Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

For many people, the highlight of their trip is a much anticipated visit to Boyd's Bears in Pigeon Forge. And, now, you have so callously taken it away from them. What kind of a CEO says Boyds Bears will stay open, then goes back on his word? An unfeeling CEO out for that almighty buck. What a way to disappoint so many children who enjoy making their own special stuff animal or to adopt a bear at Boyds. It's a very special place to many people. I know it was a wonderful place to be for me and my family, and no trip to Pigeon Forge was complete without a stop at Boyds Bears.

My family and I waited patiently for over a year until "the barn" opened in Pigeon Forge. We go to PG 2-3 times a year and always visit Boyds. My 25 yr. old daughter even had breakfast with the bears in July 2006 for her birthday (along with 10 children traveling with us). I can not imagine that you would close this special part of vacation fun. We were at the "HUG", and almost every other special event since the store opened. We were even there on opening day. How could you take this away from children, families, and the great state of Tennessee? The grinch is alive and well and posing as the CEO of Boyds Bears!!

I cannot believe that you will close the one thing that we can not wait to get to you. You have the nerve to close it down for no reason at all. Boyds is the first stuff animal that i have ever bought for myself and truly love it and even bought stuff animals for my friends and family for christmas and birthdays

I work at Boyd's in PF, If the customers are sadden by the closing, well so are the employees. The employees are for the most part very wonderful folks & feels like a family. We have laughed, cried & yes, got mad at each other as families do. Working for Boyds has been a very trying expericence. They really cant handle telling the truth to their employees. They say one thing & do another. Why stay, you may ask, we need the money & the benefits but not the Corporate uncaring way they have treated their P.F. Employees

I just can't believe that the CEO has decided to close Boyd's in PF for no reason. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in PF this summer and we spent lots of our time at Boyd's. I have collected since 1995 and I was so excited about visiting Boyd’s. My husband has also become a collector due to our trip. We are planning our anniversary trip next year and we were sickened when we returned home from our honeymoon and soon after learned of the closing. It is so unfair. And the people that work there were GREAT during our visit!! Why do this to all the LOYAL Boyd’s collectors? Leave the Boyd’s in PF open.

As others have expressed, my family and I are very saddened by the closing of the big boyds barn. My husband started my collection during our courtship and has continued it for the last 13 years, through our marriage, the births of our two children, and many other milestones that have been commemorated by boyds bearstones. My sisters in law who live in Ohio and Texas both shop at BBC in PF every time they are in TN, and the trip there and browsing the great displays have whiled away many an hour for us. We sure will miss the store, and so wish that it could stay open.

I'm planning my 2007 vacation and updating my Tennessee websites and come across my Boyds Bear link. The link tells me the site is closed and redirects me. I'm all excited about the bears and getting to visit with them again this coming summer. Then I scroll down to the bottom of the page, Pennsylvania? What? I don't want to go there. I do a search for Boyds Bear Country in Tennessee. I came to this site and get the depressing news that the most amazing big red barn I have ever seen is now closed! WHYYYYY???? I even had a section in my vacation budget planner just for the Barn. Ever since my first visit there, I don't feel right purchasing any other Bear. Now the one place I knew I could get any Bear that was perfect for any given friend is GONE!!!! I'm so devastated. Thanks, Bob Coccoluto, for doing the dumbest thing ever! How many people visit Gettysburg, PA? At least my kids have Sevier & Dolly from our last trip to PF.

Every year our family would go visit family in TN. We always come to Boyds. My daughter loves it so much. She will be upset, because we will be coming to Tn in April and she was hoping to get the baby bear in the nursery. It will definitly be a store we will miss.

