Build-A-Bear Workshop

Picked up a gift certificate for a birthday present. The staff was helpful and the transaction was quick. Hey, they now do Minions «bears.»

I’m a fan because I never go in alone. You’re generally with a kid and just seeing the look on their face makes you smile. Well lit, streamlined and to the point — we sell bears. Keeping up with trends and the seasons, there were reindeer, My Little Ponies, Ninja Turtles and other non bear characters/​animals. One of my kids is bananas for the Avengers and made a Captain America teddy bear here a few months ago. Had a great experience helping to make it. The staff is just plain good with kids!

Who doesn’t love «date night» with their daughter? Not this guy… but…this guy doesn’t exactly find «mall dates» as his idea of fun.
Build-​A-​Bear Workshop was a nice stop on our tour of the mall. A white bear covered in hearts… a fairy princess outfit and Hello Kitty undies to boot. My daughter absolutely loved the whole process. We even got to kiss to little hearts and put them in her bear, «Ella Heart’s» belly.
My daughter enjoyed the experience so much, my son insisted on getting his own on our «hang out» day.
It’s a bit spendy, but worth it.

Sweetie was out of town this weekend, leaving me with my 2 little ones. My oldest is 4 and she must have seen a commercial or something but has been asking to go to Build a Bear. It was a rainy Saturday so off we go.
I enjoy going every so often to Carolina Place and see how its evolved over the years. I park over by JC Penney since it gets you in on the 2^nd floor. Mall was decently crowded and I didn’t walk around too much since I was all alone with the kids and didn’t need the stress. The crowd in the mall was noticeably ‘weird” and caused me to weep for the future, enough said about that.
Walked into Build a Bear which was pretty crowded with a nice mixed crowd of youngins and tweens. I was worried that I wouldn’t know what to do since it was our first time and it was very self explanatory. My kids picked out their bear which was unstuffed and we then had to wait in line to have it stuffed. When it was our turn, the nice lady walked us through the process and engaged my kids well, asking them what they’re naming the bear and how old they were etc… she also asked how they wanted the bear stuffed i.e. «soft and cuddly» and I’m not sure what the other choice was. Once it was sufficiently stuffed, she asked them to give the bear a hug to try it out. The kids then get to pick out a «heart» which they go through a little ceremony before the lady takes it and ties it into the bear. Let me stop and say how awesome this was… my kids have 50 stuffed animals, but none that they were personally involved in making. It was a great experience.
Next we primped the bear under blowdryers and got to brush them. Then, onto the dressing area where they got to choose their own outfits. An Associate must have seen that I didn’t know what to do next since she came and helped my girls picked out outfits and shoes for their bears. They have all sorts of accessories which can run you a pretty penny if you get too into it. Then they have a computer where you enter the information which includes your e-​mail and address so they can spam the crap out of you, I’m sure! You get a birth certificate for your bear before you leave which includes a code # where you can go online and bring the bear to life on the internet.
Nice experience, not too expensive for what you get. It’s not an everyday thing, but I can see us going back for special occasions.