog food); evolved into Hill's Pet Nutrition, grew, added formulas of therapeutic pet food; 1968 - acquired by Riviana Foods; food line made available through veterinarians, pet professionals as Hill's® Science Diet®; 1976 - acquired by Colgate-Palmolive Company; 1999 - sales of $1 billion.

1939 - Arthur Brody, young Columbia University student, invented plastic book jacket cover (used to protect the original paper jackets of library books, giving them a longer shelf life and increasing their circulation); founded Brodart Co.; 1950s - expanded into book distribution; 1954 - began manufacturing complete line of furniture; premier supplier of circulation-ready materials to libraries.

1941 - Miles Cahn founded Manhattan Leather Goods as a family-run workshop in a Manhattan loft; produced heavy unlined leather bags in classic styles, refurbished worn or damaged bags free, priced about 50 percent lower than high-end designer bags, sold in department stores; Lillian Cahn (wife) changed name to Coach Leatherware; 1972 - company introduced Duffle Sac, slouchy oblong bag with a long strap that came in black, brown; 1985 - acquired by Sara Lee Corporation; October 2000 - spun-off, went public.

1942 - Loronzo L. (L. L.) Skaggs (brother of Marion B. Skaggs, co-founder of Safeway) formed partnership with 3 other men, named Owners Service Company (Osco), headquarters in Chicago, IL; 1961 - acquired by Jewel Companies (31 Osco drug stores in 6 states).

1943 - Ingvar Kamprad (17) founded IKEA; formed from the founder's initials (I.K.) plus first letters of Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd, farm and village where he grew up; originally sold whatever need he could fill with product at reduced price (pens, wallets, picture frames, table runners, watches, jewelry, nylon stockings); 1947 - introduced furniture into product range (produced by local manufacturers); 1951 - introduced first furniture catalogue (discontinued all of other products); 1953 - opened furniture showroom in Älmhult (home furnishing products with function, quality and low price; best value for the money); 1955 - began designing own furniture due to supplier boycott (innovative design, improved function at lower prices; design for flat packaging); 1965 - store opened in Stockholm (circular design, inspired by New York’s Guggenheim Museum; opened warehouse, let people serve themselves); 1993 - 114 stores in 25 countries.

1944 - H. Carl Buchan and his brother-in-law, James Lowe, operated the North Wilkesboro Hardware Company; Buchan bought-out Lowe, concentrated on selling only hardware, appliances, hard-to-find building materials; eliminated wholesalers, dealt directly with manufacturers, established reputation for low prices; 2005 - operates more than 1,250 Lowe's stores in 49 states, sales totaled approximately $43.2 billion.

1944 - Allen Products Company, Inc. introduced ALPO dog food; became largest-selling brand of premium-priced, canned dog food; 1964 - acquired by Liggett & Myers for $15 million; January 5, 1965 - Allen Products Company, Inc. registered "ALPO: trademark first used August 22, 1944 (dog and cat food); December 12, 1983 - name changed to ALPO Petfoods, Inc.; 1994 - acquired from Grand Metropolitan Inc. (acquired Liggett Group Inc. in 1980) by Nestle for $501 million.

1947 - Rudolf and Nancy Talbot opened "The Talbots" (became 'Talbots' over time) in in 17th-century colonial frame house in Hingham, MA; 1948 - launched direct mail catalog business, distributed 3,000 fliers to names obtained from The New Yorker; 1950s - adopted "Red Door", "Red T" logos; 1973 - acquired by General Mills for $6 million (5 stores); June 27, 1988 - acquired by Tokyo-based JUSCO Co., Ltd. (now ÆON Co., Ltd.), Japan's fourth-largest retailer, core company of the ÆON Group for $325 million (137 stores); November 19, 1993 - went public (339 stores); 1997 - generated $1 billion in total company sales (603 stores); 2004 - opened 1,000th store in Williamsburg, VA.

