Flashback To 2009 When The Dow Was Sitting At 10,000

The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit the 10,000 milestone back in 1999, but the 2007/2008 financial crisis erased much of those gains. It wasn't until October 14, 2009, that the Dow closed above the 10,000 mark once more. Since then, a lot has changed.

CNBC's Courtney Reagan took a look back at what has changed since then with a focus on the retail sector.

Turning Back The Calendar

Reagan noted that the top performing retail stock since October 2009 is Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. ULTA, as the surging popularity of social media platforms and smartphones created a new beauty trend that is here to stay.

"You always have to be camera ready now that a selfie can be snapped at any minute and shared on social media," Reagan explained. "That's propelling Ulta's beauty business."

Ulta's stock has gained more than 1,400 percent since October 14, 2009.

Moving on, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN has changed the retail landscape and consumer expectations. Investors who bought Amazon's stock on October 14, 2009, are sitting on a return just shy of 700 percent.

The athleisurewear trend also contributed to four retail names banking a triple digit return since 2009, including Foot Locker, Inc. FL (537 percent), Lululemon Athletica inc. LULU (429 percent), Under Armour Inc UA UAA (242 percent) and Cabelas Inc CAB (349 percent), although the specialty retailer of outdoor merchandise isn't a pure play on athleisurewear like Lululemon is considered to be.

Finally, Reagan continued that the discount and dollar store chains also count themselves as huge winners since 2009. Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. ROST have gained nearly 500 percent, while Dollar Tree, Inc. DLTR's stock gained more than 400 percent.