I loved retail from the beginning, and I still love it today.

There’s a lot more business out there in small town America than I ever dreamed of.

I not only knew I wanted to go into retailing, I also knew I wanted to go into business for myself.

The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want. And really, if you think about it from the point of view of the customer, you want everything: a wide assortment of good quality merchandise; the lowest possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly, knowledgeable service; convenient hours; free parking; a pleasant shopping experience.

I've owned about 18 airplanes over the years, and I've never bought one of them new.

Don't get so stuck in your ways that you can't change.

I learned a lesson which has stuck with me all through the years: you can learn from everybody. I didn't just learn from reading every retail publication I could get my hands on, I probably learned the most from studying what John Dunham was doing across the street