'Newly Imagined' Build-A-Bear Workshop Now Open

A "newly imagined" Build-A-Bear Workshop store is now open at Roosevelt Field Mall. Take a virtual tour of the new store here.

The store is enhanced with innovative technology to provide a "richer, more interactive experience for guests," according to a store press release. The new design received "rave reviews" when it was introduced in six U.S. markets in the fall of 2012. Because overall sales in these locations have exceeded expectations, Build-A-Bear Workshop plans to open 20-25 newly designed locations in North America this year.

“At Build-A-Bear Workshop, we are continually innovating to provide breakthrough experiences and products for today’s generation of tech-savvy Guests,” said Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop. “We are thrilled to bring our newly imagined store to Roosevelt Field and look forward to having fun and making memories with our guests.”

Maria DiLeo, director of marketing for Roosevelt Field, added, “As a leader in the interactive retail space, Build-A-Bear Workshop is providing a special destination to Roosevelt Field that we know our families will enjoy for years to come.” 

Guests who visit the new store will see the following changes:

• An interactive storefront that is enabled by Microsoft’s Kinect technology and interactive touch elements. Guests can play games and view the latest product offerings as they enter the store.

• The Love Me station allows Guests to customize their furry friends with special personality attributes displayed as emoticons on an interactive table. Using Samsung’s SUR40 with Microsoft®PixelSense™ technology, Guests add unique traits - like brave, silly, and smart - to their red satin heart, which is added to their stuffed animal during the Stuff Me process.

• The Hear Me station features an assortment of high quality sounds that can be added to stuffed animals. Using an interactive touch screen, Guests can select and load popular hits from current music, sounds, or their own voice onto a chip to further personalize their stuffed animal.

• The Fluff Me station features a digital bath tub enabled by Samsung’s SUR40 with Microsoft®PixelSense™ technology. The tub magically recognizes the items as they are placed on it and reacts with sensory effects such as virtual bubbles that appear when play soap is placed on the “water surface.”

• The Name Me station, where Guests use a viewfinder or “Bear-O-Scope” to reveal the special attributes they added to their stuffed animal. At Name Me, Guests also create a one-of-a-kind birth certificate that includes a photo of their new furry friend.

Through these interactive elements, Guests can personalize the bear-making process and have a different experience each time they visit, according to the release.

For more information, visit buildabear.com.