Merrythought Edward Bear Is Here!

We are pleased to announce that our first shipment of Merrythought Bears, handmade in England since 1930, have arrived in time for holiday ordering.

All of the bears are amazing, old fashioned chaps but one of the bears named Edward, Christopher Robin's Teddy Bear, really sticks out.

According to Merrythought:
"Edward is a simply beautiful replica of the teddy bear who famously inspired AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories.  Originally created by Farnell in 1921, this special bear is brought to life again by Merrythought as the star of major film feature 'Goodbye Christopher Robin'.

Purchased from Harrods by Daphne Milne for the birthday of her son, Christopher Robin, Edeard bear and his owner formed a unique bond and became the best of friends.  Christopher's father, AA Milne, was enamored by the wonderful partnership he witnessed between a boy and his teddy bear, and decided to pen stories about their journey through life together.

Merrythought's Edward bear has been traditionally crafted in England from the finest mohair (Angora goat fleece) and wool felt, and features a friendly hand-embroidered nose and smile.  With such unique character and charm, he is a true friend for life. . . "

Edward comes in two sizes - 18 inches and 11 inches.

Beacon's Glow Collectibles is proud to be one of the first Merrythought retailers in the US. 

Quote of the Day - "The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Ever Wonder Exactly Why It Takes So Long to Get A Charlie Bear?

I came across a very interesting online article the other day that perfectly explains why Charlie Bears are a bit slow to arrive at US retailers.  Incidentally, reasonable delivery times has unfortunately always been an issue with Charlie Bears as can be seen in this article.  But as I always like to say when it comes to magnificent Charlie Bears "Good things come to those who wait!"

This was taken from The Telegraph entitled "Look no further for the bear necessities", and was written by Anna White. Many thanks, Anna, for this inciteful article.

 "Husband and wife couple William and Charlotte Morris won over the collectables market with their handmade teddy bear, but its popularity almost proved their downfall as a surge in demand led to a year-long backlog of orders.

The Yorkshire pair spotted a niche for good quality, yet affordable collectors’ toys, secured a Small Firms Loan Guarantee from the Government to start Charlie Bears in 2005. “There was a significant gap in the market,” said Mr Morris, 39. “There were low quality products at the bottom end of the price range that people simply didn’t fall in love with or very expensive collectables.”

The Morris’s, who met when William walked into Charlotte’s teddy bear shop in Leeds looking for a present for his mother, relocated to Cornwall and after much searching found a manufacturer in Thailand that was willing to take on this new category.

“We had a few false starts,” said Mr Morris. “There just wasn’t a manufacturer out there capable of producing quality for the right price. All the attention to detail adds to the cost but if you approach suppliers in China you’ll get the opposite - low price, mass production.”

The small plant in Thailand already made high end Mohair Bears, supplying Walmart and other major brands. The pair approached the Korean owner with the idea to use a cheaper material called plush to handmade a detailed prototype. 

 The English couple designed 12 characters and placed a minimum order of 600 of each without any commitment of forward sales. “If it all went wrong all we had was 2,000 teddy bears to keep us warm,” said Mr Morris, who had sold their home, car and speed boat to launch the business.

Charlie Bears’ meteoric rise to fame began at the Birmingham Spring Fair, where they took £20,000 worth of orders from small independent retailers in one day. “For giftware start-ups it is the place to be,” he said. By the end of their first year they generating revenues of £138,000.

And it wasn’t long before the shopping channel QVC signed them up. “QVC fell for the love story behind the brand and our first show was a complete sellout,” Mr Morris said.

The strategy was to build a following of the next generation of collectors. The full series of Charlie Bears, retailing for around £400, was already commanding prices of around £3,000 on secondary marketplaces such as eBay.

While the consumer squeeze gripped the retail industry, Charlie Bears doubled its turnover from £1.1m in 2008 to £2.1m in 2009. “The recession was our biggest turning point,” said Mr Morris. “The bad news story meant people were more savvy with their money and we had created a product that looked more expensive than it was. With mortgage rates going down people were affording themselves the odd treat.”

The intensity of demand was starting to build, but the Morris’s still ran the entire business themselves, from cleaning the “bear-house” to presenting on QVC. They were so focused on dealing with orders that they did not foresee the looming production crisis.

A combination of problems hit the company simultaneously. After every QVC show Charlie Bears’ 120 stockists would be inundated with enquiries and suddenly at trade shows they were shunning the advances of QVC in Germany and the like.

