As a University of Alabama student on Christmas break in 1968, Ken Webster visited the leading Birmingham art supply retailer looking for block printer's ink, an artist staple. "They said they were out of it," Webster remembers. "I couldn't believe it. What that told me was that there was probably room in the market for competition."

While Webster was finishing up his degree in economics and finance, he launched Alabama Art Supply Inc. out of his home, selling to his former high school art instructor and other clients. In 1970, after taking more than a dozen accounts from Lassiter's, Webster opened his first retail storefront at 1601 12th St. S. Read More