"
KooKoo Bear Kids store is located in The Shops of South Canton at 29 Oak
Street in Roswell, GA.475.

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KooKoo Bear Kids Opens First Retail Store

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As a child in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Onofrio combed the sand and
boardwalks for shells, ticket stubs, costume jewelry, and other tourist
flotsam. Mr.

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Gifts for the new mother include soft
loungewear, spa slippers, and other items that offer rest and relaxation .
The $40,000 award is given each year to a working artist whose long career
has made a significant impact on the arts in Minnesota and beyond.
This autumn The McKnight Foundation will publish a commemorative volume
about Onofrio's work, and will formally present the 2005 Distinguished Artist
Award to Onofrio at a private reception.

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The 2000 square foot
store opened to the public on March 1st and carries all the same exceptional
quality furniture, clothing, and gifts found on the Web site.mcknight.

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Personalized gifts and designer products
from Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic, Traditions by Pamela Kline, Baby Nay,
3 Marthas, and Rub a Dub Dub are just some of the specialty items offered at
the store and on-line. Rugs, curtains, wall hangings and much more provide all the
accessories for a child to have a beautifully designed haven for sleep and
play.kookoobearkids.
"Judyland " -- the tongue-in-cheek name Onofrio has given to her sculpture-
filled Rochester garden -- celebrates Onofrio's art, which is both playful and
surreal.

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net

To arrange for interviews with Onofrio or McKnight staff,
please call the Foundation.

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While found objects are the
foundation of Onofrio's sculpture, her subject matter is decidedly organic,
focusing on people, animals, birds , and fish, and addressing moral themes like
good, evil, passion, and desire.
The McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes creative individuals
who, individually and collectively, have laid the foundation for the rich
cultural life Minnesota enjoys today.

Note to Editors and Producers
A high-resolution photo of Onofrio may be downloaded from
http://www.

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"KooKoo Bear Kids can fill the void that shoppers demand., Tuesday through Saturday." Available via their Web
site, catalog, or retail store, KooKoo Bear Kids offers hundreds of products
that make a child 's room truly special."
"It is such a privilege to have the freedom and support to do what I do ,"
continues Onofrio.mcknight.

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"Our online business is tremendous and growing rapidly, but we often
had people coming to our warehouse wanting to pick-up their purchases and shop
for more!"
"We see a major trend in the retail business for 'neighborhood stores'
that don't carry the same mass produced products as mall stores and offer
customers one-of-a-kind items," said Joe Mediate , CEO of KooKoo Bear Kids. The
award winning Web site enables online ordering and 24-hour shopping
convenience.

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, an online and
catalog marketer of upscale children's furniture and accessories, announces
the opening of its first retail store in Roswell, GA.

About The McKnight Foundation
Founded in 1953 and endowed by William L.

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Unique items and specialties include keepsakes , scrapbooks, bassinets,
and snuggly blankets for infants.

For More Information Contact:
Becky Boyd
MediaFirst PR - Atlanta
(770) 642-2080
becky@mediafirst.mcknight .
"Judy Onofrio's work is a testament to Minnesota's vibrant, creative
artist community," says Erika L. "I simply cannot fathom working anywhere else," Onofrio says.
"I'd never have been able to find the connections for materials, the freedom
to work on such a grand scale, or such a diverse group of artists who have
become my dear friends.org .

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and
6:00 p.
KooKoo Bear Kids offers delightful children's furniture, bedding and
accessories designed from a "kid's point of view.800 .

This category is for and about bead crafters' sites.

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"We had an overwhelming customer demand to open a retail store that
offered an unparalleled shopping experience where people could touch and feel
our high quality merchandise," said Tara Mediate, president of KooKoo Bear
Kids.6909 .

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Over the years, Onofrio worked in clay and experimented with everything
from painting and drawing to pyrotechnic sculpture.

