Alco-Duckwall Retail Stores
Duckwall-ALCO Stores (NASDAQ: DUCK) is a small retail chain operating in 17 states in the US Midwest, founded in 1901 in Kansas. Until 1968 they operated as a five and dime store. From 1968 until the late 1980s they operated as a discount retailer. After 1989 they switched focus again targeting communities where no direct retail competitor, such as Wal-Mart or Kmart, existed.
Alco stores are important because they service communities deemed "too small" for larger retailers.