Maxine Clark
(Founder of Build-A-Bear)

Maxine Clark is the founder of Build- a- Bear Workshop the best child's store in the world, (if you ask us!) When Maxine was 10 she carried around a teddy bear. She would hug her teddy bear and suck her thumb. Her dad wanted her to stop sucking her thumb and dragging around a raggedy bear. One day her teddy bear suddenly vanished from the back seat of the family car. Her father had plotted with a neighbor to steal the teddy bear. Maxine stopped sucking her thumb but she has been searching for her teddy bear ever since. That's what inspired her to create the store Build-A-Bear.

Maxine used to be former president of Payless Shoes. She was named by Discount Store News in 1995 as one of the 30 most powerful people in discount store retailing. In 1997 she created Build-A-Bear Workshop, a teddy bear theme store that kids from 3 to 103 can create their own huggable furry friend. The first Build-A-Bear Workshop opened in the St. Louis Galleria in the fall of 1997. There are over 100 workshops operating nation-wide. Ernst & Young also named her St. Louis' Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year in 1999. Maxine is a very successful and intelligent person who has created something that makes a bad day better.

Maxine Clark lives in St. Louis with her husband, Bob Fox, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia. She has no children.

By Amanda, Joelle & Hayle, fourth grade 2003

Image courtesy of Build-A-Bear.com

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