Build-A-Bear Workshop

Walking past Build a Bear my friend decided she wanted a minion. So I did the good friend (or good Unilocaler?!) thing and went in with her.
The store is bright, colourful and I can understand why children just gravitate towards it. What could be mote fun that building your own bear? In my opinion, a lot of things.
We were greeted by a staff member who was very excited to inform us about a special minion offer they had on that day: a minion, voice effect, trousers and boots for £23.99. This is exactly what she said! It wasn’t till my friend approached the till that she disovered the boots were not in the offer. But more on that later.
So we queued uo to get the minion stuffed by a very nice guy who was attending to the young girl in front of us as she beamed as her pony came to life. He really went above and beyond to make it a special moment for her. And for the prices they charge, well… he should do!
So my friend picked out a heart, made a wish and boom! Bob was born. Taking all the items to the till, we then discovered the offer wasn’t explained correctly. Bob needed a good home though (and expensive boots) so there was no turning back. His birth certificate was done and dusted!
I’m not a huge teddy fan nor am I child friendly so this isn’t really my kind of place. Nevertheless, they will make childrens’ build a bear dreams come true. For a price mind…

Ok so I cant believe i am reviewing this at 34 years of age but you know Minions …
Before i knew it I was inside and had purchased Bob, a pair of dungarees and boots. The sales assistant told me there was a deal on that day and nade it sound that the boots were part of the deal but they werent.
Well i couldn’t have Bob without Boots now could I.
The staff wwre really fun and let me help stuff Bob and put his wee heart inside including a wee wish. You get to make a birth certificate too.
This is a childs paradise but beware parents this place is expensive!!!

Personally I find cuddly toys sick and wrong. They have creepy little beady eyes and I swear they get up to no good when no ones looking!
I remember when the Build a Bear Work Shop first opened in Braehead and it was jam packed all weekend every weekend! Now I think the novelty has started to wear off for most people as the place is nearly always dead.
I think the idea is very sweet. Take a little kid along and they get to personalise their cuddly toy with stuffing, clothes, a voice box and a certificate with its name on. The only real problem is that the cuddly toys aren’t really very cuddly or cute. I often notice weird animals like frogs and sharks in the window, a cuddly shark, honestly. I also find the bins of limp, lifeless, yet to be stuffed animal skins more than a little disturbing. I’m sure the kiddies love this place though, for about 5 minutes before they pop along to Game and buy some new stuff for their Wii, PS3 or Xbox!

My mum has a problem with collecting things, she collects everything. Since I’ve been born she’s collect all manner of things; porcelain dolls, figurines, paintings, teapots… the list is endless. She even encouraged my collecting of Cherished Teddies and Beanie Babies when I was younger and to be honest I think she liked them more than I did. Her recent collections are Yankee Candles — so if there’s a power shortage I think we’ll be able to light the whole street — and bears.
You can’t sit down in my house without falling over a bear of some description, they’re everywhere. Her favourites are Steiff and new kids on the block, Charlie Bears. These things don’t come cheap though so it’s driving me mad as she always asks me for them for Christmas and Birthdays. «Oh, I really want Bluebell can you please get her?»
Anyways, recently we were in Braehead and she saw the Build-​A-​Bear shop and dragged me inside. She’s such a big kid so I decided to get her one as a Mothers Day present.
You can choose the bear (or other animal), choose what kind of stuffing, how much stuffing you want in them (she went for tubby), you can also choose to put a voice box inside them and can make your own recording.
After the making of the actual bear you can choose clothes for them. Thankfully mums bear was too tubby to fit into any of the clothes so he’s had to go au naturale which suited my purse fine.
This place is great for childrens presents or if you know any teddy bear fanatics like my mum.

Turns out there’s more than one of these in Glasgow, I thought Buchanan Galleries was home to the only one.
My recent trip to Braehead centred around Xscape and Ikea, but a casual stroll around the shopping centre revealed more delights than I had expected, this being a highlight.
Super busy on a Saturday, this place is bustling with life and energy from both shoppers and staff in a store that essentially only sells teddy bears and nothing else.
The unique selling point is that you can customise your bears and even buy them clothes, which, is awesome.
Some friends were going to get a personalised teddy that looked like a friend of mine who was moving away, to comfort his missus, and record phrases that he says — something else you can do to personalise it.
Whether or not they actually did, I don’t know. The fact that you can do this, I do know, is awesome.

One of those shops you just can’t walk past if you have kids. Kids choose a teddy skin which is then stuffed in front of you. you can add a voice box with either a prerecorded message or you can record your own. The shop also sells clothes and accesseries for your bear. I find they are quite dear though so usually birthdays and special occasions we aonly buy these. Staff are always pleasant and there is no hard sell.