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41-476: The mall was created by TrizecHahn and real estate developer Jack Sommer. It opened as Desert Passage on August 17, 2000, originally as part of the Aladdin resort. Desert Passage initially struggled, as did the Aladdin. The mall was sold in 2003, and renovations began in 2006, in connection with the Aladdin's rebranding as Planet Hollywood. The mall was renamed Miracle Mile Shops on May 1, 2007. Miracle Mile Shops

82-637: A Build-A-Bear Workshop video game for the Nintendo DS platform for Christmas 2007. A Build-A-Bear game for the Nintendo Wii , subtitled A Friend Fur All Seasons , was released in fall 2008. Build-A-Bear released a feature film, available on the iPad through MoPix, in December 2011. From 2011 to 2013, Millennial women began increasingly visiting the stores to purchase accessories intended for their pets, rather than prior bear purchases. In 2008,

123-510: A Build-A-Bear music label. Patrick Hughes (founder of Foundation Media Partners ) and Harvey Russell (CEO) went on board to guide the label. With an announcement of having secured a deal with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions in an August 2019 Q2 earnings report, Build-A-Bear was starting up an in-house production entity, Build-A-Bear Entertainment. The first movie is The Honey Girls movie, which comes with songs and music videos on its YouTube channel. Two Christmas movies were produced,

164-491: A bear. The relatively low price of the stuffed bears for younger children attracted massive numbers of people, overwhelming the franchise's stores as well as many shopping malls in which Build-A-Bear franchises were located. The event prompted a surge in public awareness of the Build-A-Bear brand, according to a subsequent YouGov poll, nearly all of which was negative. Sharon Price John, president and CEO, apologized;

205-401: A garage next door. It also acquired a portfolio of assets from The JBG Companies for $ 560 million. In November 1998, the company sold a portfolio of shopping malls , including Westfield Santa Anita to Westfield Group for $ 1.4 billion. In 1999, the company acquired 1 New York Plaza for $ 390 million from Chase Manhattan Bank . By early 2000, 80% of TrizecHahn's revenues was from

246-522: A home bear-stuffing kit. A few Build-A-Bear Workshop locations began testing the "make-your-own-doll" concept in early 2004. In November 2004, Clark opened the first Friends 2B Made store with this concept in Robinson near Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania followed by a location in Columbus, Ohio on November 19, 2004. Existing mass doll makers had slipping sales, and a number of specialty doll makers entered

287-420: A joint venture known as Boulevard Invest. Urban Retail Properties was hired to manage the mall. In connection with the Aladdin rebranding, renovation work began on the mall in 2006, with plans to rename it Miracle Mile Shops. The name change took effect on May 1, 2007. Unlike its predecessor, Miracle Mile Shops sought to focus on affordability rather than high-end luxury. General manager Russell Joyner described

328-465: A panel of children. The build-a-bear concept was selected from the three, as the children were excited about it, and the stuffed animals offered a high-profit margin. Doll shops (known as Build-A-Doll) were also a part of the original business plan. Clark founded Build-A-Bear in 1997. In 1997, Clark also offered to purchase Basic Brown Bears, who has been operating since 1985 in the do-it-yourself stuffed animals space. Adrienne Weiss Co. of Los Angeles

369-467: A virtual game of Build-A-Bear was released where people could explore Bearville and play games online. Players had an inventory with items that they could trade amongst each other. The player could also listen to songs in the game. This game closed in 2015. Cepia, LLC settled a patent and copyright infringement lawsuit over a color-changing bear against Build-A-Bear in 2013. Also in 2013, founder Maxine Clark retired as CEO, and Sharon Price John took over

410-475: Is an American retailer headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri that sells teddy bears , stuffed animals , and characters. During store visits, customers go through an interactive process where the stuffed animal of their choice is assembled and tailored to their own preferences including varying scents, sounds, looks, and outfits. Build-A-Bear Workshop is the largest chain that operates in this style. The company's slogan

451-442: The 150-seat Blue Note Cafe. The club operated at Desert Passage until 2003, while Commander's Palace closed four years later. Other notable tenants have included Tipsy Robot, which opened in 2017 and features robot bartenders. Desert Passage initially featured more than 30 performers who provided entertainment throughout the mall on a daily basis. Performers included acrobats, a contortionist, musicians, and dancers. Since its opening,

