Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Will truly miss the Boyds Bear Country, only got to go once, but was a neat experience. Told all my friends, now have to tell them different. They are no longer on QVC either which we all watched. So many people don't get out to shop. QVC was great. Bear Country was great really will miss it, we travel to the Smokies quite abit, love it down there.

I was saddened to hear about this. We were in Gatlinburg in April and the first place I wanted to go was to the Boyds Bear Factory to make a keepsake for my son. This is so sad.

Thanks,
Misty

I really am disappointed about the closing, I had missed the opening date by a month the first year it opened, and now my first chance to return, it is closing. What a shame, I know there are millions of visitors that do and would love to come there, please reconsider this decision, since some of us have no other outlet to purchase the bears and stone wear products and I do not shop on-line so that is not an option.
I hope there is some reconsideration on this closing.
Thanks

I am SO dissappointed to read this, this was the first I heard of the closing.

I am so sad to learn about Boyds Bears. We first visited the "barn" last fall and are preparing for our trip to Pigeon Forge next month. It will be sad to see the barn empty and the bears gone. Is their any way we can change their minds?

I Love the Boyds Bear Store in Pigeon Forge, TN. I thought it was beautiful and I spent 2 hours in the store. I am very sad that it is closing.

I have collected Boyds for years and also visit Pigeon Forge frequently. It really disappoints me to see Boyds closing so soon. I do not think they have given their collectors or Pigeon Forge a fair chance.

For those who would like to contact the Boyds Bears company, you can do so through email at http://www.boydsstuff.com/boyds101/TellUs_email.cfm?subject=GENERAL

me and my family went there and had a really nice time. now i have a new niece and i was hoping to take her. guess i won't get to now. Thanks for the good times while it lasted.

How sad and unfortunate for the thousands of children, as well as collectors, who made the trip to Pigeon Forge, happily day-dreaming of another visit to the Boyds Big Barn! I would think this closure would turn some folks away from Boyds bears, especially parents who needed a fun place to take the kids that had no entrance fee! Everyone left with bears and had fun, even mom and dad, after enjoying the layout, singing, food, gifts, and whimsical bears posed all over the place! PF can be an expensive vacation spot and now the one fun place that did not cost Dad a fortune to get into is closing. Bah-humbug!

My family and I have planned a vacation week in Pigeon Forge in October. A stop at Boyds bears is on our itinerary. This will be our first visit. I am sorry to hear of the closing. It doesn't seem like a very smart business move. I wish they would reconsider. Thanks

So sad and shocked to hear of the closing of the big red barn on the hill. My wife and I have visited every year since the opening, and was going to visit again this year with our new daughter. I sure wish they would reconsider their decision.

I visited the Boyds Bear shop last year in Nov. I loved the whole atmosphere in the store. The sales people are very special each and every one of them. I made a pig for my girlfriend. This year in Nov. we are coming back to visit but won't be able to vist Boyds. This make me so sad. I wanted to bring my girlfriend so she could make a bear for her Grandaughter whos mother passed away a little while ago. I am so sorry you are closing for all the people who would have had a fantastic time at Boyds.

We always go the the barn on every visit, which is several times a year. We are always there at least two to three hours. On our last two visits we found a bear with our dads name or called "Daddy" which meant alot to us as we had just lost him. We will truly miss the Big red barn and wish it would reconsider its closing. It wont be the same visiting without it as one of our favorite stops.

I am sorry to see this place close. And to hear that they will not be opening anymore stores. I will be there in september, at the end of the month. I am a collector of boyds bears. It will be missed. This will be my second and I guess my last visit. But I won't stop collecting.

I couldn't wait until the barn opened. I go everytime I get a chance. I live about 31/2 hours away so a go several times a year. I'm in my thirtys and I will miss my bear barn. I don't want it to leave.

I was SO disappointed to hear of the announcement to close the store in Pigeon Forge. I recently became a grandmother and was looking forward to introducing my grandaughter
to the bears at bear country. My daughter and I had the pleasure of visiting the store on two separate occasions and throughtly enjoyed it. This store truly brings out the child in all who visit. It will be sadly missed. I WISH THEY WOULD RECONSIDER.

I think it is a shame they are closing the barn. My nephew really loves to visit it when we are in the Smokies. He also, likes to make the bears and we have made plans since it has been there to attend the Easter Egg Hunt. He loves this!! It is great for kids of all ages. We're going to make our last trip to the barn this weekend. He wants to go one more time before it is closed.

I am a collector of Boyd Bears and very disappointed with the closing of the Boyd's Bear Barn in Pigeon Forge. Please reconsider this closure.

Thanks.

I cried when I heard of the closing. There are almost no stores left that carry Boyds and I was able to go there and find bears for my collection. With this decision, I am not sure I am going to keep up my collection of Boyds.
I wish they would re-consider. I feel they didn't give the store or the community a fair chance. Pigeon Forge should sue them!!!!!

