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Shop celebrates birthday party milestone, offers personalized gifts that bridge miles

3 min read

Stuff It & Love It, a local create your own stuffed animal shop, recently hit a milestone with birthday parties.

“We hosted our 1,200 birthday party, more than any other shop like it in Lee County,” said owner Chris Walen. “We had the first ‘Teddy Bear place’ in Lee County at another location in 2004, then joined the Shell Factory family in 2006 where we’re now located.”

Her shop at the Shell Factory & Nature Park has it’s own party room, where photos of all her happy party-goers are displayed.

“They’re two-hour parties, and each guest gets a bear, a box, a birth certificate and we play games for 35 minutes,” she said. “My staff includes college and high school kids who run them and play with the kids.”

Walen said she tells parents to only bring the “Four C’s:” cake, camera, candle and child. “We provide forks, napkins, juice boxes, balloons and a bear outfit for the birthday boy or girl.”

She said she believes the high number of parties is in part from her competitive prices. Call for details.

Walen and her staff are now concentrating on the holiday season, adding new gifts this year. One is a unique, personalized gift that can help bridge the miles for loved ones far away, especially grandparents and soldiers.

“We personalize T-shirts with any message or picture on the front or back, and you can add your own voice or your child’s voice message on a recordable sound module,” she said. “It cuts the distance and miles between loved ones.”

Also new this year are gift baskets with stuffed animals and other items, and a special on an animal, birth certificate and box for $15. She also has small gifts on a tree for under $5. The store is also offering gift certificates. 

For holiday-themed animals and characters, there are snowmen, reindeer, the popular Christmas bears, Christmas outfits and T-shirts and special Santa outfits for pets.

“Actually any of our outfits fit small to medium dogs,” Walen said.

Besides holiday-themed animals, the shop features a variety of animals and outfits year-round, from bears to lions to monkeys and all holiday themes. 

Walen said she likes her Shell Factory location, which is actually a family affair. Her sister is Rosie Heuglan of Rosie’s Gourmet Fudge Kitchen, which has been a fixture shop in the Shell Factory for 30 years.

The hours for the Shell Factory Shops and Stuff It & Love It are 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. For information, call 997-2327 or 997-BEAR.