1948 - Charles Lazarus (25) started baby furniture store, Children's Bargain Town, in Washington, DC.to cater to post-war baby boom era; 1957 - adopted supermarket model for toy store, allowed customers to examine and pick out products on their own, pay for them at checkout stand; with the opening of second store, chose Toys "R" Us with a backward "R" as attention-getter; February 1960 - Geoffrey the Giraffe introduced as mascot; 1983 - expanded into children's clothing (freestanding locations closed in 2003); 1984 - pened first two international stores; 1996 - launched Babies "R" Us; July 2005 - acquired by Bain Capital Partners LLC, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Vornado Realty Trust for $6.6 billion.

1949 - Morris and Paul Secon opened first Pottery Barn store on 10th Avenue in Manhattan; product line -2,500 pieces of nicked or misshapen stoneware: platters, plates, pitchers, cups, saucers; 1954 - opened second store;1968 - Morris sold share to 2 partners; acquired by Gap; 1986 - acquired for $6 million by Williams-Sonoma; 2006 - 197 stores (furniture, bedding, rugs, lighting products, decorative accessories).

May 9, 1949 - Britain's first launderette opened in Queensway, London.

1951 - Henry Froehlich acquired United States distribution rights for Konica cameras from Konishiroku Photo Industry Company of Japan; founded Konica Camera Company in Philadelphia; one of the first distributors of high-tech Japanese cameras in the United States; 1961 - merged with Berkey Photo (distributed other lines of Japanese photo products); 1982 - started Froehlich FotoVideo, to meet new demand prompted by era of videotape; packaged projector, transfer lens system, video camera, videotape recorder for easy transferring of home movies from film to videotape; 1987 - acquired distribution rights for Mamiya cameras (used primarily by professional photographers); formed Mamiya America Corporation with two partners; later renamed the MAC Group.

January 1952 - Les and Dorothy Schwab sold their house, borrowed $1,100 from Dorothy's brother, purchased OK Rubber Welders, franchised tire shop in Prineville, OR; grossed approximately $10,000 in sales a month, $150,000 in first year; 1954 - opened two more stores; 1955 - changed name to Les Schwab Tire Centers; developed, implemented idea now called "supermarket tire concept" (turned tire warehouse into showroom that customers could walk through to select exact tires they wanted); 1972 - opened 35th store; 2006 - $1.6 billion in sales.

1953 - Laura and Bernard Ashley produced headscarves as well as tablemats and napkins on kitchen table in a flat in Pimlico; invested £10 in wood for screen frame, dyes, few yards of linen; scarves were an instant success (stores such as John Lewis, Heal's);  1960 - annual sales rose from £2,000 to £8,000; 1970 - sales reached £300,000 per year; July 1, 1974 - first Laura Ashley-store in U.S. opened in San Francisco; 1975 - sales of £5 million per year, company employed 1,000 people worldwide.

1955 - Herbert Haft opened first Dart Drug discount store in Washington, DC; February 29, 1960 - landmark federal antitrust case against Parke-Davis & Co. (had threatened to stop supplying Dart Drug because of its rock-bottom pricing policies); Supreme Court decision weakened power of suppliers to influence pricing decisions made by their retail customers (ushered in age of deep-discount retailing); 1984 - sold (more than 75 units).

1956 - Chuck Williams bought hardware store in Sonoma, CA, stocked shelves with cookware (copper sauté pans, huge stockpots, high-quality vegetable peelers, Sabatier knives, French kitchen towels), named Williams-Sonoma; 1958 - moved the store to San Francisco, stocked it with wide variety of French supplies; 1971 - produced first store catalog; 1978 - acquired by W. Howard Lester, former computer software executive, James McMahan; 1983 - went public; 1986 - acquired Pottery Barn chain of stores from The Gap; 1992 - joins with Time-Life Books, created series of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library cookbooks; grew into premier specialty retailer of home furnishings; 2007 - 250 Williams-Sonoma stores, Pottery Barn, Hold Everything, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm, and others.

1956 - Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee, Sr. founded Shaklee Products with his sons Forrest, Jr., and Raleigh to produce and sell nutritional supplements; founding philosophy of the Golden Rule and In Harmony with Nature®; more than 45 patents and patents-pending worldwide, operates in Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico and the U.S., has over 700,000 members worldwide.

