Retail superstars: inside the 25 best independent stores in America/ George Whalin.

Includes index.

Introduction
Jungle Jim's International Market
This 300,000-square-foot food emporium sells more thati 130,000 different food
and related products from across the globe. No less than 30,000 shoppers each
week can choose from a wide range offresh fish, 1,600 cheeses, 12,000 vintage
wines, 1,400 varieties of hot sauce, and so much more. Jtmgle Jim's carries gthnic
foods representing more than seventy-five countries. If a particular food can't be
found anywhere else in the United States, it can be found here.
Gump's'
Gump's, a San Francisco landmark for nearly 130 years, sells the fittest quality
jewelry, home furnishitigs and accessories, art, collectibles, atid antiques. This ele
gant store, with its stunnbigly displayed merchandise and exceptiotial service, has
long been a popular shopping destination for tourists and locals alike. In addition
to its legendary store, this extraordinary retail business produces a first-class mail
order catalog and uses the Web to its best advantage.
Archie McPhee
Customers laugh their way through Archie McPhee as they browse a most bizarre
mix of novelty merchandise. The discerning shopper can pick up Yodeling Pickles,
Last Supper After Dinner Mints, and even Bacon Strip Bandages. This store ca
ters to people who have a sense of humor, aren't easily offended, and find that a
little irreverence is goodfor the soul.
Powell's City of Books
Two large chains dominate the twenty-first-centnry bookstore business. Borders
and Barnes & Noble, with locations in cities across America. But in Portland,
Oregon, book lovers prefer to shop Powell's City of Books over any other bookseller.
In recent years, the number of locally owned bookstores has dwindled, while
Powell's continues to thrive. It is today the world's largest i'ndependent seller of
new and used books.
Abt Electronics
Abt, the most successful independent consumer electronics and appliance store in the
nation, successfully competes in the brutal Chicagoland marketplace against all
odds. This exquisitely designed and appointed suburban store sits on a thirty-sevenacre
campus with parking for more than 1,000 cars. Abt sells consumer electronics
and appliances from a vast array of well-known brands and is one of few manu
facturer test sites for the newest appliances and electronics not yet on the market.
Zabar's
In a city fdled with good food stores and delicatessens, Zabar's remains the one
loved most by New Yorkers. This unpretentious store offers a tremendous variety
of fish, kosher foods, breads, freshly ground coffee beans, vegetables, sweets, canned
goods, and housewares. If you are looking for a massive selection of incredible
foods, employees who really know their stuff, and an only-in-New York shopping
experience, Zabar's ivon't di.iappoint.
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
Shoppers can find Christmas merchandise in an assortment of stores around the
country. But there's only one Bronner's Christmas Wonderland and it's located in
Frankenmuth, Michigan. Attracting more than three million shoppers a year, no
other store comes close to Bronner's selection oj Christmas merchandise. With
6.000 ornaments. 50,000 trims, and thousands of light sets, this is the world's
largest Christmas store.
Ron Jon Surf Shop
Small surf shops abound up and down both coasts, but only one is known as
America's surfing mecca. Sporting a giant surfer atop its entrance, Ron Jon fea
tures a vast selection of suif equipment and apparel in a .shop that can hardly be
considered small. Attracting thousands of customers from all over the world each
year. Ron Jon serves the needs oj surfers and anyone who embraces the surfer
lifestyle.
A Southern Season
As one of Americas most revered and honored food stores, A Southern Season pre
sents gourmet foods in a striking shopping environment. The store's merchandise
includes delectable chocolates from Europe, exotic coffees from South America, aro
matic teas from Asia, excellent wines from all over the world, specialty packaged
foods, imported housewares for anyone who loves to cook and entertain, atid much,
much more.
ABC Carpet & Home
In the late 1800s, Sam Weinrib sold carpets and linoleum from a pushcart on
Manhattan's Lower East Side. From this humble beginning, the Weinrib family
built ABC Carpet & Home into one of the nation's premier home furnishings
stores. It is the only home furnishings store in New York City that covers an entire
block and offers merchandise made from environmentally friendly components from
around the world.
In Celebration of Golf
Today, consumers can buy golf merchandise in lots of places—giant sporting goods
stores, specialty golf stores, on-course pro shops, catalogs, and the Internet—all of
which simply sell the goods. Roger Maxivell's In Celebration of Golf genuinely cel
ebrates the game of golf in an elegantly designed store that delights and surprises
golf-loving shoppers with the very best in golf apparel, shoes, clubs, art, accessories,
and gifts.
Gallery Furniture
Even in the fiercely competitive Houston marketplace, this independent furniture
store tops $130 million in annual revenues. The growth and success of Gallery
Furniture can be attributed solely to Jim "Mattress Mack" Mclngvale's tireless
dedication, energy, entrepreneurial spirit, and vision. He challenged the traditions
so prevalent in furniture retailing with his "You Buy It Today. You Get It Today"
policy, permanently altering Houston's competitive furniture environment.
