The story of David Green and Hobby Lobby might best be summarized by one young man’s entrepreneurial endeavor of a $600 loan and a miniature picture frame and building a nearly $6 billion empire.

You read that right: in 1970, a $600 loan became Greco Products (“Greco” presumably a shortened version of “Green Company”), and 2 years later the garage assembly line moved into a retail space. In the next 4 years, 2 more locations followed.

Hobby Lobby thanks the Lord for the family’s investment, and in a “pay it forward” notions, commits half of its yearly pretax earnings to a number of evangelical ministries, which has surpassed $500 million in total. The stores maintain an active Christian operational philosophy, including closing on Sundays.