1957 - Purina Dog Chow, went into national distribution; captured 14.8 percent of dog food market by end of 1957; March 12, 1968 - Ralston Purina Company registered "Dog Chow" trademark first used September 26, 1913 (dog food); August 1958 - market leader in dog food market.

September 1, 1959 - Two entrepreneurs, W.A. Krause and T.S. Gentle, founded Kum & Go, LLC as a small gas station in Hampton, IA with full service gas and infallible customer service; 1963 - Kum & Go, L.C. converted "gas stations" into convenience stores, or "station stores", with fuel and merchandise; 1964 - purchased Solar Transport, flourished in the trucking business; 1977 - 65 convenience stores employing 327 people; end of 1980s -134 stores across the Midwest; 2005 - employs 3000 associates in over 340 Kum & Go stores.

1962 - Lawrence Hoyt opened The Walden Book Store, first independently owned bookstore, in Pittsburgh, PA, named in tribute to Henry David Thoreau's literary classic, Walden; 1971 - Tom and Louis Borders opened Borders Book Shop, 800-square-foot used bookstore, in Ann Arbor, MI; 1984 - Kmart Corporation acquired Waldenbook (acquired Brentano's); 1992 - Kmart acquired Borders, formed Borders-Walden Group; 1995 - renamed Borders Group, Inc.; 2001 - formed alliance with Amazon.com, offered online shopping; 2007 - terminated Amazon alliance in restructuring.

1963 - Marty & Jean Nidetch (nutritionist) and Albert & Felice Lippert founded Weight Watchers; December 31, 1968 - Weight Watchers International, Inc. registered 'Weight Watchers' trademark (handbooks and cookbooks).

1963 - Gary C. Comer, with $30,000, started Lands' End Yacht Stores, a sailing equipment company, in a basement apartment in Chicago (intended Land's End but printer misplaced apostrohe); 1966 - distributed first catalog with detailed descriptions of products manufactured by other companies (sailing merchandise, raincoats, cotton shirts, wool sweaters); 1990 - stepped down as president; 2002 - acquired by Sears, Roebuck for $1.9 billion.

August 11, 1966 - Wilkes Bashford (33) opened luxury menswear store of the same name in downtown San Francisco.

1971 - Roger Horchow launched The Horchow Collection, first luxury mail-order catalog not preceded by brick-and-mortar presence (no stores); offered unique decorative items from around the world; credited with pioneering use of toll-free phone numbers for placing catalog orders; 1988 - acquired by Neiman Marcus.

April 15, 1973 - Walt Disney Store opened; 1996 - more than 450 Disney Stores worldwide; 1999 - 725 stores worldwide.

December 1976 - Grant and Pegge Dowse placed one-inch ad in Yankee magazine, two-inch ad in Country Journal soliciting requests for their new brochure with swatches; called their company Garnet Hill, name of rise of land behind their home outside of Franconia, New Hampshire; created first full-size mail-order catalog dedicated entirely to fine natural fiber merchandise (traditional cotton percales, high-quality wool blankets, cashmere throws, luxurious apparel from classic European companies).

1976 - Richard Thalheimer established Thalheimer Business Systems, sold copier supplies door-to-door to merchants in Financial District of San Francisco; 1977 - changed name to The Sharper Image; negotiated exclusive distribution rights to Seiko's Realtime Watch, billed as first affordable, waterproof, shock-resistant chronograph that could be reliably used by joggers; 1979 - introduced first Sharper Image mail-order catalog; 1981 - opened first Sharper Image store; September 29, 1981 - Thalheimer Company (dba The Sharper Image Corporation) registered "The Sharper Image" trademark first used August 1, 1976 (retail store and mail-order services-namely, gifts and personal accessories); 1991 - opened design lab to produce high-margin items company could produce itself; September 5, 2000 - registered "Ionic Breeze" trademark first used August 8, 1998 (an ion producing air cleaner, namely, an electro-static precipitator for cleaning air) - biggest design lab seller; 2002 - Consumer Reports issued first of several "ineffective' rankings of Ionic Breeze; September 27, 2006 - new board named former Revlon chairman, former American Household Inc. CEO, Jerry W. Levin, chairman, interim CEO; Thalheimer ousted; May 2007 - Thalheimer 20% equity interest acquired for $26 million; February 19, 2008 - filed for bankruptcy protection (187 stores in 38 states).