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492-425: The Aladdin, which filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Trizec believed that Desert Passage would rebound once the Aladdin emerged from bankruptcy. Disgruntled tenants accused management of poor advertising and failure to sign a major anchor tenant . Trizec dismissed tenant allegations that the mall's visitor counts were being inflated in order to justify the current leasing rates. Because of a large number of tenant vacancies,

533-588: The Canadian Arena Company. In the 1980s, Trizec acquired The Hahn Company . In 1984, Trizec acquired a controlling interest in Toronto-based property developer Bramalea Ltd. After adding $ 5 billion in debt to finance rapid expansion during the 1980s property boom, Bramalea collapsed in the early 1990s, and in 1995, its U.S. subsidiary went bankrupt in the largest bankruptcy of a U.S. house developer. With restructuring of Trizec, Edper's equity

574-595: The Las Vegas debut for many tenants, including Build-A-Bear Workshop . The mall has 170 tenants as of 2023. Desert Passage was designed by RTKL Associates . The mall featured sky painted ceilings and more than 100 lamps custom-made in Morocco. To maintain the Arabian theme, tenants were restricted from having oversized display windows, and signage was required to be discreet. Individualized storefronts were allowed once

615-509: The Ovation Theatre & Events Center later that year. In 2004, producer David Saxe purchased the space for $ 3 million and converted it into the V Theater and Event Center. A $ 4 million renovation of the V Theater was underway in 2007, to make better use of the space. Magician Steve Wyrick opened a separate 500-seat theater in 2007, overseeing many details of its construction. The Wyrick Theater closed in 2009, and Saxe took it over

656-596: The Sears Tower. In February 2004, the company sold its interest in Hollywood & Highland to CIM Group for $ 200 million. In May 2006, the company acquired 13 office properties in Southern California from Arden Realty for $ 1.63 billion. In October 2006, Brookfield Properties and The Blackstone Group acquired the company for $ 8.9 billion. When it was Canada-based, the headquarters in

697-621: The United States and the company moved its headquarters to Chicago and sold all holdings it held in Canada, changing its name to Trizec. In 2001, it sold noncore assets for $ 417 million. In April 2002, the company received permission to convert to a public real estate investment trust . In November 2002, after the September 11 attacks , the company wrote down two-thirds of the $ 70 million investment it made in 1997 to gain control of

738-476: The Workshop demanded that the company stop selling stuffed animals, recall its merchandise, and turn over its customer database and its proceeds. Vermont Teddy Bears had only two out of its three retail locations doing stuffed bears but had closed them down as being too expensive and stepping on its Bear-Gram program. Basic Brown Bears countersued, as the owners believed that Build-A-Bear swiped its information that

779-660: The built bears, the store carried other merchandise, "Bearaphenalia," to encourage repeat business. These items included candy, greeting cards, jewelry, stationery, stickers, and t-shirts. Also, the stores had a photo booth that converts the pictures into stickers. For the video game Kinectimals: Now with Bears! , it released four bears with scan tags, consisting of Champ Bear, Colorful Hearts Bear, Endless Hearts Teddy and Peace & Hearts Bear. Fox Business reporting described some outrage from adult-themed bears, available online only, after they were introduced in January 2024, under

820-446: The chain to 14 stores. The stores were doubling the national mall averages of $ 350 sales per square foot. In 1999, the Workshop sent out legal letters with threats of federal lawsuits regarding supposed violations of its trademarks and copyrights to its competitors: Friends 2B Made LLC, Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc., and Basic Brown Bears Inc. With Friends 2B Made, the name was similar to Build-A-Bear's slogan "Where best friends are made";

861-591: The company stated that those who had waited in line would receive vouchers. In November 2017, the company expanded on its pop up shop locations with the opening of Build-A-Bear Bakeshop temporarily for the holidays in the West County Center near a Workshop location. In August 2018, the company launched Kabu pre-teen lifestyle brand based on Japanese kawaii -style art starting with three characters: Kabu Pawlette (bunny), Kabu Bearnice (bear) and Kabu Catlynn (kitten). A companion game app, Kabu Pop Party Quest,

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902-839: The early 1970s were in Place Ville Marie in Montreal, Quebec . After a first move to Calgary, Alberta in 1976 by then company President Harold Milavsky, the headquarters were moved again to Toronto, Ontario in 1995, where the headquarters were in the BCE Place . In 2004, the company was headquartered at Suite 4600 of the Willis Tower in the Chicago Loop . It later moved to the Near West Side . Build-A-Bear Workshop Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.

