Ann Taylor

While many big merchants are struggling to sustain their sales, one of the fastest growing retailers in Minnesota is a nonprofit. Sales at the thrift stores of Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota have been soaring thanks to a surge in the opening of new stores beyond the urban core. Consumers' growing frugality is also boosting sales. In the past three years, Goodwill's retail sales have jumped about 75 percent to $67 million, a growth rate any business executive would be happy to brag about.