It is a shame the Boyd's Bear store is closing in Pigeon Forge. We would come to the Smokies 3-4 times a year, and we would go to Boyd's Bear every time we came. We always found the Bear's to be a great gift, whether it was for a new baby, christmas, birthday or just a souvenir. We always found what we were looking for!
We visited the Gettysburg store this summer and it was not even close to being as nice as the store in Pigeon Forge. We will surely miss it!!

GOOD NEWS! I was planning a trip to Pigeon Forge to see Boyds Bear Country before it closes, and I called first to get a closing date and they are GOING TO STAY OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS! So plan your trip and get there soon!

As both a Boyd's collector and owner of a rental cabin in Pigeon Forge, it was a huge disappointment to learn of the closing of "the big red barn". It was both a source of great personal pleasure to visit as well as being one of the better family-oriented destinations in Pigeon Forge. It was an exceptional draw for the tourist industry. We watched it being built from the ground up, and visited countless times in the past two years, always taking home a special "friend" to add to our collection. Not only is this closing a great disservice to all of the Boyd's lovers, but also the Pigeon Forge area itself. Eleven million visitors to an area per year would indicate to me that the demographics are certainly there to support such a family-friendly business. Perhaps the early demise was part of a master plan which does not include Pigeon Forge. At any rate, Dolly Parton can help the city only so much...if the CEO of Boyd's can make more money elsewhere, then that is where he will take his business, whether the little guys (like us) like it or not. Such a shame. I, for one, will sorely miss seeing the artful displays of the thousands of cuddly critters I've become so fond of.....

We were just in Pigeon Forge during Christmas and we were so sad to hear the factory was closing. From where we stayed we could see the Big Red barn. It was a pretty site.We visited the barn quite frequently and we are really going to miss the Bears.Visiting the Bear factory was the highlight of our vacation.

We are planning a week's vacation and the one place I had really wanted to visit was the Boyds Bear Factory. I had heard so much about and and being a bear collector, I was really looking forward to this visit. I am very disappointed to find out the factory is no longer there. We will still visit, since we have already paid for everything. But, I will reconsider a future visit, unless I hear they are finally opened the factory back up. I would LOVE to find it opened the week we are there, that would be great.

Dear Boyds Bears

I just went on the computer
to see the hours of the store In Pigeon Forge TN to find out it has closed. One of our main activities we were doing was to make a bear. Friends that are travelling with us and their
first time to Boyds Bear will be very disappointed. And my children who already
have made a Boyds Bear when
we were down in April of 2006 will be very heart broken as they were already
planning what they were going to do with their new bears. Myself was looking
forward to purchasing one of
the county bears that was on
display next to the old tractor. This is a very big
let down for us as this was
one the major reasons we were going to Pigeon Forge. Please e-mail me of a new
place to make a Boyds Bear.
-Very Disappointed Nancy from Canad

I WAS IN PIGEON FORGE THIS PAST WEEKEND AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE MY FAVORITE PLACE CLOSED. IS THERE ANY PLANS TO CLOSE GETTESBURG AS WELL? I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT. I STARTED COLLECTING BOYDS BEARS THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO AND HAVE SO MANY BUT I STILL WANT MORE. I WILL MISS THE BARN ON MY TRAVELS TO PIGEON FORGE.

We went down to find the Boyds bears was replaced with a show.I was very upset cause everytime I go for to Pigeon Forge I make each one of my 4 kids a Boyds build a bear.Then buy other bears for myself and family that loves them.I'm sorry you have gone.

I went to Pigeon Forge on my way home from Gatlinburge looking forward to create a bear for me and my little sister. Instead of boyds bears I saw Dick Clark's American Band Stand. I could feel my heart sink as I drove away from the barn, looking behind me at the tin bear weather vane and the flags with bear paw prints on them. As I took my final look I felt a tear stream down my face. I will always miss the bears and snacks of the great barn.

In 2004 on opening day my wife and I were on our 3rd anniverary trip to Pigeon Forge. we spent our Honeymoon there and returned each year. We extended our stay one extra day to attend the opening of "Boyd's Bears" Barn. Then we went back to Georgia and Got her children and went back the next day. I got the military tribuite pieces, The Kids got Teddy Bears and my wife got keepsakes about Love. We didn't make it back the next year because of a divorce. However, We remarried on Nov 3rd 2007 Which is our original mariage date, in Pigeon Forge and went up the hill to discover the barn had been converted to Dick Clark. we were and are very unhappy about it. We could only find the products at Cracker Barrel, and they are showing a very limited line. It is truly a shame that something so close to the hearts of the people who make up this great land should close. Regretfully Yours,
Boyd Rethke

Sooooooo disappointed.
I am a collector of boyds bears. Love the barn in PA and was looking forward to visiting the one in Pigeon Forge.
SAD!