943-559: The expansions. Kansas City Equity Partners invested to allow her to open its second store in August 1998 in Overland Park, Kansas . Windsor Capital injected $ 4.5 million into the company, which allowed for two Chicago area stores to open. With the four stores opened in 1998, the chain had $ 3.3 million in sales. In 1999, Walnut Capital Partners invested $ 5 million for expansion, which consisted of opening stores in major cities to bring

984-578: The first being Christmas CEO , which was first broadcast on Hallmark Channel on November 26, 2021, and the second being Glisten and the Merry Mission , which comes out in Cinemark theaters on November 3, 2023. PRWS Entertainment Group, a custom entertainment, live events and branded experiences production company, formed a partnership with the company. In second-quarter 2020, the company moved its headquarters from Overland to St. Louis. Beyond

1025-582: The following year, renaming it the Saxe Theater and operating it concurrently with the V Theater. TrizecHahn Trizec Properties, Inc. , previously known as TrizecHahn Corporation , was a real estate investment trust headquartered in Chicago , Illinois . It was originally a Canadian company. The name is derived from the initials of the three groups (Tri) that formed Trizec Properties Ltd: Zeckendorf, Eagle Star, and Covent Gardens. In 1994, it

1066-545: The mall interior has also featured a faux freighter and a rain show, the latter of which was updated in the 2023 renovation. Desert Passage originally included the 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m) Alakazam Food Court, which closed due to poor business in September 2002. In January 2003, the former food court was converted into Sevilla, a restaurant and nightclub with Charo as headliner. Sevilla filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy less than four months after opening. It became

1107-465: The mall transitioned into Miracle Mile Shops, although portions of the Arabian theme were left in place and remain as of 2023. Upon the mall's opening, restaurant tenants included Commander's Palace , which originated in New Orleans. The mall also featured a branch of New York's Blue Note Jazz Club , marking only the second U.S. location. The venue offered seating for 500 people, and also included

1148-479: The mall was eventually nicknamed "Deserted Passage" by its critics. In 2003, Planet Hollywood International announced that it would purchase the Aladdin and rebrand it as a Planet Hollywood resort. Desert Passage tenants were optimistic that the change would benefit the mall, and prospective buyers emerged soon after the announcement. New York developer David Edelstein and RFR Holding purchased Desert Passage in December 2003, for $ 240.5 million. They owned it through

1189-565: The mall's exterior and interior as part of the renovation work, which also included new flooring, lighting, and ceilings. As of 2022, Miracle Mile Shops had 26 million visitors annually, and had seen nearly 470 million visitors since its initial opening in 2000. The mall was built out in a 1.2 mile-long, circular floorplan. It includes 475,000 sq ft (44,100 m) of space, and opened with 130 stores and 14 restaurants. Notable retailers included Aveda , Clinique , Hugo Boss , Sephora , Tommy Bahama , and Z Gallerie . Desert Passage marked

1230-426: The market, including eToys' My Twinn and Mattel's American Girl. By October 2006, there were 9 Friends 2B Made stores in operation. By October 1, 2009, they were all either shuttered or converted into expanded Build-A-Bear outlets, with their staff being offered jobs at Bear locations. The Friends 2B Made products display fixtures were removed from about 50 workshop locations. The Game Factory developed and released

1271-604: The position around June. The company licensed My Little Pony and the musical group One Direction. With 400 stores, the company plans to trim 60 underperforming stores over two years. In 2015, a lawsuit sought damages for discriminating against blind people and lack of blind-accessible point-of-sale machines in Build-a-Bear shops. On July 12, 2018, Build-A-Bear held an event in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada where patrons could pay their child's age for

