In his 200 interviews, Belk found that the most obsessive collectors had one overwhelming trait in common: loneliness.

FORBES: They've Gotta Have It

The next night Belk was host of a dinner for Helms with 130 of the U.N.

CNN: Senator No

"There were lots of broken fingers, " recalls Jeffrey Belk, a childhood pal who now runs marketing at Qualcomm.

FORBES: On The Cover/Top Stories

Belk Department Stores has been the haberdasher of choice for many in North Carolina since its founding by WH Belk in 1888.

FORBES: Who Got Really Rich this Week: An Icelandic Mogul, A Texan in Colombia, A Holy Haberdasher & More

Gambrell is daughter of WH Belk, and an honorary trustee for the company after having spent much of her career managing various operations.

FORBES: Who Got Really Rich this Week: An Icelandic Mogul, A Texan in Colombia, A Holy Haberdasher & More

Before Holbrooke was sworn in, Helms asked the White House to appoint an alternate U.N. delegate: Irwin Belk, a feisty North Carolina buddy who heads a department-store chain.

CNN: Senator No

Belk talked Helms into delivering a speech to the U.N.

CNN: Senator No

The surge comes not from Belk shares rallying, but the release of the annual proxy, which shows Gambrell over the past year acquired a greater stake in the chain.

FORBES: Who Got Really Rich this Week: An Icelandic Mogul, A Texan in Colombia, A Holy Haberdasher & More

The other half is with some 50 business schools like Judge, Rutgers Business School and the Belk College of Business at University of North Carolina, which buy packages of mentoring hours and offer them free to students.

FORBES: A New Way to Get a Job When You Have No Inside Connections

"Charleston has a sophisticated, fashion-savvy audience, so it's just a matter of making my products more accessible to them, " said Rowley, who was in the city this week to visit her King Street store and promote her latest collection for Belk department stores.

CNN: Why the other Fashion Weeks matter