Fun for all ages at bear-building store

MOSES LAKE - There were the grandparents who brought in all 14 of their grandchildren over two days before Christmas.

Or the boy who planned to bake a cookie and ask a girl to the sweetheart's dance.

Or the birthday boy who wasn't able to move very well in his wheelchair who found himself able to build a monkey named George.

"You have to name them," Tammy Hewlett said.

Business partner Cindy St. Pierre agreed.

"You have to name them," St. Pierre said.

Ask the owners of Paw Buddies and More about their favorite customers, and they already have a couple in mind, even though their business, located at 1036 W. Broadway Ave., Suite A opened Dec. 12.

Customers stuff their own teddy bear or other stuffed animal by hand through the Build-A-Bear Workshop program, and purchase clothing and shoes at the business.

The business also offers birthday parties and holiday special offerings, like Christmas and Valentine's Day, as well as to-go kits.

Moses Lake residents Hewlett and Desiree Mercier discovered a store while on vacation in Great Falls, Mont., last summer at the mall with Hewlett's children. They own and operate the store with Ephrata resident St. Pierre, a co-worker of Hewlett's during their day job.

"The boys loved it, and so when we got back, we wanted to see what it would be to start one here, because there's nothing really around this area for the kids to do," Mercier said. "Nothing like that."

The partners began working at craft bazaars and events around the area in September, always with a store in mind. They accumulated enough money from a Portland, Ore., bazaar to open the business.

The closest workshops are in Spokane and Tri-Cities, Hewlett said, so many customers are excited they don't have so far to travel.

"They can't believe there's a Build-A-Bear in Moses Lake," she said. "That's the first thing they say when they walk in the door. Well, first they come in to see for sure it's really Build-A-Bear. Once they see it is, they can't believe it. We don't have the big malls."

Even though the store is smaller than most locations using the workshop, the owners aim to carry as much merchandise as possible.

They'd love to watch the business expand to where they have a bigger store and the ability to bring in a stuffing machine.

All agree the best part of the job is the kids.

"They love it, because you build it, you weigh it, you get the birth certificate, they have to name it," St. Pierre said. "Listening to them come up with the names, or watching them stuff, it's really fun. And some of the adults are having fun, too."

The business is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.