Training up skilled workers to manufacture the bear could take up to two years and the Thai factory did not have the capacity to grow with the company. As a result customer waiting times slid from 30 weeks to 62.

“Our warehouse became a transit shed and we were so busy trying to get the product out of the door that we were not trying to solve the longer term problem,” he said. “And then the complaints came.”

So the pair turned to Growth Accelerator - a UK based service which provides small and medium sized businesses with a coach to help create a long term business plan. With experience of setting up manufacturing operations in Mexico and Puerto Rica, Paul Duffy identified the need for a team of staff, a senior management team that was properly incentivised, and led them in an urgent search to find more manufacturers. “Adding more offshore suppliers was never going to have an immediate impact so we also sat down to help the current manufacturer continue to work with Charlie Bears,” said Mr Duffy.

The solution to their long term supplier issue lay in the villages of Sri Lanka, where they found four production partners and initiated training programmes from the outset, using young female hairdressers and art students to shave the bears’ faces and complete the intricate face work.

“In many cases these girls [from the ages of 18 to mid-20s] were the first female family member to work outside the home or village,” said Mr Morris. “We also worked with Government to put a facility in Kandy to provide employment for people living in the outlying villages.”

The Charlie Bears team communicated with customers throughout its turnaround, “we used social media imploring people to bear with us - excuse the pun” said Mr Morris.

The business is now generating revenues of £8.5m with 500 stockists, it supplies 37 different countries and has its beady eye on Japan and the Middle East with their appetite for western heritage brands.

“We have never sold out to volume,” said Mr Morris, “We could have turned to the likes of China to mass produce teddy bears and get us out of a hole but we stuck by our original brand values of quality over volume, and it’s paying off.” "

Quote of the Day -  "Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination." - William Longwood

Ever Wonder What Mohair Really Is And Where It Comes From?

I did a bit of research way back in the beginning of 2005 about your collectible teddy bear's mohair and I still continue to get questions regarding what mohair is.  So I thought that it would be worthwhile to track down this article, and hopefully it might be of interest to you? (I've updated it slightly as some of the products that were carried at Beacon's Glow Collectibles way back in 2005 are no longer in existence.)

"Did you know that your teddy bear’s mohair coat comes from the luxuriant fleece of the Angora mohair goat? Did you also know that their fleece is shorn from their coat similar to that of sheep?

Angora goats took their name from the ancient Turkish city of Ankara, which was very close to where they originated. The Turks thought so highly of these special goats that none left the country until the sixteenth century. The first exports landed in Spain and France, but Angoras didn't reach American shores until 1849. The most valuable characteristic of the Angora, as compared to other goats is the value of the mohair that is clipped. The average goat in the U.S. shears approximately 5.3 pounds of mohair per shearing and are usually sheared twice a year – once in the spring and once again in the early fall.

The United States has developed into one of the two largest producing nations of mohair in the world with an annual production in excess of 2.4 million pounds. This was all due to the initial importation of a small flock of seven does and two bucks in 1849.The other two principal sources of mohair are South Africa and Turkey. Texas, with a herd of 220,000 goats is the primary mohair region of the United States. The main region is on Edwards Plateau in Southwest Texas, where the mild dry climate and hilly, brushy terrain are particularly well suited for raising Angora goats due to their dry mountain origin. It is a well-known fact that Angora goats produce the best mohair in hot areas with low rainfall, which explains why Texas is well-suited for raising Angora goats.

Mohair fleece has always been the superior fabric for making teddy bears. There are many reasons for this:1) mohair has an incredible luster to it, and dyed mohair resists fading caused by time and the elements and is very hard wearing; 2) mohair is almost non-flammable; 3) mohair is considered the most durable animal fiber; 4) the natural fibers from mohair have the ability to absorb and release atmospheric moisture; 5) mohair is characteristically resistant to soiling; and 6) mohair possesses great tensile strength.Diameter to diameter it is stronger than steel!

That is why Beacon’s Glow Collectibles has chosen to become retailers of several well-known collectible teddy bear manufacturers that specialize in the creation and production of mohair bears. Charlie Bears, Steiff, Clemens Bears, and Kaycee Bears each carry this distinction.

For centuries, mohair has symbolized style and grace worldwide, and it is no wonder that nothing takes the place of mohair when quality is paramount.Collectible teddy bears made of mohair certainly earn their place as true heirloom items to be treasured by every generation."

