Few objects hold as many memories and have as much meaning as stuffed animals. From the moment we’re born, teddy bears and stuffed animals of all sorts are put in our arms, and are often our first ever friends. But when you love something as hard as children love their stuffed animals, they get dirty, weathered, and worn over the years. Pennsylvania crafter and teddy bear maker Sally Winey identified this issue over 40 years ago and began restoring old stuffed animals. Her services blossomed into a full-blown business called Winey Bears Repair, which she still operates with her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and even her granddaughters. Winey says her family business has restored around one million stuffed animals and counting, bringing some of people’s most prized possessions back to life.
We are forever grateful that people trust us with their beloved stuffed animals. It’s an honor and a responsibility that we don’t take lightly.
Utterly endeared to the Winey Bears Repair mission (I’m not made out of stone!), I reached out to learn more about this special company and the delight it brings into the world. Sally Winey’s daughter, Abby, responds to my questions below. Her answers have been edited lightly for clarity and length.
How did Winey Bears Repair come to be? Did it start with a single repair and then grow from there?
Winey Bears started not long after my mom, Sally, began making handmade teddy bears in the mid-80s. I was about to be born, and she wanted a gift to give to her two older kids. Money was tight, so my mom used the sewing skills she’d learned from her grandmother and made three little bears (one for each of us). That’s how Winey Bears handmade bears first came to be! She continues to make bears and sell them at craft fairs, etc.
A few years later, a woman asked her to repair a teddy bear (it had been her son’s, who had passed away). When she saw the joy it brought this woman to have the bear restored, she knew there was a need. She decided to open a bear hospital at craft fairs and in her store to help fix minor holes and do repairs. That’s where it began.
Why is repairing teddy bears so meaningful to so many people?
Stuffed animals provide unconditional love. They provide comfort during hard seasons, they go on family trips, and they calm sleepless nights. They hold memories for their owners that are irreplaceable. They have a way to provide nostalgia and comfort beyond that of humans, since there are no strings attached.
Who is your Winey Bears Repair team composed of? What’s your studio space like?
The Winey Bears Repair team today includes my mom, the founder and repair specialist, and her husband, Bill, who manages the phones and returns any stuffed animals that Sally works on. I also assist with repairs, and my husband, Shawn Cornelius, manages the messages and emails, checks in and cleans all the stuffed animals, and ships out any repairs that we complete.
Our daughters, Cecily and Lucy, also help (with parental supervision)! Cecily (10) helps with stuffing after cleaning and does some simple sewing, while Lucy (8) does some stuffing but mostly gives the bears hugs before they head home. I grew up working alongside my mom during the Bear Boom in the 90s and early 2000s, and my daughters love that they can also do the same.
We have two in-home studios. One in Carolina Beach, where Sally and Bill work, and one in Davidson, NC, where we live.
What’s your typical stuffed animal repair process like?
When a stuffed animal comes to our home in Davidson, Shawn will check it in. He will then read all the notes and begin the cleaning process. After that, he divides the repairs between me and Sally. We’llwill assess each stuffed animal, provide repairs, and, if needed, communicate with the customer to ensure we are meeting their expectations. This process can take two to six weeks, depending on the severity of the repairs, ordering materials, and our current volume of orders. We then ship them back home looking fresh, with a new bow and a certificate of restoration!
It’s heartwarming work, and we get stories from customers that move us to tears daily.
Is there a particular stuffed animal repair story you can share that particularly exemplifies the power of Winey Bears Repair and giving stuffed animals a second life?
There are countless stories! One I remember from more recently involved a set of twins who were given the same stuffed animal as children. Later in life, one of the twins passed away and was buried with his twin sister’s stuffed animal, while she kept his. We cleaned and repaired it so she could keep his stuffed animal with her and in good condition for many more years, keeping his memory and their bond alive. It’s heartwarming work, and we get stories from customers that move us to tears daily. We are forever grateful that people trust us with their beloved stuffed animals. It’s an honor and a responsibility that we don’t take lightly.
What aspect of Winey Bears Repair are you proudest of?
For me, two things that make me proud. One is the obvious: bringing joy back into people’s arms. It never gets old hearing how happy people are when they get their stuffed animals back and see how we’ve restored their memories.
It never gets old hearing how happy people are when they get their stuffed animals back and see how we’ve restored their memories.
The other is how proud I am of my mom! She built this business as a “stay at home” mom as a way to provide more money for our family when I was born. It wasn’t always easy toting us young kids around to craft fairs or to help people understand how sewing and making bears could become a living or make an impact, but it did both!
It’s been a blessing in so many ways for our customers, but also for my family.
It evolved over the years into a big business with manufacturing and has since scaled out of handmade bears and is entirely focused on repairs. It provides financially for my parents in retirement and allows my husband to work from home. It’s been a blessing in so many ways for our customers, but also for my family. I’m so proud of my mom for stepping into her gift and sharing it with me so we can help others.
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