2026-06-15
1 小时 4 分钟I have to imagine there were some people, maybe they didn't say it to you, who thought this was so weird.
Maxine Clark, the lady who ran Payless, like, is starting a stuffed animal thing.
Like, what is she thinking?
Is she nuts?
Like, I just have to imagine people were saying that, maybe behind your back.
No, they said it to me.
They weren't shy.
Welcome to How I Built This, a show about innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists,
and the stories behind the movements they built.
I'm Guy Ross, and on the show today,
how a fruitless search for a beanie baby inspired Maxine Clark to start Build-A-Bear,
a make-your-own-stuffed animal store that grew into a global phenomenon.
In 1992, an article in Forbes magazine pointed out that, of all the top positions in Fortune 500 companies,
only 5% were held by women, which makes today's guest Maxine Clark kind of a pioneer.
Because that year, 1992, she became the president of Payless Shoes,
which at the time was a fast growing subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company, the May department stores company.
Up until that point, Maxine had spent her entire career working for the May Company.
It was a huge, sprawling empire, one of the largest department store chains in America.
Maxine was 43 years old and at the top of her game.
And just four years later, Maxine decided to give it all up.