WiLKES BaSHFORD
Every big city in America supports stores serving the needs of affluent consumers
u hose tastes and interests demand high-quality designer apparel. In San Francisco,
Wilkes Bash ford defines the category. Located just off the city's world-famous
Union Square, this store offers six floors offashionable men's and women's apparel
from the world's best-known designers, along with a comprehensive assortment of
decorator items, antiques, accessories, and imported bed linens.
Nell Hill's
When one thinks of the best-known home furnishings destinations, the small town
of Atchison, Kansas, isn't likely to show t/p on anyone's list. Yet, every year Nell
Hill's attracts thousands of customers from Kansas City (more than an hour's
drive away) and from cities and towns all across the Midwest. The constantly
changing selection of truly unique home furnishings that cannot be fotmd elsewhere
delights shoppers.
LouisBoston
LouisBoston opened in the 1920s as a pawnshop. The store and its ktiowledgeable
staff now sell the fijjest-quality men's and women's apparel plus tasteful household
items and gifts, all offered in an architecturally magnificent building. If you fear
that elegance and style no longer exist in America, you will find it alive and well
at LouisBoston.
Estes Ark
Travelers driving toward the scenic Rocky Mountain community of Estes Park,
Colorado, will discover an ark sitting alongside Highway 34- Unlike Noah's fa
mous vessel, this ark won't float, but it is home to a very special toy store specializ
ing in stuffed atiimals. In addition to selling a jaw-dropping assortment of teddy
bears, it carries every kind of stuffed animal imaginable, from armadillos, jelly
fish, and lizards to rhinoceroses, scorpions, and wolverines.
Junkman's Daughter
Junkman's Daughter's Brother
Many years ago Edwin Gavrons Big G Surplus was the place in Atlanta to go
for closeout. overstock, and discontinued merchandise. Upon his retirement, his
daughter opened a store of her own. selling everything from wigs and vintage ap
parel to costumes and memorabilia. She named her store Junkman's Daughter.
Some time later her brother saw ivhat fun she was having and opened Junkman's
Daughter's Brother in the college town of Athens. Georgia. While both stores share
the same heritage and have complementary names, they serve a different customer
base and offer distinct selections of merchandise.
Smoky Mountain Knife Works
The town of Sevierville, Tennessee, best known as the gateivay to the great Smoky
Mountains, is home to the world's largest knife showplace. Knives of all kinds,
along with collector and antique swords, outdoor equipment, watches, lijoters,
and books, fill this store top to bottom. With more than 1.2 million visitors a year.
Smoky Mountain Knife Works draws shoppers nationwide and from around the
world.
Bering's
Thousands of hardware stores exist in the United States, but none like Bering's.
Founded in 1940 by August Bering, what started out as a lumberyard is today a
unique 30.000-square-foot retail store with a selection of gourmet coffee beans,
Baccarat crystal, fine writing instruments, and engraved and embossed stationery,
along with the merchandise you woiild expect to find in a good traditional hard
ware store.
Wanna Buy a Watch?
This amazing store, just a few blocks from Beverly Hills, sells vintage and con
temporary watches representing the world's finest brands. Although best known for
its broad selection of vintage watches. Wanna Buy a Watch? stocks hundreds of
one-of-a-kind antique platinum diamond wedding rings as well. With a highly
knowledgeable staff and enviable location, this store has earned the reputation as
the place to buy vintage and collectible watches.
Rowena's
If you love delectable sweets and would enjoy a leisurely lunch in an old-fashioned
English tea room. Rowena's is the place for you. Long before Rowena Fullinwider
started her business, she had been sharing her tasty concoctions with friends and
neighbors. Today, the staff at her factory, gift shop, and tea room busy themselves
baking, selling, and shipping the tasty treats created by this cooking wizard.
The Silver Queen
This store, with its massive selection oj new and estate sterling silver and silver
plate flatware, along with countless other silver items, has become an invaluable
resource to hundreds of thousands of silver-seeking consumers. The showroom dis
plays a wide assortment of the world's best-known tableware brands. As a true
multichannel retailer. The Silver Queen serves the needs of customers around the
world.
Toy House & Baby Too
With 32.{){)i) toys from more than 330 manujacturers. this store carries the larg
est selection oj any toy store in the country. It sells baby furniture, car seats, educational
toys, dolls, musical toys, stuffed animals, crafts, and more. While the large
chain stores focus on toys connected to movies and TV shows, Toy House carefully
selects toys based on value, educational merit, and inherent ability to engage and
delight children.
Hartville Hardware
In the small rural community of Hartville, Ohio, with a population of less than
2,500, the world-class Hartville Hardware has thrived since the early 1970s. Its
extensive in-store selection, catalog, and Web site provide carpenters, plmnbers,
woodworkers, craftsmen, and do-it-yourselfers every tool they could possibly need
for work and home projects. The store's legendary semiannual tool sales draw
thousands of customers from across the Midwest.