Literally the most kind and sweetest people work here. I took my niece who is about to turn 5 to Build-A-Bear as her early birthday present. When we arrived we were greeted and when I asked where the birthday bears were she showed us what she could get. First, this store is dangerous, there are so many cute plush options and if I was careful I could spend a lot of money. After grabbing the bear, my niece chose her little outfits and accessories. I created an account online and so we just paid the cost of her age for the bear and whatever the costs for the accessories were. She ended up getting a cute dress, a birthday hat and sparkly wand. After we added stuffing to her new bear, the whole team came over and sang her happy birthday. Seriously such a magical event and I am so grateful for adding a little whimsy to our day. read more

This is a standard Build A Bear, if you've been to one, you've been to them all. I came inside bc I was specifically looking for the Bluey bears and to get info and pricing on them. I was promptly greeted by a friendly staffer who explained everything to me and we chatted for a while about the new Bluey, how popular it was, and how they offer two different sounds you can put in her paws - the opening theme music or some quotes. You can also do both. Sold. My daughter is going to need one - it was super soft and cute. read more

BUILD A BEAR WORKSHOP @ FASHION VALLEY Parking is available in any of their garages and is free most of the time on weekends. It does tend to get busy on weekends, but on weekdays there usually aren't many people. I recommend parking in the garage near Zara and H&M, it's about a two-minute walk through the skybridge and garages to the Build-A-Bear Workshop. I've always loved Build-A-Bear ever since I was a kid. I love the whole experience of stuffing the animal yourself and placing a little heart inside, it's such a nostalgic and fun idea. During my visit, I ended up getting the most adorable reindeer, which is only available during the holiday season around November and December, so I was really excited to find it in stock. It was around $40, and you can also add a sound to the paw. The sound option is battery-based, so it will eventually die, and it's an additional charge of about $10. The quality of the animals is great, they're super soft, fluffy, and compact. I also really appreciate how friendly and helpful the workers are. They make sure your bear or animal is filled perfectly and that you're happy with the final result. Overall, I definitely recommend stopping by this Build-A-Bear Workshop. Whether you're a kid, a teenager, or an adult, everyone deserves a fun stuffed animal to take home. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

Wow love this cute little store!! We came to get my son's 1st bear. It's free for him since he's turning 1!! But we bought the birthday bundle for $25 which comes with a birthday accessory, too, bottom, and voice recording. The store layout is so cute and easy to maneuver with station numbers listed on top. We had Lily assist us from when we first entered who explained the processed. I created an online account. There's so many other cute outfits and Halloween costumes. We had such a great time and Lily was amazing!! She truly made it memorable for me and made his first experience here so awesome! Truly appreciate her. We came at a good time as she explained us the steps. But the time we were stuffing our bear, the store was swamped! All the workers were so pleasant and I can see them trying their best to assist everyone with a smile on their face. Will definitely be back! Also, wanted to state that I love how inclusive the outfits and accessories are! I saw a wheelchair, crutches, etc. so cute. read more

They are having a sale at the moment for the holidays. Buy one get one for $15. It is only on select items and not the holiday items. But, still fun for kids & adults who are still kids at heart. It was a field trip outing and the lady who helped was very patient with all the kids. I was amazed at her ability to keep all the kids on schedule and attentive. It was fun to watch. 10/10 thank you. read more

I'm so happy this build a bear is still open! They temporary closed because it moved from one side of the mall to the other. Its new location is definitely getting more foot traffic. Yay. The staff here is so friendly. We took my toddler to get her first build a bear. She loved it. There were dozens of bears and characters to choose from. Her choice; Bluey. It is pricey starting from $20+ (for the stuffed animals), clothes, accessories for them are extra. They also have birthday parties here. Shout out to Lily for the amazing customer service. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

