Build a Bear

Build a Bear Workshop has always understood the importance of friends. In fact, Build-A-Bear Workshop was born from an idea my friend Katie– who was 10 years old at the time – and I had when we were out shopping for stuffed toys. When we couldn't find the stuffed toy she wanted, she said, "These are so easy, we could make them." She meant we could do a craft project, but what I heard was so much bigger.

I looked around to see if we could buy a business, like a factory that made stuffed animals and make it even more successful. I found a few that made stuffed animals, but no one wanted to sell. Katie thought we should just do it and so we did. We decided to reinvent the idea of making your own stuffed animals for mall- based retailing. After all, Ray Kroc from McDonald's didn't invent hamburgers and Howard Schultz from Starbucks didn't invent coffee, they just invented how to sell more and how to sell it better.

Every adult I asked about the idea said it would never work – why would anyone ever want to make their own stuffed animal? But every kid said "Where is it?" and "When can I do it?" My teddy bear, "Teddy", was my first best friend and helped shape who I am today, so I knew just how meaningful teddy bear friendship could be.

We opened our first store in 1997 at the Saint Louis Galleria in St. Louis, Missouri. Today there are over 400 stores worldwide and over 100 million furry friends adventuring around the globe. We have grown beyond my wildest imagination!

We own a very special, unique and fun culture, a culture that begins with heart. What is a company with heart? It is how we live our values... We are an organization that values teamwork. We listen and learn from each other, and we reward and recognize great accomplishments and extra efforts. We look for possibilities, not obstacles, always setting challenging goals to help us strive for breakthrough results. We are not content with just being the best! We are an energetic team that gives back to our communities through projects like building playgrounds in cities across America, honoring our associates and young Guests for contributions to their communities through our Huggable Heroes® program, sponsoring families in need so they can have a great holiday, and volunteering time in various children’s hospitals.

At Build-A-Bear Workshop®, our mission is to bring the Teddy Bear to life. An American icon, the Teddy Bear brings to mind warm thoughts about our childhood, about friendship, about trust and comfort, and also about love. Build-A-Bear Workshop embodies those thoughts in how we run our business everyday.