THE BANNER

Build-a-Bear sale draws crowd to Coconut Point mall in Estero

Andrea Stetson
Correspondent

Families with babies and young children waited in the sweltering heat — some of them for more than six hours — for a stuffed animal from Build-a-Bear Workshop at Coconut Point mall in Estero.

Build-A-Bear Workshop offered customers a chance to buy any bear for the price of their child's age on Thursday, July 12, 2018. Customers wait in line, some for even over seven hours, at Coconut Point in Estero.

The store offered a first-ever Pay Your Age Day promotion on Thursday that offered a personalized stuffed animal for the price of a child’s age.

Since the Build-a-Bear in Coconut Point Mall in Estero is the only one in Southwest Florida, thousands of people flocked from all over Lee and Collier counties for this special offer.

The line to the store wrapped around the entire row of shops and back to the front.

“It’s about a six hour wait now,” said Build-a-Bear manager Maria Pepin at about 1:30 p.m. “Social media was building it up so we knew it would be popular. I came in at 7:15 this morning, and there was already a line around the back. We knew we were going to face something big, but not this big.”

More:Build-a-Bear shuts down single-day 'Pay Your Age' sale: It was so successful, it failed

The event is being used to kick off a new promotion where children can build a special bear during their birthday month for the price of their age.

But during this one-day promotion, every animal in the store was priced at a child’s age. Pepin said Star Wars, Pokémon and My Little Pony products were the most popular.

Jesyka Sigg of Naples said she waited five hours with her children, Maddox, a 3-month-old baby, and Alex, 4. Once inside the Build-a-Bear store, it was at least another 40 minutes of waiting to check out, she said.

Sigg waited for Maddox to get the Army bear he chose stuffed. It wasn’t easy keeping the two little ones entertained for so long, she said.

“We played a lot of games like Simon Says and I Spy, and I told stories,” Sigg said.

More:Shut out of Build-a-Bear 'Pay Your Age Day'? Try this birthday month deal instead

The heat did not stop people from waiting outside of Build-a-Bear Workshop at Coconut Point mall in Estero. Build-a-Bear offered a one-day special promotion. Coconut Point mall staff set out umbrellas and handed out bottled water to keep people cool.

So would she do it again?

“Nope,” she said without hesitation.

Emma Rivera, of North Port in Sarasota County, came to Coconut Point with her two children and her niece and nephew.

They had planned a quick trip to build a bear and then head to the beach. Instead Rivera set up her beach umbrella and blanket on the cement by the store and let the children eat snacks and play video games as they waited.

More:Build-a-Bear chaos: How to get your $15 voucher after the failed Pay Your Age event

Almost five hours later they were all in the store.

“It was way too long,” Rivera said.

“I just stood and waited and waited,” said her son Collin Burges, 8, who chose a Pokémon character as his toy. “I watched videos, too.”

Thousands of people waited hours in line at the Build-a-Bear Workshop store at Coconut Point mall in Estero. Build-a-Bear offered a special Pay Your Age promotion that drew crowds to its stores across the country.

Colin Girucky, 5, clutched his Build-a-Bear dinosaur he named Terry, and said he was happy that the long 4.5 hour wait was finally over.

“It was worth every minute of that time,” said his mother, Morgan Girucky.

Across the country, crowds of people found themselves waiting outside of Build-a-Bear stores for hours and hours. The promotion drew so much interest that Build-a-Bear Workshop announced it had to shut down the one-day promotional sale only hours after it began at some stores. 

At Coconut Point, dozens of people arrived, saw the line and just walked away. Build-a-Bear employees handed out $15 off coupons to those who didn’t want to wait.

“I will wait until tomorrow and pay full price. It is too hot to do this,” said Kelly Walker who arrived at the store with two children. “I can’t believe people are doing this.”

More:Build-a-Bear announces amazing one-day, 'Pay-Your-Age Day' deal

The heat did not stop people from waiting outside of Build-a-Bear Workshop at Coconut Point mall in Estero. Build-a-Bear offered a one-day special promotion. Coconut Point mall staff set out umbrellas and handed out bottled water to keep people cool.

Those in the long line found a variety of ways to entertain the young ones. Tabitha Goss, of Fort Myers, brought four children with her to Coconut Point.

“They had snacks and sippy cups,” she said. “I expected a long line, but not six hours,” Goss said.

Gigi Lookhoff entertained her four children with a variety of games. They played red light green light, Simon Says, and they played with toys.

“Once we were here we were invested since we traveled here from Sarasota,” Lookhoff said. “Even Disney doesn’t have lines this long.”

Thousands of people waited hours in line at the Build-a-Bear Workshop store at Coconut Point mall in Estero. Build-a-Bear offered a special Pay Your Age promotion that drew crowds to its stores across the country.

Katie Powers, of Cape Coral, said her three kids played with other children in line.

“I would not recommend this,” Powers said. “Next time they should do like restaurants with the little beeper thing.”

Yon Boone, of Naples, stood in the long line while his wife took his 3-year-old daughter to cool off in the nearby Dillard’s department store, then at Barnes & Nobles and for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.

“If I had known it would be this long I would have paid full price," Boone said. "But it is also the experience.”

Coconut Point mall staff put out large umbrellas to offer shade to people waiting in line and gave out water bottles.

“Truthfully no, we did not expect this many people,” said Jamie Grofik, Coconut Point mall manager. “We knew there would be a great response, but this is overwhelming.”