Press Release
Build-A-Bear Workshop® Opens at Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo, California
Build-A-Bear Workshop is based on the premise that nearly everyone, regardless of age, has a special fondness for stuffed animals. When Guests visit a Build-A-Bear Workshop store, they enter a lighthearted teddy-bear-themed environment consisting of eight bear-making stations. Guests choose, stuff, stitch, fluff, name and dress their very own stuffed animals. The company is also known for the memorable heart ceremony that takes place during the bear-making process. This station allows Guests to choose a red satin heart, make a special wish and place it safely inside their stuffed animal.
Founder and Chief Executive Bear, Maxine Clark, knows what families want in a shopping experience, and the store is her response to happy memories of shopping as a child. The Build-A-Bear Workshop innovative store concept takes children's interactive entertainment retailing to a new level, combining the process of making your own stuffed animal with the exciting atmosphere and fun of shopping the way it used to be. "When I was young, it was exciting for me to see all the decorations in the stores, and I loved every minute of it," says Clark. "That excitement was something I wanted to re-create for children and families today."
As Guests enter a Build-A-Bear Workshop store they are introduced to a variety of stuffed animals including bears, dogs, cats, bunnies, monkeys and a series of Beary Limited™ edition Collectibear® animals. Build-A-Bear Workshop stuffed animals are very affordable, ranging in price from $10-$25. Hundreds of coordinating outfits and accessories are also available to further personalize new furry friends. Guests in San Mateo have the chance to show their team spirit by purchasing special bear-sized sports merchandise including San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's uniforms, tiny tees and accessories. In addition, bear-sized Golden State Warrior tiny tees will also be available for all basketball fanatics!
Clark is looking forward to opening in San Mateo. She notes, "Our plan is always to open in the premier malls across the country, and we will continue this approach as we open at Hillsdale Shopping Center. We have hundreds of Guests who have visited our stores in San Francisco and personally written to me requesting a Build-A-Bear Workshop® store for the San Mateo area. Now we will be able to reach even more of our friends in California continuing our strategy to bring our stores to wherever families go to have fun," says Clark.
Community Partners
In 2005, a major focus of the company is its continued commitment to causes
that support children and animals. A number of animals in the Build-A-Bear Workshop
line provide Guests the opportunity to support these causes by having a portion
of the proceeds of their purchase donated. In addition to the cause-related
animals, Build-A-Bear Workshop launched the Huggable Heroes program in 2004
as a way to recognize and honor young people that have impacted their own neighborhoods,
schools and communities by giving of themselves to others. It is a program that
empowers and inspires children to get involved as Build-A-Bear Workshop believes
that young people can affect change. More information about the 2005 Huggable
Heroes program is available at all Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and online at
http://huggableheroes.buildabear.com.
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) is the leading and only national company providing
a make-your-own stuffed animal interactive entertainment retail experience.
The first store opened in St. Louis in 1997 and as of January 2005 the company
operated 170 stores in 40 states and Canada. With the opening of its international
store in Sheffield, England in the fall of 2003 and the addition of international
stores in Japan, Denmark and Australia in 2004, Build-A-Bear Workshop has become
the global leader in the teddy bear business. Over 25 million stuffed animals
have been sold world wide since 1997. In November 2004, the company also opened
two friends 2B made® stores, the newest concept launch from Build-A-Bear
Workshop. For more information about the company and its products call (888)
560-BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning website at www.buildabear.com.
Jennifer Mansell
314.423.8000 Ext. 5402
414.801.1146 cell
jenniferm@buildabear.com
Shawn Bertani
314.423.8000 Ext.5366
314.452.6391 cell
shawnb@buildabear.com