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Friday, August 03, 2001

By Teresa F. Lindeman, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Lots of people in the retail industry seem to think Maxine Clark is some kind of genius.

	Thecla Eger, above, who is a bear builder in training, uses a machine to fill a bear with stuffing at the Build-A-Bear Workshop in Ross Park Mall. (Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette)

She's been named 2001 retail innovator of the year (National Retail Federation) and 1999 entrepreneur of the year (in St. Louis' emerging business category) and hauled in a special judges award for creative new concept in 1998 from that page-turner Chain Store Age.

This for a woman who sells teddy bears.

Clark, a former president of Payless ShoeSource Inc., caught her industry's attention by stuffing new life into an old favorite -- and doing it in a big way.

Her idea: Create a place where children build and dress their own bears or bunnies or other stuffed animals. She calls herself Chief Executive Bear and her company is Build-A-Bear Workshop.

The first one opened in St. Louis in late 1997. By year-end, there should be 70 Build-A-Bear stores nationwide bringing in close to $100 million in revenue.

"We expected to have this many stores," said Clark. "We didn't expect to have this much volume."

Clark isn't the only entrepreneur to see the appeal in youngsters making their own stuffed animals, or even the first.

The Basic Brown Bear Factory, based in San Francisco, claims to have been getting children involved since 1985. In recent years, the company added three minifactories, including one in the massive Mall of America in Minnesota. Customers also can get in on the fun by stopping in at the headquarters of the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. or the Maine Bear Factory, which make bears to ship but have set up do-it-yourself systems, too.

	Beth Beczak holds a classic brown bear dressed in a wedding ensemble during a training session last week. The Ross Park Mall store opens today. (Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette)

But Build-A-Bear has found a formula that brings the experience to almost any mall. Clark says her stores average more than $700 per square foot, compared with a national mall average of $350.

Western Pennsylvanians can check out the phenomenon when the bear market arrives at Ross Park Mall today, the first of what Clark promises will be several Build-A-Bear Workshops in the area.

In fact, a number of people around here already have built bears. Clark said the company had thousands of Pittsburgh-area residents in its database. Many apparently found Build-A-Bear while vacationing in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

For novices, here's the drill. Upon arrival at a workshop, Guest Bear Builders (no kidding) go to the Choose Me station. They select a skin that will become a bear, dog, cat, elephant or perhaps a monkey.

They move on to the Hear Me area, where they choose sounds to put inside the animal. These can be prerecorded or personalized. Some people head off to the bathroom so they can have a little privacy for that special message. "We call it our Flush Me studio," said Clark, tongue firmly in cheek.

Then there's Stuff Me, Stitch Me, Fluff Me, Name Me, Dress Me and, finally, Take Me Home (the bears, not the parents).

By then, each builder has invested time in creating a stuffed animal unlike anybody else's. The animals range in price from $10 to $25, according to company literature. But the sky seems to be the limit on clothes and accessories.

New styles arrive regularly. Clark said the back-to-school line was hitting the stores now with argyle sweaters and the look of leather styles (bears would never wear leather, she said).

A Skechers For Bears line of athletic shoes debuts this year. Clark didn't mean to go there. "I tried not to do shoes," she said ruefully. But, "They're so cute."

The 3,000-square-foot Ross Park store will be the first to have an official party room. Other Build-A-Bears do birthday parties; they just don't have special rooms set aside for the festivities. Clark will be interested to see how that works.

As the chain has grown, she has learned more about her customers. The majority are girls, even if they are girls making bears for their boyfriends. She was surprised when they asked for camouflage outfits, but sales have been strong.

It would seem a make-it-yourself bear is a one-time special purchase, but Clark said the average customer came back more than five times a year, perhaps to pick up new roller blades or glasses.

And unlike many retailers, Build-A-Bear's biggest season isn't tied to Christmas. Moms like to bring the children over during the long, slow days of summer.

The company is still testing to figure out how many workshops the market will bear. Too many might turn them into pumpkins.