This past weekend, I was at the mall with my best friend (and first grade teacher) to keep her company while she was running some errands.  She had two stops to make: First stop the Bronco shop to get some gear for the Fiesta Bowl.  Second stop was the Build - A - Bear Workshop so she could get a shirt for her classroom bear. Being in my twenties with no kids, this was my first time in the store. I must say I was pretty impressed with the whole concept. I’m sure many of you are familiar with how it works but for those of you who aren’t, I’ll give you the quick rundown. First, you get to choose your cuddly creature from an assortment of animals. Once you make your choice, you then go to the stuffing machine and your animal begins to take shape. Once stuffed, you can pick from a massive selection of accessories, clothes even wigs and the whole nine yards to trick out your bear. What a concept, letting the customer choose and customize their very own one of a kind "product" while being vested in the process.

I can't help but draw some interesting parallels here between Build-A-Bear and Balihoo. Balihoo offers a complete local store marketing platform that allows it's customers to have a true hands-on approach to their local marketing and media. While also giving the customer the ability to customize and tailor their franchise marketing to fit their needs. I also noticed while visiting the Build-A-Bear website, they were named to FORTUNE's 2009 "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, just as Balihoo was named one of the best companies to work for in Idaho.