We were really lucky a couple of weeks ago to be offered a chance to review a trip to Build-a-Bear in Liverpool. This is our nearest store but there are loads of others nearby too - find your nearest here.
The trip was arranged by the lovely Estelle at Publicasity - As if we'd need asking twice to go!
Up until a year ago I had never ventured into a Build-a-bear thinking how good can it be? The answer is ...very good! My 2 girls, age 8 and 4 just think a trip there is magical and to be honest so do I!
When we arrived at the Liverpool store, everyone that greeted us was really friendly and this treatment carried on all the way through our visit - there were other customers that had queries and it was lovely to see that they were treated kindly and courteously too.
There are loads of bears to choose from, from your more traditional looking teddy bears to your bears of the moment - think Hello Kitty!
Once the bears are chosen, its off to stuff them (with love of course!) and give them their own sound (and even a beating heart if you like!) It would take a heart of stone not to love watching your children go through the ritual of giving the bears their love, letting them know they will think of them and care for them.
Stuffing the bears with love ... sniff!After that its time to start to look for the outfit - Oh my goodness, these bears have got better wardrobes than me! Just have just got to love the little knickers with space for their tails to go through. And the handbags!! And the little glasses!!!
The oh-so cute knickers!There is a seasonal section which at the moment is Halloween - They are very of the moment you know! My girls went for the more everyday wear in matching outfits and I swear on the way home we saw a girl wearing the exact same skirt! It was nearly longer than the bear's!
The Halloween section - Do they sell that purple dress in size 10? (ahem!)
Our assistant was Lorna, who I'm sure loved posing for her photo taken - seriously though, she was fantastic for the kids and really encouraged them to pick what 'suits' the bear - I can imagine they are great at parties.
All-in-all our visit took about 50 minutes which I think is about the norm - I would like to thank the staff at Liverpool, Build-a-Bear for making my girls' weekend - they have not stopped playing with them since. A highly recommended experience and one that can be added to at Christmas and Birthday time.