Shop makes excitement at Kyova

By BEN FIELDS
The Independent

CANNONSBURG February 09, 2007 12:03 am

— As the owner of Katie’s Corner restaurant in Ashland, Nancy Tilton has had plenty to do.
But Tilton has added another title to her resume recently.
If you want to build your very own custom teddy bear, Tilton’s the one to see.
In November, Tilton and her husband Bob opened The Bear Mill, a store at the Kyova Mall where customers can actually build their own stuffed animal.
And it doesn’t have to be a bear.
“We have all kinds of animals and all kinds of accessories,” Tilton said. “Plus, we have a party room that we’ve had as many as 18 kids in at a time. They seem to love that.”
The Bear Mill is similar in nature to Build-a-Bear, but Tilton said she thinks there are some advantages to her business, the first being that The Bear Mill is a franchise.
“Build-a-Bear is all corporate owned, so you couldn’t even get into it if you wanted to, whereas The Bear Mill is a franchise,” she said. “Plus, with The Bear Mill, you actually put the stuffing in yourself, you get your picture taken with the animal, and there’s even a fluff mountain for the kids.
“It’s a completely different atmosphere.”
The animals also go into a backpack kids can carry around with them.
And, the prices are a bit lower than Build-a-Bear, with animals ranging from $8.99 to $18.99.
But, Tilton admits, it was Build-a-Bear that first got her interested in opening her own business along similar lines.
“My daughter Katie is 11, so she’s very familiar with Build-a-Bear,” Tilton said. “So I just got to thinking about it, and checked out The Bear Mill, and we went to the mall and they gave us a great deal.”
Tilton said the business is a blast.
And her daughter loves it.
“That first Friday we were open, she wanted to stuff all the animals for people,” Tilton said. “She ended up stuffing all of the displays.”
That first Friday happened to be Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.
Tilton said the business was blitzed through Christmas and is picking up yet again in anticipation of Valentine’s Day.
The Kyova Mall is also in the midst of building a 10-screen, stadium-seating theater, which Tilton said she believes will add to her own business’ foot traffic.
“It’s a very fun and rewarding business,” she said. “And we look forward to it taking off.”
BEN FIELDS can be reached at bfields@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.