Build –A-Bear: A Beary Nice Experience
By Leah Stratmann September 9, 2004 Issue

One of the great things about writing for a living is finding yourself places you might not ordinarily go. Curiosity and the desire to investigate the phenomenon called Build-A-Bear led me to the store to check it out. In this case, being a snoop resulted in two tax-deductible bear gifts and a pleasant afternoon.

Walking in, I encountered January Girtman and told her I wanted to build a bear. She directed me to the “skeletons” of traditional teddy bears, explaining they come in two sizes, with costs of $10 and $25 respectively. A number of other types of animals are available as well, but tradition rules when you are in the market to build bears for your two great-nephews.

There are lots of decisions to be made during the birthing process. After selecting the bear, a customer may choose to put in a message chip saying a variety of things, such as Happy Birthday, I love you, etc. Customers may also choose to record a greeting of their own. Pre-recorded greetings are $3, while the customized jobs are $8. After selecting my bears, which will remain mute, we proceeded to the “filling station,” where customers place their foot on a pedal, which shoots 100 percent, hypoallergenic cotton filling into your bear.

“A lot of stuffing is required in the head of the bear because over time, the stuffing will drift down to the feet,” Girtman explained. She also asked if I wanted a cuddly bear or a heavily stuffed bear, it being the customer’s choice. The next step is choosing a heart for the bear from a basket to insert in the bear, because each one comes with love. Then the customer is asked to take a moment to reflect or make a wish for the recipient of the bear. What could be silly was oddly moving and I found myself standing there thinking I hoped the boys getting these bears grew up to be strong, compassionate men of courage who were kind to women and children, respected by other men, and contributors to their communities. OK, maybe I got carried away, but there was something special about it and it was not treated as just another step in the process by my bear filler. It was solemn.

After the bear is filled, Girtman pulled some line from inside the bear and quickly crossed them back and forth, closing the bear. No sewing required. The line is much like fishing line, very strong, almost impossible to pull apart with your hands. Several very secure knots are tied and are invisible on the nude bear.

In addition to each bear having a heart, each also has a bar code inside. If a bear is lost and recognized as a Build-A-Bear model, it can be taken to any outlet and the original builder and recipient’s name and address located in a database. This information is gathered at the last stop in the process, when a birth certificate is created for the bear, detailing the buyer, the recipient, and the name of the bear. But before that, one can choose from an enormous variety of clothing in which to outfit your bear.

While it was a pleasant surprise to learn that a basic bear can be had for the bargain price of $10, ($5 if one is smart enough to use the coupons in The Beachcomber) it is also entirely possible to spend a small fortune on a bear, depending on how one chooses to dress it. There are hundreds of outfits to choose from. Doc Marten boots, no problem. Disney characters, of course. However, there are also lots of choices of clothing that are inexpensive.

I wanted two distinct bears, so I selected different colored bears and wanted to dress them individually. Owen Heinrichs will be getting his bear for his first birthday, so I selected a T-shirt saying Happy Bearthday with some bright red “bearboxer” shorts. Rider Winterbottom will be getting his bear on his fifth birthday and as an older, more seasoned bear owner, I put his new friend in overalls. When doing things for nephews and nieces it is vital to keep things even so it was important to spend no more on one bear than the other. Thus, the two pieces of clothing for Joe cost no more than the overalls for Butch. Each outfit was $10, so each bear cost exactly $20, which is not unreasonable for a quality stuffed animal these days—especially in a shop in an upscale shopping center.

One of the managers, Jessica Szaraburak told me they have wedding and formal wear for bears, as well as flower girl and ring bearer ensembles and caps and gowns for graduates. These bears are not just for kids, but would make nice gifts to commemorate life’s special moments. Szaraburak’s own son has built and outfitted a bear, and is now saving his pennies for additional outfits, thus the building can be ongoing.

Confirmed cynics might get misty-eyed during the heart ceremony at Build-A-Bear, but if not, at least you leave with a one-of-a-kind bear. For more information, call 654-6001. Build-A-Bear is located in Destin Commons.