Build-A-Bear

We have a Build-A-Bear here in Bloomington at the College Mall.  Kelly is a long-time employee and manager there.  Kelly said her favorite part of working at Build-A-Bear is “the interaction with folks and the new Bears we get all the time.”  She particularly likes their new summer plushies, which include a colorful Pelican.  When asked about her favorite experiences at Build-A-Bear, Kelly stated “customers want to have fun when they’re in the workshop and we want to be able to talk to people and ask them why they came in.”  Kelly enjoys Build-A-Bear so much that she has continued to work there for 16 years.  She said she really enjoys “traveling to the warehouse to see all the new products.”  She’s hopeful that she will be sent to the new Build-A-Bear workshop opening in ICON Park near Universal Studios this summer.  This workshop is predicted to be the largest one in the world.  

  Build-A-Bear has benefited from something called “kidulting.”  Kidulting is where adults want to go back to experiencing the things that brought them happiness as kids, so they buy things they enjoyed as kids.  Because of that, Build-A-Bear created “ The Bear Cave.”  According to Explore St. Louis The Bear Cave is an online website to purchase specially designed and created plushies for adults.  It “is an age-gated microsite filled with unexpected collaborations and unique toys.”