This week's econ talk is with maxine clark, founder and former sito of bill da bear workshop. Maxine: This year is the 20 fifth anniversary of buill de bear workshop,. And a i thought 'd be fun to find out how it came be maxine. The teddy bear is the quinc essential stuffed animal. But we haven't always we've always had other animals too. Dogs, cats, ponies, kittens, a cows, all kinds of animals have always been part of our assortment.
Stuff it, fluff it, stitch it, dress it: Build-a-Bear Founder and former CEO Maxine Clark built a retail-entertainment empire by letting people make their own furry friends. Two hundred million of them. What's the secret to her success? Listen as she tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts how she developed a customer-focused culture, why she sought to join (and not beat) her competition, and about some of the (seriously) strange things people have stuffed into their bears.