Ridemakerz (alternatively written "RIDEMAKERZ") is an American retailer of
customizable toy cars. The business was started in 2007 by Larry Andreini,
Chip Foose
Chip Foose (born October 13, 1963) is an American automobile designer, artist, and star of Velocity's reality television series '' Overhaulin.
Life and career
Foose began working on automobiles at age seven for his father's company, Project ...
(of
TLC Overhaulin'), and Maxine Clark (of
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is an American retailer headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri that sells teddy bears and other stuffed animals and characters. Customers go through an interactive process in which the stuffed animal of their choice ...
).
History
The first location opened June 1, 2007 in
Myrtle Beach, SC
Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its y ...
at
Broadway at the Beach
__NOTOC__
Broadway at the Beach is a shopping center and entertainment complex located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Broadway at the Beach is owned and operated by Burroughs & Chapin. The $250 million attraction is set on in the heart of Myrtle ...
. Since then, twelve locations had opened in ten other states. In late 2009, Ridemakerz began closing most of its stores. By early 2022, Ridemakerz has opened a total of 5 stores, Myrtle Beach SC, Branson MO, Pigeon Forge TN, Mall of America MN, and Anaheim CA.
The company holds licenses to make the
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctive ...
,
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing ...
,
Dodge Ram
The Ram pickup (marketed as the Dodge Ram until 2010) is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by Chrysler, Stellantis North America (formerly Chrysler Group LLC and FCA US LLC) and marketed from 2010 onwards under the Ram Trucks brand. The cur ...
,
Dodge Viper
The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was manufactured by Dodge (by SRT for 2013 and 2014), a division of American car manufacturer FCA US LLC from 1992 until 2017, having taken a brief hiatus in 2007 and from 2010 to 2012. Production of the two ...
,
Ford F-250 Super Chief,
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
, , and the
Scion xB
The Scion xB is a compact car (subcompact car in its first generation) made by Scion, a now-defunct fully owned division of Toyota, for the United States market. It is a box-shaped, 5-door hatchback.
First generation (XP30; 2003)
The firs ...
.
Company information
Ridemakerz is a
limited liability company
A limited liability company (LLC for short) is the United States of America, US-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the Flow-through entity, pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole p ...
. It was founded in 2007 in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...
and moved to
Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Rancho Santa Margarita is a city in Orange County, California, United States. One of Orange County's youngest cities, Rancho Santa Margarita is a master-planned community. The population was 47,853 at the 2010 census, up from 47,214 at the 2000 ...
in 2009. There are currently 8 locations. The main financier is investor Norman Pozez.
Build-A-Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is an American retailer headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri that sells teddy bears and other stuffed animals and characters. Customers go through an interactive process in which the stuffed animal of their choice ...
owns about 25% of the company. In 2010, it opened a warehouse and distribution center in
Valencia, California
Valencia is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County, California. This area, with major commercial and industrial parks, straddles State Route 126 and the Santa Clara River.
Development projects continue to be built in ...
(using the same system as Build-A-Bear) and moving its headquarters to
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...
. There are approximately 250 employees nationwide and 16 employees at its headquarters.
In 2018, 2 new stores were opened.
References
{{Reflist
Retail companies of the United States
Toy companies of the United States
Retail companies established in 2007
Companies based in St. Louis
American companies established in 2007