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It is located
in the historic district of Roswell, a northern suburb of Atlanta steeped in
ambiance and charm. "With striking
vision and storytelling abilities , Judy is able to present some of the most
fundamental elements of the human experience -- at times dark and serious, but
always with humor and true imagination.
Onofrio was selected by a four -person panel, which considers several
hundred nominated artists every year.

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m.

About KooKoo Bear Kids, Inc. Inspired by her garden,
the show was aptly titled "Judyland. Previous recipients are composer
Dominick Argento (1998), ceramic artist Warren MacKenzie (1999), writer and
translator Robert Bly (2000), choral conductor and arranger Dale Warland
(2001), literary artist and publisher Emilie Buchwald (2002), painter Mike
Lynch (2003), and orchestra conductor and composer Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
(2004). McKnight and Maude L.

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We carry an
incredible collection of infant and youth bedding, cribs, furniture,
chandeliers, lamps, rugs, artwork and other room dicor items.

Sculptor Judy Onofrio Receives 2005 Distinguished Artist Award From The McKnight Foundation

Binger, McKnight board chair. She is one of the nation's most
innovative, dynamic sculptors and we are proud and honored that she has called
Minnesota home for almost 40 years.

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The store will hold a Grand Opening , featuring sales and
specials, on Friday and Saturday, March 18 - March 19, 2005, to reveal their
new spring lines in time for the Easter season.

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For additional information,
visit http://www.com or call 1. Found Objects, Surreal Style, and Grand Scale Make Onofrio a Stand-out in
Minnesota

High-resolution Photograph at http://www. Now, this Rochester artist
with a national reputation will receive The McKnight Foundation's
Distinguished Artist Award for 2005."
Abundant materials and resources and a community of fellow artists as
tight-knit as a family are just a few of the things that keep Onofrio rooted
in Minnesota. "The Distinguished Artists Award is an example of how
supportive the Minnesota arts community is, and I am truly honored and
appreciative of this recognition. McKnight was one of the early leaders of the 3M
Company, although the Foundation is independent of 3M.

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KooKoo Bear Kids has everything for a
totally custom look, from themed beds with matching bedding of fresh colors
and fabrics to timeless classics like quilts with hand applied beadwork and
embroidery. Today, Onofrio's
sculptures allow her to tell stories and re-create memories, and always
provide an active narrative for her work.

"
Onofrio also has received a McKnight Artist Fellowship (1995) and a Bush
Fellowship in the Visual Arts.org/daa2005 or obtained by calling the Foundation at
612-333-4220. For more information
about the Foundation, please visit http://www.

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Much-Demanded Children's Boutique Finds Niche in Historic City

ATLANTA, KooKoo Bear Kids, Inc. For added convenience, customers will be able to
return items ordered through the Web site at the retail store. However, Onofrio's found -
object, mosaic sculpture focus was established in 1993 when she was offered
the opportunity of a lifetime -- her own grand-scale show at the Minneapolis
Institute of Arts, her first major museum exhibition. In many cases, they had opportunities
to pursue their work elsewhere, but they chose to stay -- and by staying, they
have made a difference.

This category is not for beaded jewelry.

beading freestanding

For additional
information, contact the store at (404) 446-1236. KooKoo Bear Kids features a signature yellow box with matching
grosgrain ribbon bow and handwritten gift card that indicates the arrival of
something special.org/daa2005

MINNEAPOLIS, Judy Onofrio (oh-noh-free-oh) has
been telling sculptural stories for more than 30 years -- stories that begin
with collections of found treasures including buttons, bottle caps, and beads,
and culminate in grand-scale intricate sculptures .

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The store will be open between 10:00 a.m. She wrapped imagined stories around the bits and pieces left behind
at season's end, which led to her love of storytelling. The garden, along with her organic approach to building objects, is
inspired by the legacy of her great aunt Trude, an artist herself until the
day she died at age 90 and the source of Onofrio's first and lasting artistic
motivation .

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McKnight,
the Foundation has assets of approximately $2 billion and granted about
$85 million in 2004.