We had ordered Pompompurin online. At that time it was limited to online purchase. We decided to go to the Fashion Valley location to stuff the plushie. It's just past Macys walking west, right by the Bath & Body works shop. We were immediately greeted upon arrival. Alejandra helped us right away, she helped us with the voice recorder, the scents and stuffing the plushie. She was very attentive and showed a lot of respect when she was talking to my daughter. I can tell she really loves her job and is great at it. After the plushie stuffing, Pompompurin looked alive lol. You can choose the amount of stuffing, you can make it soft, medium or really stuffed. My kid chose medium, it's huggable and soft. There was a fairly good amount of clothes, shoes and accessories to choose from. After you choose what you want on your plushie, you can dress them up on the dressing area. Then after that, you will head to the computer area and print out their birth certificate. This is where you can make up any name for your plushie! Once you are done, head over to the cashier. They will have the birth certificate for you and check you out. Keep in mind, adding accessories, clothes etc it all adds up. This can be a pricey experience lol but totally worth it. Some of the clothes cost as much as the plushies themselves. There were alot of plushies to choose from. All at different prices. They charge for the boxes now. It is .95 cents. Or you can choose a backpack for the plushie. They range from around $8.00. The backpack has little holes on the side so your plushie arms can hang out of it. Super cute. We went with the Sanrio theme. Bring your kiddos here for a great experience! Overall clean shop, friendly staff and vibe. read more

See all

10 out of 10 experience for my daughter's Birthday Party we hosted here! This place is an adorable and fun experience for both kids and adults. Not sure how this store isn't rated 5 stars. As mentioned, we hosted a Birthday Party here and it was everything we could have imagined, thanks to the amazing staff that were very kind and attentive to our large party (that created a total of 14 furry friends)! The party packages are definitely the way to go for large groups. We decided on the Ultimate package for $50 per furry friend made and it included all of the following: Party Host(s) 1 furry friend up to $38 1 hanger clothing item 1 pair of shoes 1 carrying sling bag or 1 bear condo 1 birthday celebration song from the entire store & party guests 2 hours of fun 0 clean up for the parents!! Would 100% come back again and host another party/event! Thank you, ladies for such a fun and memorable party that the Birthday Girl and all our guests (children and the adults), thoroughly enjoyed!! read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Our three party hosts! So sweet, patient, helpful, and energetic! - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

Maddy me getting my daughters first birthday birthday of the best experience possible!!! She was so sweet and present I made sure my daughter had the best experience!!!! read more

nice staff here but obviously always really pricey... not a fan of spending 40 bucks for a $3 bear, plus spending another 50 bucks on accessories. if you want to get here quickly then park in the parking structure close to riverwalk, and park on the third level so you can walk across the bridge. when you cross the bridge build-a-bear is about 200 ft to the right. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

Came in during the week on my daughters 2nd birthday. The employee helping us was absolutely amazing. My daughter had the best time making her bear and exploring the store. She got a big ole birthday sticker and bear crown. They also offer a military discount which I had no idea about until I heard the customers in front of me. Mission valley has plenty of parking and we loved our experience . Definitely recommend. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

My Husband And I Been Waiting for our girls to be old enough to have there first Build A Bear Experience and i can say they had such an Amazing time! & I am Sooo Thankful for the Manager and all the other employees that helped my 4 year old daughter with Autism have such an Amazing Experience. When we got there ofcourse we weren't sure how our daughter was going to react, but she did get overstimulated over the sound of the stuffing machine. And while i was trying to help her self regulate the manager came up to us with such a sweet calm voice and gave my daughter stickers and a teddy bear headband. She had also turned off the machine after she found out that the noise was what was overstimulating her. Good thing i always carry my daughter's noise canceling headphones so i put them on her and she wanted to go back to her stroller. After that i step outside with my daughter to give her a second she did want to go back inside so that was a good thing!! and when we came back in the Manager told me if I needed anything to let her know and she will try accommodate. Everything went smooth after, she picked out her Bear and outfit and even saw when they were stuffing the bear. She really enjoyed every moment (: MY TWO year old! Omg she was having the time of her Life!!! She couldn't decided what bear to get ! She got a bunch of accessories for her Bear! lol totally coming Back!! read more

