Build-A-Bear Workshop: Building Bears, Building Imaginations

  • Tuesday, July 8, 2003
  • Christina Siebold
Kelly McCollum, 6, Jacob McCollum, 8, Sarah McCollum, 10, and Marie McCollum, 12, at Build-A-Bear Workshop in Hamilton Place. Click to enlarge all our photos.
Kelly McCollum, 6, Jacob McCollum, 8, Sarah McCollum, 10, and Marie McCollum, 12, at Build-A-Bear Workshop in Hamilton Place. Click to enlarge all our photos.
photo by Christina Siebold

When the McCollum family left their Augusta, Georgia, home last week on a road trip to visit relatives in Wisconsin, the car buzzed with anticipation about the scheduled stop in the Scenic City.

“For my kids, visiting family was optional, but visiting Build-A-Bear was a must,” says Mom, Christine.

Mall-based retailer Build-A-Bear Workshop opened its first store in St. Louis in 1997 and now operates 127 stores in 35 states. Chattanooga’s Build-A-Bear Workshop is located inside Hamilton Place Mall and offers customers the opportunity to pick and personalize their own teddy bear.

Christine says her family first learned of Build-A-Bear online, where those not fortunate enough to share a community with a Build-A-Bear Workshop can create a bear in cyberspace. But her children - ages six to 12 - wanted the full experience, so they scheduled a stop on their way to Wisconsin.

“I was surprised that even my son wanted something to nurture,” Christine says. “It really was an event we could all enjoy together.”

Each child starts their adventure in Build-A-Bear by following overhead signs. “Choose Me” is where the lifeless animal is picked from a bin. With more than thirty varieties of bears and dogs and even a monkey to choose from, this can take awhile, but Christine says it’s all part of the experience.

“There’s something personal about this process that you don’t get from walking into a store and buying something off the shelf - this is more like adopting a pet.”

The “Hear Me” exhibit comes next, where customers are given the option of having a voice box installed into their bear. A message of up to 12 seconds can be recorded and activated by a squeeze of the cuddly creature.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Manager Nadine Triplett says her customers have been creative with their messages. “We’ve had marriage proposals recorded and guys who have asked us to sew engagement rings onto the bear. One lady who had just been diagnosed with cancer came in and made a bear and recorded a message for her granddaughter that she didn’t think she’d ever meet.”

The “Stuff Me” Station comes next. Each bear is given a heart and then filled with fluff. While most bears survive on just one heart, Christine says her kids’ bears have a few extras. “We put 6 hearts, one for each member of the family, inside each bear. So they all carry each of our hearts with them.”

The next step, “Stitch Me,” requires a little help from one of the Workshop’s “Master Bear Builders.” They lovingly sew up the bear to keep the stuffing inside before sending them on to “Fluff Me,” the first essential air bath every bear needs to remove all excess fur and fluff.

“Name Me” brings each customer to a bank of computers where their new friend gets a name, and chooses between a birth certificate or a personalized story that will go home with them in a decorated cardboard box, aptly named the Cub Condo.

Then the real fun begins with “Dress Me.” Girl Bears and Boy Bears alike have a wealth of options to choose from for their attire. From formal wear like tuxedos and gowns to a graduation cap and gown set and pajamas to beach wear, there are enough outfits to keep any fashion-conscious furry friend in fine style.

The McCollum’s returned to Build-A-Bear in Hamilton Place on their way home from Wisconsin to give their children a chance to update their bears’ wardrobes. “The Bears needed new clothes,” says Dad, Kerry. “It was a necessity stop.”

Christine smiles as she watched her children scurry around the store in search of the perfect ensemble.

“Owning a stuffed animal goes way back and our family enjoys these kind of pastimes that used-to-be,” she says.

“There is just something innately innocent about stuffed animals and I’m all about promoting and protecting their innocence.”

For more information on Build-A-Bear Workshops, call (423) 499-8999 or visit their website at www.buildabear.com.

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