Quote of the Day - "When you talk, you are repeating what you already know.  But if you listen, you may learn something new." - Twitter

Lots of Charlie Bears to Arrive Today!

We are pleased to announce that FedEx will be delivering a large shipment of Charlie Bears today.  As always, it truly feels like Christmas each time a bear delivery arrives to be unpacked.

Beacon's Glow Collectibles is getting a refill on several older Charlie Bears to offer customers in plenty of time to order for the holidays.

One of the most popular trios that Charlie Bears offered in the past was the lion set of Linus (lion), Savannah (baby lion), and Lyra (lioness).  We are so excited to be getting in more of these adorable lions.

It was so enjoyable getting to watch Will and Charlie on QVC for their first US appearance on September 26th.  Such an adorable couple and it is obvious that they are both very passionate about Charlie Bears. 

Since there has not been a plush teddy bear company here in the US for many years, we predict that Charlie Bears will take the US market by storm (as they have done in several other countries).

Please stay tuned as we continue to receive in more plush and mohair Charlie Bears!

Quote of the Day - "Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination." - William Longgood

Charlie Bears Halloween Enchantment Collection on Its Way!

We are pleased to announce that we have gotten word that the five very special Charlie Bears teddies and characters are on their way to us from the Florida Bearhouse.

This is one of four special mini series from the 2017 Charlie Bears Collection.  Charlie and Alison Mills created and exclusively designed each of these characters.

In this collection there is a first for Charlie Bears - a pumpkin with jointed arms and legs and he is named Trick.

There is also a half pumpkin called Treat.  He can be used as a Halloween treat bowl or one of the other characters can sit atop him for a really cute look.

Wanda is an adorable Halloween owl and Brat is a teddy bear dressed in a rat Halloween costume.  He is made from a gorgeous deep purple plush.

And no special Halloween collection can be complete without a black cat.  Stella is up to the job and she is made from a long pile black plush.

If you have not already contacted us to be put on our pre-order list, please do as we expect these will sell out very quickly.

Happy Halloween!

Quote of the Day - FEAR has two meanings - Forget Everything and Run OR Face Everything and Rise.  The choice is yours. - Anonymous

Charlotte and William Morris of Charlie Bears on QVC US For The First Time!

Were you lucky enough to catch Charlie Bears on QVC US for the first time on Tuesday, September 26th, 2017?

There were actually two shows that day - one in the very early morning and one around dinnertime.

I do believe that this adorable couple have taken the bear collectible world by storm!  Their very special QVC Exclusive bear, McKinley, sold out within just a couple of hours.  And this amazing little bear was an edition of 1500 pieces.  (Can't wait to meet McKinley as I got word from QVC that he is on his way. . . )

Charlie Bears began back in 2005 and this company has been a success from the start.  They offer wonderful handmade teddy bears and critters that have so much personality.  As Charlotte (Charlie) herself likes to say "Charlie Bears are bears with personalities".

The first QVC presenter referred to her as the "Willy Wonka of the teddy bear world" and I believe that this aptly fits.

Anyway, there were so many wonderful bears and animals presented during both QVC shows.

It is interesting to note that Beacon's Glow Collectibles was actually the first Charlie Bears retailer (stockist as they like to say) in the United States.  We began carrying Charlie Bears back in 2008 and thrive on carrying a wide variety of bears for our collectors.

We are thrilled that Charlie and Will will be presenting on QVC in the future as well.  From one of the shows, we heard that they will be back in February of 2018.  Please stay tuned!

Quote of the Day - "Go in the direction of your dreams!  Live the life you've imaged." - Henry David Thoreau

2017 Charlie Bears Birthday Party is Saturday, November 18th! Please Join Us!

Ruby Red Galleria Yu Ping Dolls Have Arrived!

What a great way to start a Monday! Our Ruby Red Galleria shipment of dolls arrived today and shipping from Hong Kong was amazingly fast. Wouldn't it be great if all manufacturers could follow their lead? ;)

Every doll is so very nice and so adorable. Their clothes and accessories are very well made with a lot of detail. They all were packed very well as each collectible doll was double-boxed. Every doll is wrapped in a padded white satin bunting tied with white satin bows.

Hard to pick a favorite but I think that Yu Ping is definitely a contender. She is so tiny and petite and what a great face! IMHO there is something so sweet and innocent in the face of a little Chinese girl. . .