I had no desire to come in here, I've been to a few of these locations and obviously they aren't my thing. But, when you have a colleague who is a bit younger than you and has a bigger connection to this place than you do, you kind of just cave in and go inside. I'm not even sure what my colleague wanted when she came in here, we think that she wanted to make a bear, which we weren't all that stoked for the visit, but we did browse a bit while we were here. Our colleague ran around the store looking at the various types of stuffable items. For some reason she wanted to get an axolotl and wanted to stand around to wait to have it stuffed and do all that went with it. While she was all over the place my other colleague and I wondered around a bit, especially since there were a few children at the stuffing place. We happened upon a display that had smaller, already stuffed versions that you didn't have to wait for. We somehow convinced our colleague to come over to where we were and she immediately saw what we were looking at, put back the larger version, grabbed the smaller, cheaper, already stuffed version and saved us some time by not having to go through the whole setup of stuffing an animal. Thankful for small favors. read more

Build-a-Bear is a niche experience, but a right of passage for kids. It's pricey, but it's worth it for the memories... right? I came in on during the weekend and it was insanely busy. There was no crowd management, and they seemed to be short staffed. They didn't have much clothing that was gender neutral or NON holiday related, which was a bit frustrating. I really, it was a fun experience to go through but I'd only come back for a special occasion! read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

We just had a birthday party at build-a-bear and I wish I had done these sooner. I've always choked when I imagined the price. $45 a kid! Your joking right?!? But I caved and did one this year. Honestly, it was probably the cheapest and easiest birthday party we have ever had. You go and they do everything for you. They entertain the kiddos for 2 hours and everyone goes home with an adorable stuffed animal that they got to make with all the stuff they wanted! Seriously. I've never had the kids as excited to take home a goodie bag! But back to the price. It's cheaper that the typical party. No Seriously. There are no decorations to buy. There are no games or entertainment to worry about. No snacks or food to buy because you can't eat there. No mini toys or candy to make goodie bags. No cake to worry about (we gave the kids a cake pop on the way out the door -target sells 4 packs). And no one missed any of it! Parents were happy because their kid got to go free range at build a bear. Kids loved it of course! And there is no clean up. No kids left behind a little longer than you want. And it still, when I really add it all up... It was cheaper than a normal party! read more

I have chronic bear stuffers! Fashion valley mall build-a-bear is our all time favorite location! We have gotten many bears, and Pokémon and the groot and the who knows what else. As a single mom who's in the Navy it became a tradition (a sad but good tradition) to come here before each deployment so my boys could get a deployment best. All suited up with all kinds of accessories, flair, clothes you name it, and a sweet message on the recordable little speakers that can be stuffed inside the bear. The staff is always so super friendly, patient and kind with the kiddos I love the experience this offers for my kids and all kids in general, it's definitely a very special place for us. They've moved on to different stuffed toys that are more for teens lol but each time I walk by this store I reminisce on the memories and joyful moments it brought to my little family. read more

Dani was our birthday attendant and she was the sweetest!! We will definitely recommend this location to our friends for birthday parties. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Stuffing time! - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

We had a great experience at Build-a-bear. My daughter was looking to create a Elphaba bear. I want to shout out Alejandra for going above and beyond to create a wonderful experience for my daughter. She was so giving and kind and fun. We appreciated her very much. My daughter is so excited to have her perfect bear! Thank you Alejandra! read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

Was there yesterday 12/2/25 The girl there white for glasses sorry forgot her name sorry she was very nice and good customer service !!

The manager of this location is a paragon of excellent customer service. She and her staff made me feel instantly welcome today, speedily completed the ask that I had, did not make me wait in line, and treated me like a VIP the entire time. I could see the rapport that the manager had with the others, and this contributed to a peaceful and pleasant store experience despite the busy rush of customers. Clean, well stocked store with high caliber customer service. Recommended! read more

Advertised 2 for $25 online. We drove 35 minutes to get here, only to find a dinky piece of paper saying "No more 2 for $25". The day isn't even over. Horrible service and very upsetting waste of gas and time. read more

