And now we have raised a generation of children who don’t buy a teddy bear off a shelf anymore. Visit Build-A-Bear online to track your order, view status details, learn about shipping information and more. So it made sense that she would wind up in … We put two outlet malls half a mile from each other, right near another mall! Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has more than 400 stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, Mexico and South America. [3] She holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Saint Louis University. [4] In 1992, Clark became the president of Payless Shoe Source, and left the company in 1996. 1 For today’s generation, Maxine Clark is that person and Build-A-Bear Workshop is that idea. She came to St. Louis as head of merchandise research for the May Company, became president of Payless ShoeSource, and then broke away to start the now-global Build-A-Bear Workshop. Bob [Fox] is more detail-oriented; I’m more big-picture. You want to encourage. Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. And with the start of the internet, I knew that if we didn’t make retailing better, we were going to lose out. My parents took us out to dinner, and I had to keep Teddy in the car, and he was stolen! They love to read, they’re swimmers… So we created Blueprint4Summer, to make it easy for parents to access information about summer camps. Before establishing her own company, she worked for larger companies. "All those reasons they’d say a woman couldn’t do something—children, not enough experience, not enough money—none of them were true for me.". In her case, she takes her cues from pint-size customers who are far too young to either drive to one of her stores or to plop down a credit card at the cash register. As of April 2019, the company's president/CEO is Sharon Price John. Twenty-five years of experience in retail management prepared founder Maxine Clark for the creation and successful implementation of the Build-a-Bear Workshop concept. She went to toy factories and children's retail stores looking for ideas. His relatives came over on the Mayflower; my grandparents came over from Eastern Europe. Those children are going to apply that to everything else. Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop is the leader in interactive retail. Actually, my father and a neighbor had taken Teddy, because I used to suck my thumb when I read to him at night, and they wanted me to stop. Clark will discuss her perspective on the retail industry today. FORTUNE -- Maxine Clark, the 63-year-old founder of Build-a-Bear, was always a shopper, even as a kid. History. Build-A-Bear has released an online exclusive pram for their Baby Yoda plush, which can also be paired with a Mandalorian bear and other accessories. Copyright 2020 SLM Media Group. People brought their dogs to work. What you’re for, get out there and be for it. Prior to founding Build-A-Bear Workshop, Ms. Clark was the President of Payless ShoeSource, Inc. (“Payless”) from 1992 until 1996. So I got a lot of exposure to senior management, traveling, making decisions for a big company, and I loved it. Retail goes in cycles, you’ve said. You don’t have children, but you owe your business concept to one. Now they’ve created this pop-up store idea, so you don’t have to be there 365 days. When one rather stiff, formal banker propped his feet up on his desk, it took her a minute to register: He’d worn his Ralph Lauren teddy bear socks for her. Yeah, they’ll say, “How do I know you?” and I say, “Well, it’s obvious I’m not a movie star!” But there’s something that comes with me that I love that people recognize. During her career, her ability to spot emerging retail and merchandising trends and her insight into the desires of the American consumer have generated growth for retail leaders, including department store, discount and specialty stores. Does it make you sad that Build-A-Bear has ditched the cute titles? But when everything is a negative, why would anyone want to be here? I think that in 20 years, maybe less, someone will reinvent department stores—it might be Amazon—but we will never need all the malls we have now. The build-a-bear concept was selected from the three, as the children were excited about it, and the stuffed animals offered a high-profit margin. In 2006, she published her first book “The Bear Necessities of Business: Building a Company with Heart”. When I left Build-a-Bear and I was going a lot to Cortex and working with women entrepreneurs, I saw how diverse these coworking spaces were, and how much people want to work together. Maxine Clark (née Kasselman, born March 6, 1949 in Coral Gables, Florida) is the founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop, an American retailer that sells customizable teddy bears and other stuffed animals. In the mid-1990s, Maxine Clark resigned as president of Payless ShoeSourceand started a string of retail stores with interactive experiences similar to her childhood of various events held at department stores. Build-A-Bear has al… Today there are more than 500 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide and nearly 190 million stuffed animals have been sold. SLM contributor Jeannette Cooperman is intrigued by people's lives, ideas, relationships, and struggles. Without my teachers, I would be nowhere and nobody. 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