Build-A-Bear arrives at Valley mall
Look out Goldilocks, the bears have come to town.
Teddy bears, that is, along with kittens, puppies, dinosaurs and dozens of other animals since the Inland Northwest’s first Build-A-Bear Workshop opened at Spokane Valley Mall last month.
And unlike the well-known children’s fable, kids and their custom-made teddy bears are getting along just fine.
“It’s like, every day, people discover we’re here,” says Chief Workshop Bear and lifelong Spokane-area resident Ken Hess, who also is known as store manager. “We’ve been busy. It’s definitely been pretty crazy.”
At Build-A-Bear, customers create their own teddy bears with the store’s easy-to-use materials. It’s become increasingly popular with youngsters over the past decade as the St. Louis-based company expands into new markets worldwide. The company, founded in 1997 by former Payless ShoeSource president Maxine Clark, currently has more than 275 stores internationally and posted $437 million revenue for fiscal year 2006.
Customers at Build-A-Bear enter a brightly colored and lighthearted teddy-bear themed environment where they can choose from more than 30 stuffed animals to make. They follow a process of eight bear-making stations, including stuffing, stitching, fluffing and naming. Hess says a ceremony is performed when each animal comes to life, and customers receive birth certificates and the creatures are sent home in a cardboard Cub Condo carrying case.
Cost to create an animal ranges from $10 to $25, but the possibilities and prices to clothe and accessorize are practically endless with plentiful amounts of “Bear Stuff.” The company has licensing agreements with Disney, the NBA and Hello Kitty for clothing and accessories. Other items available include car seats, strollers, adventure gear, phones and purses. Wheelchairs, glasses and hearing aids also are available.
“We really concentrate on not just selling, but creating experiences and memories,” said Hess. “The community really loves it. They’ve been waiting for Build-A-Bear to come here. I definitely see it just taking off here.”
He noted the Spokane Valley Mall was chosen by the company as a test market location for a smaller area store. The store employs 25 people, three who are full time. The Spokane Valley store is one of five Build-A-Bear Workshops in Washington. The others are in cities along Interstate 5 from Bellingham to Tacoma.