A Guarantee Costs Nothing Until Everyone Uses It

It began near Chicago in 1964, after its founder spent years pitching his father’s gadgets at fairs.

They Wrote the Rules and Could Not Play

A Chicago radio company incorporated in 1923 and built its reputation on hand-soldered connections.

Cash Bought the Silence That Built the Rack

In 1921 a former department store buyer started selling discounted dresses from an old Brooklyn car showroom.

The Students Outgrew the School

A 1966 Dallas restaurant made a candlelit Tudor dinner something a young couple could afford on a weeknight.

A Name Worth More on the Shelf

A 1975 Minnesota chain co-founded by a Green Bay Packers player brought sit-down Mexican food to the Midwest.

Profit Hid on a Different Floor

An 1842 Indiana general store became the world’s largest department chain, then fell behind the suburban malls.

The Name Outlasted the Company Behind It

A New York electric-train firm tied its sets to holiday giving, then sold the tooling and turned retailer.

Growth Was the Only Product That Paid

A Youngstown deep-discount pharmacy sold its aisles to manufacturers and needed each opening to fund the next.

Gasoline Paid for the Candy

A Georgia roadside stand built its own factory, trucks and billboard crew, until a new owner split them up.