We are here in Pigeon Forge on vacation this week and are STUNNED to find the Boyds Bear Factory closed! We have been vacationing here for 30 years and when Boyds opened we stopped in to check it out. I am not a Bear Collector but my best friend has hundreds of Boyds Bears and has been collecting them for years, so I just had to make one for her! My husband is NOT a shopper and intensely dislikes craft shops and stores of that type, but reluctantly went with me to Boyds Bear Factory. He fell in love with that Big Barn and the entire Factory! That one visit we went back 6 times in just 4 days! We would be out looking at scenery and on the way back to our motel, he would turn off the Parkway and I would say, where are you going? He would say "I thought we'd stop back in that Bear Factory!" We'd finish dinner at the restaurant and be driving back down the Parkway and end up at Boyds again! My husband was as enamored by that place as I was! And, THATS really saying something! We could just walk around look at the displays and Bears galore all day! When we returned home he told everyone about this Neat, Big Barn and all the Bears and goings on inside the barn! This year on vacation we talked our brother and sister in law from upstate New York to meed us here and the FIRST place we wanted to take them was Boyds Bear Factory! What a shock to drive up that drive and find the Barn Closed! We had been talking and talking to them about this neat place they just HAD to see! We are so sad that the Head Honcho's at Boyds decided to close this wonderful attraction. I always said if we ever got up near Pennsylvania I would have to visit the Factory up there after seeing the one here in Pigeon Forge. Now, I don't think I could bring myself to visit. What a shame they had to close this location, especially if it was profitable! This was the PERFECT town for Boyds Bear Factory - there are so many million visitors to this area every year! I am just so saddened that it is no longer here. One of the first places we planned to visit when we got here. I wanted to make a Special Bear for the young lady who is house sitting for us while we are on vacation. It is just so hard to believe Boyds is gone! Shame on the Powers that be who made the decision to close this store here in Tennessee!

we are going to pf this weekend. i jumped on line this morning to see what was happening at boyds. then i found out it was closed! i am very saddened we have out first child on the wayand i want to go buy some things for his room. what a major marketing no no..... all my family travels to boyds in pf 3-4 times a year and we always spend atleast 3-4 hundred dollars buying gift etc. this may be the one thing that ruins my trip...

boyds was a great attraction in tn. it was a fascinating shop. would love to see it come back.

boyds was a great attraction in tn. it was a fascinating shop. would love to see it come back. People Will Be Dissapointed And Not Come To Tennessee.

I am deeply saddened by the news of the big red barn being closed. My husband (who is not a shopper) enjoyed taking our two daughters there. We had intentions of getting them a bear from the nursery and putting their adoption dates for their bear's birthdate. I would have never expected this factory to have been closed. I am VERY DISAPPOINTED in the CEO Bob Cuckoo man in the very poor decision he made. Watch out board of directors, I believe Bob is working for the opposition. I know that big business owners are responsible for some stupid decisions, but this has got to be the most insane one.

I am extremely angry to learn that the Boyd Barn in PF. Tennessee has closed. My grandaughter was just asking me about taking her there. It makes no sense at all to me why they would close this beautiful addition to the Gatlingburg PF area.

I could not believe when I was told that boyds county had CLOSED we were there last year and I was in absolute heaven I found bears that I could not find I had been wanting and I loved the clothing accessiory line!!! When we decided that we were coming in sept I could not wait to go back and get some more things. and then my sister-in-law informs me of the closing!! I was heart broke I could not believe it had closed!!! And it is so hard to find them now!!! I have been collecting these bears forever and I love them and now can't find them very easily!!1 I think the company should reconsider the closing. looks like if you were in bankruptcy you would need the income to pay off debts therefore, keeping the store open and also, making sure that the bears and things were easy to find would get them out of financial trouble!!! I just don't understand.

I would like to know if the Boyds Bear in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is still open for business. If is't where is another store located. My zip code is 37022. Thanks for any help

The original Boyds Bear Country located in Gettysburg, PA is still open.
http://www.boydsbearcountry.com/index.cfm

Very sad to hear about the Boyd's Barn closing. It was definitely a highlight of our family vacation and it fit well in the smokies! I feel sad for the 100's people that will lose their jobs! Please keep the Barn open!

I think this bob dude sucks! Thats all i gotta say about that!! Thanks 2 u my 3 yr old son will never get 2 see that great place!

I cannot beleive you closed the barn in PF. I only found out when my husband and I went to the barn and saw the American Bandstand on the side of the building instead of the cuddly bear we are so used to. How long before you close the Lancaster, Pa. location? I like many others visited both locations at least 5 times a year and never leave without dropping at least $100.00 a visit. Yes, I have many bears, but with a CEO like this indecisive guy I may not have many more. He surely is not as cuddley as the adorable bears I have now. Stop and think of the patrons when making these terrible decisions. Keep the stores open and let people shop and you will be out of bankruptcy in no time.