Books

Follett Corporate Office

Follett was founded in 1873 in Wheaton, Illinois by Charles Barnes. Barnes opened a used bookstore, using part of his home as a business. After a few years, business improved substantially, so Barnes moved to an office in Chicago, selling new and used books, as well as stationery items. Barnes sold the company in 1917 and later founded what is known today as Barnes and Noble bookstores.

The company was sold to C.W. Follett in 1918 and he renamed it Follett Publishing Company. Today, Follett provides educational technology, textbooks, and digital content to many schools in the US, for kindergartners through high school, as well as material for public libraries. The company is focusing on text rentals, eCommerce, and digital materials.

What began as a home business has grown into a $2.7 billion, privately owned company which provides more than 5 million students with the materials they need for their education. The company employs more than 18,000 people in the US, Canada, and other countries.

In 2016, the company acquired online book seller Valore for an undisclosed amount.

Follett maintains a corporate office in Westchester, Illinois.

Follett

History

In 2016, the company acquired online book seller Valore for an undisclosed amount.

Follett maintains a corporate office in Westchester, Illinois.

Lehman’s Corporate Office

Lehman’s Hardware and Appliances, today, simply called Lehman’s, was founded in 1955 by Jay Lehman. His idea was to sell non-electrical and other types of old fashioned tools and hardware to the Amish community in Ohio. Business was nothing more than average until the oil embargo of 1973, when everyone began looking for ways to beat the energy crisis.

Today, Lehman’s specializes in tools and survival gear for environmentalists, survival buffs, Preppers, and those who prefer “off the grid” living. The Amish community used to make up 95% of company sales, today, they account for only about 5% of annual revenue. The company remodeled the store front, using Amish workers, to restore it to its original 1955 facade, although the store has doubled in size over the past decade.

The store is a popular tourist attraction as well, with many people believing that it is a type of museum, when in fact, every item in the store is for sale and is fully functional.

Lehman's

The store is a popular tourist attraction as well, with many people believing that it is a type of museum, when in fact, every item in the store is for sale and is fully functional.

History

Deseret Book Corporate Office

Deseret Books was founded in 1919 when two Utah book sellers, Deseret Sunday School Union Bookstore and Deseret News Bookstores, merged into one. The company is the world’s largest Mormon book publisher and operates a chain of bookstores across the Western half of the US. The company is a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation.

The company is a for profit corporation, publishing books, Mormon related works of fiction, and musical recordings. Desert Books began publishing bibles aimed directly at the Mormon community in the late 1970’s, with works of fiction being published at the beginning of the 1980’s. Sheri Drew became the first female CEO in 2002 and remains in that position.

Deseret Books has locations in 63 countries, and more than 44 locations in the US, and 3,000 full time employees. Although they are a private company and do not need to disclose their revenue, Hoover estimates that in 2012, annual revenue was $1.2 billion.

Deseret Books

History

Joseph-Beth Booksellers Corporate Office

Joseph-Beth Booksellers was founded in 1986 in Lexington, Kentucky, by Neil Joseph and Mary Beth Van Uum. The company name is derived from their middle names combined. The company is an independent bookstore, currently, with 4 locations.

In 1997, the company acquired 4 David-Kidd Book Stores. The company expanded to a total of 9 locations before filing for bankruptcy in 2010. Four locations were sold at auction in 2011, the others liquidated. The current CEO, Mark Wilson, is the former COO of Joseph-Beth.

Mark Wilson has stated he intends to make numerous changes to keep the company profitable, including personally reading each email sent by customers, to adding plenty of kiosks, both manned and self service, so customers do not have to wait in long lines for service. The company has also expanded their eCommerce site.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers introduced a coffee bar in 2014 and has plans for expansion, although no firm date has been set.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers

History

Joseph-Beth Booksellers introduced a coffee bar in 2014 and has plans for expansion, although no firm date has been set.

Half.Com Corporate Office

Half.com was founded in 1999 by Josh Kopelman. The original idea behind the company was to sell used books and textbooks for “half price” or less. The company has no inventory or stores, but instead, has sellers offer their own personal items for sale. The original site sold books, textbooks, and music on CD’s.

The company was purchased by eBay in 2000 for $350 million. Today, it works as a subsidiary of eBay, however, the company does not use an auction type setting as its parent company does. Buyers can see the current new, used, and previously sold prices, however, so they know if the price is a good deal or not. Half.Com offers books, textbooks, music CD’s, movies, and video games.

eBay had considered integrating Half.Com into their platform, however, customers objected. Its main revenue source lies with the used textbook market. The company began accepting PayPal as a means of payment in 2013.

Half.Com