My daughter received a gift card for Build-A-Bear Workshop for Christmas, so we braved the post-holiday mall traffic and headed to Tuttle on a Sunday. First thought - smart move choosing a store location directly across from the play area, Build-A-Bear.
Now, anyone who's been in one of these places knows the drill...pick a creature (it's not just bears - they carry bunnies, dogs, as well as licensed characters like the Muppets and Hello Kitty), stand in line to have it stuffed, stand in line to brush and fluff it, stand in line to create a "birth" certificate, stand in line to check out. Depending on the extras or clothes you want, I can easily see a single animal topping $50. We were lucky - my kid skipped the clothes and sound chips, so we managed to leave the store for around $17.
I could deal with the lines (we were there on a Sunday, after all), but the biggest frustration was that there was a birthday party going on while we were there. I'm sure this is a regular occurrence on weekends. Because it's a relatively small store, there's no separate room or area for birthday groups. So you have an extra 10 or so kids (plus their parents) crowding the stuffing station on the busiest day of the week. I really wish they had another room for parties (according to their website, this is something that's available, but only in a handful of locations), even though I know that's not always easy since mall retail space is at a premium. I will say that despite the crowds, all the employees were friendly and seemed to handle it in stride.
Personally, I'd probably give it a 2-star review, but let's face it - I'm not their target customer. My daughter loves the dog she made at Build-A-Bear, so they get a 3, despite the lack of space. My recommendation would be to go on a weekday...I'm sure the experience is much more pleasant when it's less crowded. read more