Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hey Edmundnutmeg,

Thanks very much for the encouragement to share pictures.  I'm out of town visiting my Dad but will attempt a photo session when I return.

Hubby has asked if I want to stop at the Bear/Garden shop which happens to be right on our drive back home. Is he serious? Does he think I'm going to say no?   Does he know I'm on the verge of asking him to build a room onto the house? Haha.

Back in the '90s I had to disperse my collection after developing an allergy to Mohair. I gifted some to bear loving friends and sold the rest on on Ebay.  The fees on Ebay are quite a bit higher now than back then.  You could try selling on Etsy and/or Ruby Lane which do not have the high fees....but of course these sites do not get the amount of traffic Ebay gets.

Good luck and best wishes on your new life phase.

Sorry can't help with the ID but.....He's terrific and has many hugs left to give and receive. Enjoy!

Thank you Peterbear. I had never heard of the garden/bear store combo and to me it is just so strange. But I am not complaining!

My son was at a Christmas Fair (I think that is what it was called) in Antwerp this past December and sent gorgeous pictures of the fair's carousel and the city. He is moving to The Hague this summer and I can't wait to visit him!   I'm sorry to hear bear shops are not common there in BENELUX.    

Thank you EJ. Glad you are not completely out of luck with the bear shops. 60 and 80 miles away is about right: Close enough to get there now and then but not so close you're tempted to visit once a week which could be critical to your bank balance. 

Because Charlie Bears are so affordable I'm not so much worried about my bank balance as lack of space for them.  Wonder if my adoring hubby would mind turning the garage into a bear play room?  Surely our cars have been pampered long enough.

Hey there,
I'm new..not sure if this is the sort of thing to post or not. But I am bursting to share my over the weekend bear experience with fellow bear lovers--people who "get it".  Please excuse me if it is inappropriate or if I posted in the wrong place and I'll understand if it needs to be deleted for any reason.

I spent much of my spare time during the past two weeks hunting online for a bear shop somewhere within reasonable driving distance of my home--- with no luck. Finally Saturday night I stumbled on an odd place--a nursery of all things, a garden shop a half hour from me,  that sells trees and all sorts of plants. It claimed to be a major Steiff dealer and Charlie bear dealer. I had my doubts and gave them a call. The owner assured me there were plenty of bears to look at. So the next morning I set out and 30 minutes later I was walking into a huge huge room full of bears, floor to ceiling, wall to wall--literally hundreds of Steiff and Charlie Bears!!!!  Holy moly, it was overwhelming but enormously fun. I was there for two hours. The owner was completely okay with that and seemed to enjoy my glee when I found a particuarly delightful face among the crowd.  She shared a lot of info with me about the two companies that I did not know---very interesting! 

  I came away with two bears and two on lay away. Thought I did pretty well for not purchasing any bears for 15 years due to my mohair allergy.... It was great to see the Alpaca bears and the beautiful synthetic fur on the Charlies too. I can hug these with no fear of allergy symptoms!!! 

This wondrous place had no artist bears at all so I will have to explore on Bear Pile for those. But it was such a fun fun time after being away from bears for so long.  I am well on my way to a house full of bears again--Yay!

  I thank you for listening and allowing me to share. 

What a great way to display your bears--Out of the dust and still completely visible, really beautiful!