HALL OF FAME VILLAGE OPENS UNIQUE BUILD-A-BEAR® WORKSHOP AT ITS FAN ENGAGEMENT ZONE
HOFV location features officially licensed pro and college sports merchandise
Store is now open at 2101 Hall of Fame Way in Canton, Ohio
CANTON, OHIO – SEPT. 15, 2022 – Hall of Fame Village, owned by the Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW), announces the official opening today of the Build-A-Bear Workshop® in its Fan Engagement Zone located at 2101 Hall of Fame Way. The store offers the signature Build-A-Bear Make-Your-Own experience, including the iconic Heart Ceremony, with an assortment of furry friends, accessories, and products that appeal to kids, teens and adults alike.
The HOFV Build-A-Bear Workshop offers an expansive selection of officially licensed professional and college football sports merchandise for a wide assortment of plush bears. The HOFV location also features football inspired graphics throughout the store and fun football themed photo opportunities.
“We’re so excited to bring the fun of Build-A-Bear and be part of this incredible sports and entertainment destination centered around the love of football,” said Chris Hurt, chief operations and experience officer. “For the past 25 years, the Build-A-Bear experience has had the power to add a little more heart to life in a unique way, and we are so excited to provide a full fan experience at this location.”
At Build-A-Bear Workshop, kids — and kids at heart — engage in a hands-on entertaining process to create their very own, personalized furry friends. The experience begins by choosing from a wide array of plush animals and then stuffing them with love with the assistance of a BEAR BUILDER® associate including participating in Build-A-Bear’s iconic Heart Ceremony. A wide range of clothing and accessories allows each new friend to be customized and unique. The process completes when Guests fill out a birth certificate and then take the new furry friend home in a signature Cub CondoTM carrying case. The personal nature of the interactive experience often fosters a lasting and emotional brand connection.
The Fan Engagement Zone at the Hall of Fame Village is a sports and entertainment-themed, 82,000-square-foot promenade, offering rooftop views of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, which will be an active hub for fans to go before, during and after events to have fun, dine, and socialize. Don Shula’s American Kitchen, The Brew Kettle with Topgolf Swing Suites, Smoosh Cookies and others will join Build-A-Bear Workshop and The Visit Canton Visitor Center in building out an exciting guest experience at the Fan Engagement Zone.
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About the Hall of Fame Village
Hall of Fame Village is a multi-use sports, entertainment and media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame's campus in Canton, Ohio. Owned by the Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW), the Village currently has over $250 million worth of assets under management and is one of the largest ongoing construction projects in Ohio. Phase I of the project entailed the construction of the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, a world-class 20,000 seat, sports and entertainment stadium, and the National Youth Football and Sports Complex. Phase II, currently under
construction, will add the Constellation Center for Excellence, the Center for Performance, a Fan Engagement Zone, a Hall of Fame indoor waterpark and a Hilton Tapestry Hotel. Phase III is currently in planning stages. For more information, visit www.HOFVillage.com.
About Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW)
Build-A-Bear is a multi-generational global brand focused on its mission to “add a little more heart to life” appealing to a wide array of consumer groups who enjoy the personal expression in making their own “furry friends” to celebrate and commemorate life moments. Nearly 500 interactive brick-and-mortar retail locations operated through a variety of formats provide guests of all ages a hands-on entertaining experience, which often fosters a lasting and emotional brand connection. The company also offers engaging e-commerce/digital purchasing experiences on buildabear.com including its online “Bear-Builder”, the animated “Bear Builder 3D Workshop” and its age-gated adult-focused “Bear Cave”. In addition, extending its brand power beyond retail, Build-A-Bear Entertainment, a subsidiary of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., is dedicated to creating engaging content for kids and adults that fulfills the company’s mission, while the company also offers products at wholesale and in non-plush consumer categories via licensing agreements with leading manufacturers. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $411.5 million in fiscal 2021. For more information, visit the Investor Relations section of buildabear.com.
Contacts:
Hall of Fame Village
public.relations@hofreco.com
Build-A-Bear
Jaime Ludwig
pr@buildabear.com