Not many businesses can say they started out with a few horses and a wagon for hauling steamer trunks.

There aren’t many companies in the Kansas City area that can claim roots as far back as the 1870s, but Rau Construction is a rare breed.

Riverside Red X considers itself the “store to explore.” The retailer celebrated 70 years in business in 2018 and is a family business. Ed Young founded the company as a filling station in 1948 with only $150 in inventory. Red X was the gas distributor.

Like a lot of U.S. businesses, Jack Livers’ lighting company didn’t survive the Great Depression. After the end of World War II, however, his sons found a new use for the family’s foundry and their metalworking skills: Livers Bronze Co. was born.

Philip Wang left behind a New York-based wholesale fur company he co-founded when he set up his own shop in Kansas City in 1926. Three years into his new venture, the Great Depression hit. Despite selling luxury items in a weak economy, Alaskan Fur Co. grew, moving into an expanded facility during World War II.