Build-A-Bear: Maxine Clark. A Former Shoe Executive Launches a Stuffed Animal Empire
How I Built This with Guy Raz
- Published
- June 15, 2026
- Duration
- 1h 4m
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Jun 15, 2026
Discusses When Maxine Clark left a top job in retail to start a make-your-own stuffed animal store, people tho…
Summary
When Maxine Clark left a top job in retail to start a make-your-own stuffed animal store, people thought she’d lost her mind. Investors doubted it. Friends questioned it. Retail experts couldn't understand how it would scale.But drawing on more than 20 years as a retail executive, Maxine built a massively successful shopping “experience,” where kids could…
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Show notes
When Maxine Clark left a top job in retail to start a make-your-own stuffed animal store, people thought she’d lost her mind. Investors doubted it. Friends questioned it. Retail experts couldn't understand how it would scale.But drawing on more than 20 years as a retail executive, Maxine built a massively successful shopping “experience,” where kids could stuff, dress and personalize their own stuffed animals. Today, Build-A-Bear has generated billions in sales, survived the decline of malls, we