August 3, 1977 - Radio Shack issued press release introducing TRS-80 computer (25 existed); thousands ordered within weeks; September 9, 1977 - First TRS-80 computer sold; May 8, 1979 - Radio Shack releases TRSDOS 2.3; May 1, 1981 - Radio Shack releases Model III TRSDOS 1.3.

May 5, 1978 - With a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed), Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened Ben & Jerry’s Homemade ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in downtown Burlington, VT; 1980 - begin packing ice cream in pints to distribute to grocery and Mom & Pop stores along restaurant delivery routes Ben services out of the back of his old VW Squareback wagon; 1981 - first Ben & Jerry’s franchise opened in Shelburne, VT; 1984 - Haagen-Dazs tried to limit distribution of Ben & Jerry’s in Boston, prompted Ben & Jerry's to file suit against parent company, Pillsbury, in famous "What’s the Doughboy Afraid Of?" campaign; sales exceeded $4 million; 1987 - Haagen-Dazs again tried to enforce exclusive distribution, Ben & Jerry’s filed second lawsuit against the Pillsbury Company; sales just under $32 million; 1988 - more than 80 Ben & Jerry’s ice cream scoop shops open in 18 states; 1991 - introduced Low Fat Frozen Yogurt; 1996 - introduced Sorbets; September 1999 - Harris Interactive poll of the public’s perceptions of corporate reputability Ben & Jerry’s ranked #5 in 'Reputation Quotient' (responsibility, emotional appeal, innovation) out of top 30 Most Reputable US companies, earned #1 ranking in "Social Responsibility" category; net sales of $237,043,000; April 12, 2000 - acquired by Unilever for $326 million.

June 29, 1978 - Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank formed MB Associates, officially incorporated; June 22, 1979 - opened first Home Depot in Atlanta, GA; stocked around 25,000 products,  attached to Treasure Island stores; first year - 3 stores, 200 employees, $7 million in sales.

1979 - John Jeavons, dedicated organic gardener, asked Dave Smith, Paul Hawken to source hand-forged gardening tools from England; 1982 - Smith & Hawken opened first retail store in Mill Valley, CA; December 3, 1985 - registered "Smith & Hawken" trademark first used November 1, 1984 (garden hand tools, namely, shovels, rakes, hose, cultivators, forks, spades, trowels, sickles, shears and pruners); 1993 - acquired by CML group; 1999 - acquired by private investor group; 2004 - acquired by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, leading supplier of consumer products for lawn, garden care; 2007 - 58 stores in 23 states.

1983 - Arthur Cinader and his daughter, Emily, mailed first J.Crew catalog; name, J.Crew, derived from influence of rowing ("crew") culture on original design of company's collection; sport included in name; "J" chosen because it looked right; 1989 - opened first store at South Street Seaport in New York City; expanded to 170 retail, 50 outlet stores across the country.

October 19, 1985 - First Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, TX.

July 27, 1988 - Radio Shack announced Tandy 1000 SL computer.

January 13, 2003 - Owners of toy store chain FAO Schwarz filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

March 17, 2005 - Private equity group (Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts, Bain Capital, Vornado Realty Trust) acquired Toys 'R' Us for $6.1 billion.

June 19, 2006 - Nestle announced it has agreed to pay about $600 million for Jenny Craig, operator of weight loss centers, manufacturer of prepackaged meals for weight loss; attempt by Nestle to expand in "functional food" category through its Nutrition unit (PowerBars, baby foods , nutritional enriched products for elderly).