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1312-507: The renovation, which cost over $ 60 million, as "Hollywood meets Times Square on the Vegas Strip." The renovated mall included a brighter design by Gensler . The project also included the removal of cobblestone flooring, which had been the subject of visitor complaints. Sales and foot traffic saw an increase following the changes. As of 2009, the mall had annual visitation of 22 million, up from 15 million in 2004. Approximately 90 percent of

1353-645: The visitors were tourists. In 2016, the mall was sold for approximately $ 1 billion to Institutional Mall Investors LLC, a joint venture of Miller Capital Advisory and CalPERS . Planning for another renovation began in 2017, and work was set to begin in 2020, although this was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic . Work eventually began in January 2022, and took place in phases, allowing the mall to remain open. The renovation concluded in June 2023. More than 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m) of LED screens were added to

1394-517: Was "Where Best Friends Are Made" from 1997–2013 when it was changed to "The Most Fun You'll Ever Make." As of April 2019, the company's president/CEO is Sharon Price John . In the mid-1990s, Maxine Clark resigned as president of Payless ShoeSource and started a string of retail stores with interactive experiences similar to her childhood of various events held at department stores. She went to toy factories and children's retail stores looking for ideas. She drew up three plans, then presented them to

1435-704: Was acquired by Peter Munk and in October 2006, it was acquired by Brookfield Properties and The Blackstone Group . Trizec was founded in 1960 by William Zeckendorf with British associates recapitalize the Place Ville Marie development in Montreal . In the 1970s, the Toronto branch of the Bronfman family acquired a 50.1% controlling interest in Trizec through its holding company, Edper Investments . The Bronfmans were also owners of Carena Properties, successor to

1476-522: Was also created. During the 2018 holiday season, Build-A-Bear opened six pop-up pilot shops in Walmart stores. The success of the pilot led to the expansion of Build-A-Bear into a further 25 Walmart locations in 2019. The company launched a streaming radio station in October 2018. Build-A-Bear Workshop teamed up with Warner Music Group's Arts Music and Warner Chappell Music in July 2019 to partner on

1517-467: Was also majority owner of the Aladdin. Actress Barbara Eden , who portrayed a genie on the 1960s television series I Dream of Jeannie , dressed in character and reprised the role for the debut of Desert Passage, which opened on August 17, 2000. The mall expected to attract 50,000 visitors daily. Early revenue was poor, and new stores were added in an effort to improve business. The mall's poor sales and foot traffic were attributed to financial problems at

1558-666: Was hired to develop the concept. Clark wanted to expand the store into a chain from the beginning, expecting to open three to five stores in 1998, and six to ten stores in 1999, with the goal of having 100 stores within five years. She opened the first store in the Saint Louis Galleria in Richmond Heights, Missouri . The first year's sales at $ 377,600 were above projections. With store opening cost of $ 500,000 to $ 700,000 and estimated per store sales at $ 2 million, Clark quickly found capital firms to invest in for

1599-772: Was originally known as Desert Passage, and was built along with the Aladdin resort on the Las Vegas Strip . Both the mall and resort featured an Arabian theme. Plans for Desert Passage were announced in March 1997. The mall was built at a cost of $ 290 million, and was designed to compete with the Forum Shops , also on the Strip. TrizecHahn owned the majority two-thirds of the mall, with Sommer Family Trust as minority owner. The trust, headed by real estate developer Jack Sommer,

1640-487: Was reduced to a nominal amount. In 1994, Trizec Corporation was acquired by Peter Munk 's Horsham Corporation. It moved its headquarters from Calgary to Toronto. Horsham Corporation and Trizec Corporation were amalgamated in 1996 to form TrizecHahn Corporation. In 1997, it acquired a controlling interest in the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower ) in Chicago for $ 70 million with payment of an additional $ 40 million for

1681-760: Was under a confidential disclosure agreement when Clark attempted to purchase the company in 1997 and from her visits to their Mall of America location, while Clark asserted that Basic Brown Bears had switched from plastic bags to copy the Workshops' signature cardboard carrier. The company settled with Basic Brown with a payment and a confidentiality agreement that hides any validity to these allegations. Build-A-Bear has 14 other lawsuits to protect 380 patents, trademarks and copyrights. Clark took Build-A-Bear Workshop public in 2004. The company opened its first international franchise in Sheffield, England and licensed Hasbro

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