Please take a look! If you do not already have a Ruby Red Galleria doll in your collection, I would highly recommend adding one.

Quote of the Day - "If you stand for nothing you will fall for anything." - Anonymous

Charlie Bears Secret Cupboard Collection Lazybones

We were fortunate to get the opportunity to purchase the adorable Lazybones, a Charlie Bear from their Secret Cupboard Collection.  Isn't he amazing?

Lazybones is 15-1/2 inches tall teddybear made from a winter white mohair with dramatic blue tipping.  He comes from a limited worldwide edition of only 500 pieces.

Please check our Deals of the Day as this bear could very well be included in one of our daily specials. ;)

Quote of the Day - "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." - English Proverb

Summer Festival Steiff Bears Are On Their Way!

It is that time of the year again for the Steiff Summer Festival which is held in Giengen, Germany on an annual basis.

Limited to only 500 pieces, this very special set was created exclusively for the 2017 Festival.

These two very colorful teddy bears pay homage to the very first vibrant Steiff bears ever made.  The original set was produced for Harrods in 1908 and are primary red and yellow bears.  Made from mohair, each has a sculpted muzzle and a replica of the original Steiff elephant 'Button in Ear' tag.

One bear measure 7 inches and the other 8 inches tall.

Truly a very special Steiff set for that discerning bear collector!

Quote of the Day - "The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.  The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." - Benjamin Mays

Charlie Bears Brenda Teddy Bear

I was thrilled to find out that Charlie Bears had included a bear named Brenda in their 2017 Collection. Brenda is 14 inches tall and is made from Plumo (a combination of both plush and mohair).  Her snout and ears are both mohair.  She comes from a worldwide limited edition of 3000 pieces.

I know that this teddy was named after Will's (Charlie's husband) grandmother but is still very special to me because I have the same name.

After an arduous wait of nearly 7 months, our first Charlie Bear shipment of the year arrived and what a shipment it was!  So many amazing plush and mohair Charlie Bears were included as well as several Minimos that we were waiting for from 2016.  (Many have already sold out and we can certainly understand why!)

I am so looking forward to what our next shipment holds!

Quote of the Day - "Be a blessing to someone today." - Proverbs

Yu Ping Doll by Ruby Red Galleria is On Her Way

We are very pleased to announce that just recently we have become an authorized retailer of Ruby Red Galleria Dolls.

Ruby Red Galleria Dolls are exquisitely crafted 5-way jointed and ball-jointed dolls (BJD) designed in Hong Kong.  We will be carrying the following collections to begin with:  Ten Ping Dolls and Four Kindergartner Collectible Dolls.

This company was started back in 2008 and initially introduced their BJD rendition of a Bluette Doll.  They have fine-tuned their doll offerings to suit US collectors and their little Yu Ping Dolls are wildly popular.

We just got news today that our first shipment in on the way.  Please stay tuned!

Quote of the Day - "I'd rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not done." - Lucille Ball

2017 DOLLS Award of Excellence Winner for Brenda

Brenda Mize, Owner of Beacon's Glow Collectibles, was thrilled to find out that her Eyes of Texas Dolls entry, "Royal Twins" has won in the category of Doll Fashion in the 2017 DOLLS Award of Excellence competition. This award is also known as the DOLLS Awards of Excellence Industry's Choice (DAE).

Judges for this year's competition included the following:  Berdine Creedy, Stephanie Finnegan, Jack Johnston, and Robert Tonner.  All of these judges are very well-known names in the collectible doll industry.

Competition was stiff as more than 170 entries were submitted for this year's competition.

Awards were presented on Friday, June 23, 2017 at the ID&TS held in Asheville, NC.

Brenda's description of her outfits were described as follows:
"Costume materials and description
Each twin wears a handcrafted full-length regal gown created from emerald green velvet and edged in antique gold trims.  Francesca wears an underdress made from olive green crushed taffeta fabric and Guinevere wears an underdress made from aqua-sienna crushed taffeta fabric.  The puffed sleeves of the underdress are embellished with crisscrossed gold cording and the hem of both underdresses is edged in metallic antique gold and turquoise blue beaded trim.
Guinevere and Francesca each wear a delicate necklace created from diamond rhinestone chain. Gold earrings with emerald green stones enhance their royal look.  Black tights and black leather slip-ons complete their outfit.
Their majestic classic red hair is adorned with a moss green rose floral garland. "


Quote of the Day - "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations." - Anonymous

Charlie Bear Event Bear Specials

Just found out from our Charlie Bear rep, Lucy, that we will be able to get all four of the Event Bear Specials (well, actually bunnies) from the 2017 Charlie Bears Collection. 

