Press Release

BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP® HIGHLIGHTED IN NEWLY PUBLISHED BOOK ON EXPERIENCE RETAIL

St. Louis, Missouri (December 16, 2002) Build-A-Bear Workshop® continues to lead in its category in experience retail evidenced by a new book that just recently hit bookstores across the country on December 4th. The book is titled PRICELESS: Turning Ordinary Products into Extraordinary Experiences (Harvard Business School Press) and authors Diana LaSalle and Terry A. Britton use Build-A-Bear Workshop as a case study to illustrate how to create and enhance retail products or services through value-adding experiences.

"We are very excited and honored to be included in this publication," said Maxine Clark, founder and Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. "Diana LaSalle and Terry Britton did an excellent job of providing examples of how to keep the customer first and foremost throughout the shopping experience. We are excited to be seen as a leader in creating a great experience each time we have a Guest visit one of our stores."

In a recent interview, the authors said, "One of the best overall Value Experience companies we've found is Build-A-Bear Workshop. Even its name tells you you're going to have a great time doing business with them. Everything from their products, the environment in their stores and the training their people receive show their concern for the customer."

Lively, practical, and entertaining, PRICELESS helps managers, marketers, and strategists recognize exactly what customers want and how to deliver it. The new 182-page book is now available at most bookstores. Fore more information, visit http://www.pricelessthebook.com.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is an interactive, entertainment mall-based retailer that invites Guests of all ages to create their own customized stuffed animals. The company operates 109 stores nationwide including a very successful e-commerce business. Build-A-Bear Workshop is the innovator and leader of the make-your-own-stuffed animal concept for mall-based retailing. The premier store opened in the Saint Louis Galleria, St. Louis, Missouri, in October 1997. For more information, call (888) 560-BEAR or visit the company's award-winning Web site at www.buildabear.com.

To schedule an interview with Maxine Clark, or authors Diana LaSalle or Terry Britton, please contact Jill Saunders at 314-423-8000 or jills@buildabear.com.