Mary Engelbreit Store Closing: Company To Re-Focus
On Network of Independent Authorized Dealers

CONTACT:
Beth Lauver
Mary Engelbreit Studios
(314) 726-5646 x1193

May 3, 2007 (St. Louis, MO)  -- The Mary Engelbreit Store in the Saint Louis Galleria will close on June 10, 2007. The highly successful ME Store Online, which ships orders from its website and toll-free phone number to customers worldwide, will remain open.

While we will miss the store that has meant a great deal to Mary and the company, we are excited to turn our efforts and resources to a new opportunity. We hope to operate a national network of independent authorized dealers to greatly expand the distribution and selection of ME products. This program will be in addition to our existing line of licensed products. We hope to be able to release a list of those retailers and more about our specific plans later this year.

We are sincerely grateful to our St. Louis customers, and hope they continue to support Mary Engelbreit’s art and products.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will there be any other stores in the area that carries ME product?
   Several independent local gift stores already currently carry ME products. We also hope to introduce one of these stores as a local authorized dealer later this year. Any retailers interested in participating should call (314) 726-5646. Also, the online store through our website,
   www.maryengelbreit.com , and toll-free number, 1-800-443-MARY, will remain open.
2. What should customers do with unused gift cards?
   Gift cards may be redeemed by calling 1-800-443-MARY and placing a phone order.
3. Is Mary retiring or going out of business?
   Mary isn’t going anywhere! She remains as prolific as ever and is diligently working on dozens of new projects, including picture books for children, home décor collections, calendars, greeting cards and more.
4. Does the store closing have anything to do with recent events at the Saint Louis Galleria?
   This decision is not at all related to anything that has occurred at the Galleria, its customers or its management. We appreciate the great home the Galleria has provided for so many years, and will certainly miss it.
5. Does the upcoming construction on I-64 have anything to do with the store closing?
   The highway construction was one of many factors we considered in this process. We recognized that the construction would significantly affect the cost and complication of doing business in the area, which impacted the timing of this decision. We have been considering the opportunity to operate a network of independent authorized dealers for some time, so the timing of the construction simply prompted us to act now.
6. Why aren’t you relocating somewhere else? 
   To best serve a larger base of customers, we feel our efforts and resources will be better focused on more national distribution through an expanded network of independent gift stores. We hope to introduce a list of authorized dealers later this year.
7. Where can customers find ME greeting cards?
   Dierberg’s Floral Departments and Barnes & Noble carry a wide selection of ME cards, and the complete line is available from the ME Store Online and toll-free number.
8. Where can customers find ME calendars for next year?
   Left Bank Books, Barnes & Noble, and the ME Store Online and toll-free number all carry Mary’s calendars.
9. How can customers be kept informed of new product or any ME signing events?
   We encourage customers to sign up for our e-newsletter, which is distributed approximately once a month. Anyone interested can sign up very simply through our website at www.maryengelbreit.com - click on the “E-news” tab.
10. Will new products still be released?
    YES! In fact, our highest priority will be to use the time and resources saved from the store to create exclusive new product for a network of independent authorized dealers.
11. Will Mary still attend autograph signing events in the St. Louis area?
    Mary Engelbreit Studios has great relationships with a number of other local retailers and venues, including Left Bank Books and the St. Louis County Library, and Mary plans to sign in those locations and others when her new books are released.

The Mary Engelbreit Store in St. Louis
1986: Established as a kiosk in Union Station.
1988: Moved to Webster Groves.
1990: Moved to the Saint Louis Galleria.

About Mary Engelbreit
Artist and art licensing pioneer Mary Engelbreit is known throughout the world for her colorful and exquisitely detailed designs, which adorn more than 14 million greeting cards, one million calendars and thousands of gifts and home accents sold each year. Engelbreit holds license agreements with dozens of manufacturers to reproduce her bold, popular illustrations on nearly 6,500 products including books, best-selling children’s books, stationery, fabric, crafts, kitchen accessories, dinnerware and other home décor items. Thousands of retailers nationwide and abroad have sold more than $1 billion in ME products over more than 20 years. Engelbreit is also editor-in-chief of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion, a home decorating and lifestyle magazine that enjoyed by more than 1 million readers bi-monthly. Mary lives with her family in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. For more information visit www.maryengelbreit.com.