Each bunny rabbit is 12 inches tall and only available through participating Charlie Bear stockists.  This special collection includes:  Bluebell, Dell, Dawn, and Dusk.

Funny as "Dell" reminded me of Michael Dell, the founder of Dell Computers. ;)

Our favorite is definitely Bluebell.  Check out her gorgeous coloring and matching rose pink bow and paw pads.

Quote of the Day - "There are two ways of spreading light:  to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." - Edith Wharton

First 2017 Charlie Bear Plush Teddy To Arrive Soon!

We have been notified by the Charlie Bears Bearhouse that the first plush teddy from their 2017 Collection will be shipping to retailers (aka stockists) soon.

His name is Skinny Pin and he is 12 inches tall and made from a gorgeous brown colored plush.  As with all Charlie Bears, he has a wobble-joint neck and is 5-way jointed.  To complete his cute look, he wears a matching organza bow around his neck.

Please stay tuned as he should be shipping to us soon!

Quote of the Day - "Your mind is a powerful thing.  When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change." - Unknown

2017 Clemens Bears Collection Has Been Announced!

Clemens Bears, known worldwide for their handmade teddies, has introduced their 2017 catalog.  As with each and every teddybear bearing their name, they are handmade by artisans in Germany using old-world techniques.

As with last year's collection, Clemens has several guest bear artists who continue to contribute new and wonderful teddybears.  We have been seeing that the two most popular artist lines are Anna Dazumal and the husband-wife team of Jack and Marion Finhold.  Each and every teddy from these artists has proven to be quite popular with collectors and we expect this year to be no exception.

Please stay tuned to the Beacon's Glow website as we receive in stock images from Clemens.

Thanks for your interest!

Quote of the Day - "As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better." - Unknown

2017 Charlie Bear Collection

We are very excited to announce that the 2017 Charlie Bear Collection will officially be debuted on Friday, February 3rd.

Just have to say that this year's collection is amazing!  We are so privileged to have the opportunity to get a sneak peek since we are a Charlie Bear US retailer.

Please stay tuned!

Quote of the Day - "Success is no accident.  It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing." - Pele

Clemens Bears Introduces their 2017 Teddy Bear Collection

Clemens Bears is definitely the first of several teddy bear companies to introduce their 2017 line.  There are many fine teddybears and critters is this collection and we cannot wait to place our first order of 2017 with them.

There are some adorable Ren Bears as well as some bears and critters from the very talented Anna Dazumal.  In addition, all of the guest teddy bear artists for Clemens Bears are introducing new pieces this year.

Please stay tuned for their appearance on the Beacon's Glow Collectibles website soon.  (And of course please do not hesitate to email us at info@beaconsglow.com if you would like for us to reserve any from this amazing collection.

Quote of the Day - "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." - Anonymous

Brand New! Eyes of Texas Dolls Website is Officially Live!

After working quite arduously over the last couple of weeks, Brenda, Owner of Beacon's Glow Collectibles is pleased to announce that her "Eyes of Texas Dolls" website has gone live.

A bit of background information if you might be interested:

Brenda created "Eyes of Texas Dolls" in early 2015.  Since that time, she has handcrafted more than 80 dolls up to this point.  And that number is growing weekly.

Living in Texas for most of her life, it made perfect sense to name her dolls with a Texan theme.  As she likes to say "it's all in the eyes".  No doubt about it, her favorite part in the whole dollmaking process is painting each doll's eyes.

Every doll is handcrafted from a Little Darling Doll mold from the famous doll artist, Dianna Effner.  They are crafted from an air dried casting slip which has been proved to be more durable than porcelain.

As with all handmade items, no two turn out exactly the same.

Her customer base thus far has been very pleased with their collectible one-of-a-kind doll purchases:

• "Beautifully painted Little Darling.  I am so happy with her and recommend this artist to anyone who loves beautiful hand-painted dolls."
• "I love Brenda's dolls. They are very expressive and "their eyes are beautiful" - July is so pretty! I love her expression and long hair.  Fantastic, Brenda!"
• "Wonderful and very much promising artist"

Thanks for taking a look!

Quote of the Day - "It takes some courage to stand up and speak; it takes even more courage to open your mind and listen" - Anonymous