Their cards are soulful inspiration.

• Position: Greeting cards made by Jarratt Studios

It was an inspiration when W. Thomas Jarratt III and his wife, Debbie Bell Jarratt, decided to market their religious greeting cards beyond Christian bookstores.

Their 6-year-old Jarratt Studios, based in the Durham County town of Bahama, doubled its sales to more than $200,000 in 1992 after expanding to worldlier outlets.

"The exposure is better," Tom Jarratt, 45, says. "Only 10% of Christians actually shop in Christian bookstores."

Jarratt cards don't just appeal to the pious: They're targeted at black customers. The cards are sold in 1,000 shops nationwide, including Burlington-based Byrd's Food Centers' 45 stores in North Carolina and Virginia.

That's impressive because five giants, including Kansas City, Mo. -based Hallmark and Cleveland-based American Greetings, garnered 80% of the industry's $5 billion in 1991 revenues, leaving 1,000 or so smaller companies to scrap for the remaining 20%. Executive Vice President Marianne McDermott of the Washington-based Greeting Card Association says the Jarratts' success is due to a tight focus on customers. "People want cards that reflect themselves," she says. "Ten years ago we didn't know of companies doing black cards. Now we have a list of 20."

The Jarratts launched their company in 1986 after years of seeking -- but not finding -- inspirational cards featuring black people. "We wanted to reach a market that we didn't think had been touched," says Tom Jarratt, a Petersburg, Va., native. "The black...