We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carrie Pike a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Carrie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I was standing with my mom in my dad’s closet. We had left Dad’s things alone for a while after his death, but now Mom was facing a very real dilemma, one that I’ve found is almost universal. What do you do with the things a loved one leaves behind? Clothes in particular are often too personal to either wear or get rid of. What do you do with the sweater Grandma always wore? Or the sleeper Baby was wearing when you brought him home from the hospital?

Standing with my Mom in Dad’s closet, I had an idea.

“I think I want to make bears out of some of these clothes, Mom. Is that okay?”

My mom, still grieving in her recent widowhood, threw me a skeptical look. “How?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.” I looked at the red golf shirt Dad had worn until it was threadbare across the belly. At the Boy Scout shirt that had hiked with Dad and my brother on countless campouts. At the blue workpants and shirts that had served as his uniform for the decades he’d worked as an electrician. There is something so intimate about a person’s clothes. These ones carried so many memories, and they still smelled like my dad.

“I really think I can do this,” I told my mom. “Let me take this one and this one and this one.” I started gathering my favorites.

I am the second-youngest of six children. We were not a wealthy family. Growing up, we made some of our clothes. With five girls in the family, this included our own prom dresses. We would go to the store and look at different styles and then go to the fabric store and figure out how to make just what we wanted. Back then, it was a matter of economy. How I would have loved to go buy Izod shirts and designer jeans like my friends.

My mom taught me to sew at age eight. I was not thrilled and would often become frustrated. She was so patient! While my parents couldn’t provide me with the store-bought wardrobe I craved, Mom provided me with something more valuable. Teaching me how to sew was a gift that was both free and priceless.

As I cradled Dad’s old clothes in my arms, I remembered a pattern for stuffed bears I had made to sell at a Christmas boutique. I knew I could adapt it to make precious bears to honor my dad. I got to work.

A few months later, our family all went camping on the anniversary of Dad’s death. I brought along a custom teddy bear made from Dad’s clothes for each sibling. The one made from the Boy Scout uniform went to my scouter brother. I’d sewed one from a stretchy knit shirt for my sister. As it turned out, she had given him that shirt, which made it that much more special and personal for her. I thought it was serendipity at the time. However, the twenty years since have included enough similar “coincidences” to convince me that they are actually tender mercies from a loving God.

Back to 1998. That fall, I was pregnant with our third son. With twin four-year-olds already at home, I was desperate to find a way to cut back on my hours at work so I could be home with our kids. My husband, Steve, was supportive, but we were going to have to find a way to replace at least part of my income. I prayed for a way to make that happen.

In the meantime, I had grown so large with my pregnancy that I couldn’t paint my own toenails. I decided to go see a friend for a pedicure. I explained my situation to my friend as she painted my toes. She encouraged me to pursue making teddy bears, and gave me the name of a woman at Caring Connections, a grief support group.

Almost before I knew it, I had a business creating custom teddy bears for bereaved families, and Carrie Bears was born.

Twenty four years and thousands of bears later, I have been privileged to share in the grief and healing of hundreds of parents, children, husbands, wives, and loved ones. In the beginning, most of these people were friends of friends. They would bring over letterman jackets and receiving blankets and polo shirts and bathrobes. I would invite them in, and as they entrusted me with treasured keepsakes of their loved ones, they also entrusted me with their stories. Handing me these items that still carried the essences of their family members opened my new friends’ hearts, and the words simply flowed.

Packages of beloved articles of clothing have trickled in from all across the country. It has been amazing to receive the phone calls, emails and written stories of those who have passed on. I have been honored that Carrie Bears have filled empty arms around the country and in places across the sea like Australia, Brazil, England and neighboring Canada.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

(really answered this in the previous long response :))

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Until approximately 5 years ago, I was hand stuffing all of my Carrie Bears. I still finish each bear with a little hand stuffing to make sure they look the way I’d like them to look. However, my hands were getting really tired and achy. I was looking for a solution. I feel that when you open your mind to solutions and keep looking…you will find them. I had gone online to look for a large stuffing machine. I found one on ebay in Texas. I put it out of my head because they were not willing to ship and it would probably cost a fortune anyway. About a month later, I was talking to my sister and asked her what her plans were for the week. She told me that she and her husband were driving a truck to Texas to pick up some things from a family member. When I gasped, she asked for an explanation. I told her of my hopes for a stuffing machine and that I had been looking at one online. When we discovered that she would be going to the exact area in Texas ( and Texas is large) where the stuffing machine was being sold, we knew this could not be a coincidence. My hands have been saved. And I am able to make more Carrie Bears than ever before!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

When you have a sentimental product that helps people, they tend to talk about it with their friends and family. I love it when I get a call/text or email that is a recommendation from a previous client. I would say that is my best resource. Feel the love and share the love with others and it comes right back to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carriebears.com
• Instagram: carriebears99
• Facebook: Carrie Bears