It’s a bear of a business
Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 8, 2001
Jane Shampo can’t see a piece of fur without wondering what she might do with it.
Saturday, December 08, 2001
Jane Shampo can’t see a piece of fur without wondering what she might do with it.
&uot;All I see is teddy bears,&uot; said the owner/operator of The Teddy Bear Factory in Albert Lea.
Shampo began making teddy bears at age 11, and she estimates that since age 13, when she started going to craft sales, she’s made over 10,000 of them.
&uot;When I was 25, I got 6,000 tags, and I ran out of them a couple years ago,&uot; she explained.
She estimates that 99 percent of the bears she makes are from real fur. That began when someone handed her a real fur jacket and a jointed bear pattern.
Now, she ships her bears worldwide, thanks to her web page on the Internet and eBay.
Over the years, she said she hasn’t raised her price, which for her most popular 9-inch bear is $25 using fur she has, or $20 using fur a customer supplies.
&uot;The whole point is recycling,&uot; Shampo said. &uot;If I charge $150, then a lot of people can’t afford it.&uot;
She recalls once when a woman gave her a couple of fur coats and she was able to make six large bears and 16 little bears out of them. &uot;She was so happy,&uot; Shampo said.
Someone else once asked her to make bears out of a postal uniform to give to relatives of a letter carrier who had died. In still another case, surviving grandchildren got teddy bears made from their grandmother’s fur coat at her funeral.
A woman from Pennsylvania used to send her a different kind of fur every week.
&uot;I work with just about anything and everything,&uot; Shampo said, adding the varying patterns of the different types of fur assure no two bears are just alike.
She’s worked with wolverine, wolf, skunk, mink, rabbit, wild rabbit, bear, ermine and fox, just to name a few.
Shampo sometimes gets damaged pelts from people, but mostly works from old fur coats.
Because of Internet sales, she’s shipped bears to countries she’s never even heard of.
&uot;And I used to throw away my tiny scraps, but now I sell them by the 3-pound bag and people use them to tie flies. I don’t throw anything away until I put it on eBay first,&uot; Shampo said.
Ten years ago, Shampo was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which prevents her from working a regular job outside the home. She said making bears and selling items for others on eBay keeps her productive.
&uot;I enjoy making bears,&uot; she said. &uot;I’ve worked all my life, and doing this gives me a reason to get up.&uot;
The Teddy Bear Factory’s web site is www.geocities.com/rodeodrive/plaza/5406. Shampo can be reached at 377-0775.