March 17, 2006 - The Body Shop agreed to a £652.3m ($1.2 billion) takeover by the French cosmetics firm L'Oréal; 1976 - started in Brighton, UK as an ethical alternative to traditional approach to cosmetics., 2,085 branches worldwide, including 304 in the UK.

April 24, 2007 - Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (private equity firm), Stefano Pessina (Italian billionaire, deputy chairman, largest shareholder of Alliance Boots) raised bid for third time, agreed to pay $22 billion for Alliance Boots, Britain's largest drugstore chain = biggest leveraged buyout in European business history.

April 30, 2008 - United Online, owner of social networking site Classmates.com and customer loyalty site My Points.com, agreed to acquire FTD Group, online floral delivery business, for $456 million.

(1-800-Flowers), Jim McCann and Peter Kaminsky (1998). Stop and Sell the Roses : Lessons from Business & Life. (New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 244 p.). Founder of 1-800-Flowers. Flowers (Marketing), 1-800-Flowers.

(Adelman Laundry & Cleaners), Ollie Adelman (2004). All Things Are Possible: Those Who Say It Cannot Be Done Are Usually Interrupted by Someone Else Doing It. (Evanston, IL: Wildcat Publications, 284 p.). Chairman of the Board Adelman Travel; Northwestern University Hall of Fame. Adelman, Ollie; Laundry business. 

(AISG), Carter Andress (2007). Contractor Combatants: Tales of an Imbedded Capitalist. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 320 p.). Co-founder, Manager of AISG (American-Iraqi Solutions Group, supplier of everything from lamb chops to trucks).  Import/export; international trade; private contractors. From handful of jobless Americans to 2,500 employees from 12 countries. Multinational team  delivered vital supplies to coalition forces, helped rebuild Iraq; engaged in deadly firefights with enemy while attempting to fulfill mission, defend their own lives.

(Allen & Hanburys), Compiled by Ernest C. Cripps; with illustrations (1927). Plough Court: The Story of a Notable Pharmacy, 1715-1927. (London, UK: Allen & Hanburys, 227 p.). Allen & Hanburys, ltd.; Pharmacists -- Great Britain. Book was begun by Miss Amy Audrey Locke, carried on by Mr. Arundell Esdaile, rewritten and completed by Mr. E.C. Cripps. cf. Pref.

(Allen & Hanburys), Desmond Chapman-Huston and Ernest C. Cripps (1954). Through a City Archway: The Story of Allen and Hanburys, 1715-1954. (London, UK: J. Murray, 336 p.). Allen and Hanburys, Ltd.

(Allen & Hanburys), Geoffrey Tweedale (1990). At the Sign of the Plough: 275 Years of Allen & Hanburys and the British Pharmaceutical Industry, 1715-1990. (London, UK: Murray, 264 p.). Allen & Hanburys; Pharmaceutical industry -- Great Britain.

(Amway), Charles Paul Conn (1977). The Possible Dream: A Candid Look at Amway. (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 174 p.). DeVos, Richard M.; Van Andel, Jay; Amway Corporation--History.

--- (1982). An Uncommon Freedom. (Old Tappan, NJ: F.H. Revell, 176 p.). Amway Corporation; Success--Case studies.

--- (1985). Promises to Keep: The Amway Phenomenon and How It Works. (New York, NY: Putnam, 124 p.). Amway Corporation

(Amway), Stephen Butterfield (1985). Amway, The Cult of Free Enterprise. (Boston, MA: South End Press, 185 p.). Amway Corporation.

(Amway), James W. Robinson; foreword by Richard L. Lesher (1997). Empire of Freedom: The Amway Story and What It Means to You. (Rocklin, CA: Prima Pub., 206 p.). Amway Corporation; Amway Corporation--History; Direct selling.

(Amway), Jay Van Andel (1998). An Enterprising Life: An Autobiography. (New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 234 p.). Amway Corporation--History; Van Andel, Jay; Businessmen--United States--Biography.

(Amway), Wilbur Cross (1999). Amway: The True Story of the Company That Transformed the Lives of Millions. (New York, NY: Berkele