Rocky Mountain Bear Factory

Disclaimer: I haven’t been here in YEARS. However, I was here before I had ever even heard of Build-​a-​Bear, and I still find this local answer to that slick corporation a million times more charming and heartwarming. I took a trip to Estes Park with 4 of my best friends during my senior year of high school and we dropped into this adorable little shop just to look around. Before long, we were all picking out the stuffed animals we wanted to create with the help of the wonderful grandmother-​esque shopkeeper, and picking out the ribbons to tie around our new companions’ necks. I named my fluffy white bear «Patrick» since it was St. Patty’s day weekend (and it was my crush’s middle name), filled out his birth certificate, and he became my companion for life. I even got a birthday card for him in the mail a year later. SO freaking cute.
Eight years later, I still have Patrick and his namesake shares the bed with us! You can’t get a story like that at Build-​a-​Bear.