Service was usual, wasn't an over the top experience. My first time at the new location. It use to be on the other side of the mall. This store location is much smaller than the old one. I use to love coming to the Fashion Valley location due to all the "extras" rather than Plaza Bonita which is my preferred mall. Different overpriced stuffies, clothes, sounds, etc. They got rid of the bathing station! Use to be a cool little station after the kiddos would stuff the bears, they could go over to a "wash station" to bathe their stuffy. Asked about it today & employee stated they got rid of it due to covid. Overpriced & waste of money to say the least. You don't get the full experience of what you use to get. You pick a stuffy, stuff it, then pick some clothes I guess. The system was down when I went in. Couldn't even make a "birthday certificate" for my son's bear. The employee stated I could come back another time to do so. Which I appreciate. But who is going to come back with a tag just to do that? Lol. Probably not coming back again. read more

Awesome place to make a custom stuffy my daughter lived going through the process of making her Bluey. The workers here were amazing.

Alejandra is always the sweetest person ever! Every time we go in she's always been the absolute best! Dani was also extremely kind and fun to chat with. This location is the absolute best! read more

My daughter turned five this week, and for the year, each time we passed your store in the mall, I told her "that's where we're going on your birthday week!" I'd heard about your special birthday pricing. She was excited - we'd never been in before. We went in tonight. As I said, we've never been in the store before, so we asked someone where to start. She was really nice - she gave my daughter a birthday hat and sticker, told us to choose a bear, get it stuffed, then choose clothes and accessories. She didn't say anything about the special birthday pricing, or any specific bear. My daughter chose a multi-colored bear, but then I saw that one bear with drawings on its feet was beside a board that talked about the birthday deal. I didn't realize the deal only applied to that one bear, but saw the sign, so we put her other bear back, and chose a birthday bear from the bin directly under the sample birthday bear on top. We went through the whole process - picked the beating heart, got it stuffed, labored over specific clothes and accessories - not an easy decision for a five year old in a store full of cute stuff - got the bear dressed, and took her to check out. At check out, I was rung-up for almost $60. When I asked about the birthday pricing, the worker told us that we'd chosen the wrong bear - our bear with the drawings on its feet was, in her words, "really similar to the birthday bear", but not the actual birthday bear. She asked if we wanted to start over, which - of course - made my daughter start to panic, because she'd just spent 30 minutes building and falling in love with the bear she chose (the whole point of the process). She immediately offered us a 10% discount, which just affirmed to me that this happens often, by design. I am still in a bit of disbelief at how shady the whole process was - -no one told us about the specific birthday deal, or bear, despite knowing we were there for her birthday -the other bear that looks almost exactly like the birthday bear was stored directly under the birthday bear - even closer than the actual birthday bear itself -no one asked us, as my daughter - with a birthday hat and sticker on - stuffed the bear and chose accessories, if we knew that we were getting a bear different than the bear specifically for birthdays Of course, I reached out to the corporate team, but - also of course - I never got a reply. Don't go here. read more

My wife and I made a bear together here this week. It was my wife's first build-a-bear ever, and she is 26! We both had a blast. The store is very clean and organized, and all the employees are knowledgeable about how to make the bears. The only thing I would like to add is that none of the employees (except one) were excited for my wife (or random children) making their bears. Especially for kids, making a bear is such an exciting, special, memorable experience, and the only employee who seemed excited about it was one young female employee with long black hair. She was the only employee who smiled at us. I know working all day makes people tired, but at least smile once? Lol. Everyone else seemed dead inside. I remember when I was a kid, we used to ring a bell when we made our bears, and we used to take them home in a box that looked like a house, with the bear's head sticking out the window. None of this was offered to us. I had to ask. read more

See all

Back in December, my boyfriend took me to Build-A-Bear to celebrate my good grades after a challenging semester. I chose the timeless teddy, had him stuffed, scented, and my boyfriend and I each put a heart in. The nice young woman that helped us (I forget her name, she had long black hair), lead us through the heart ceremony and we named our bear. After a while, the Sherpa coat of the timeless teddy became matted. I took it back in, and they took the stuffing out and advised that I put the bear in a pillowcase and wash, brush, and dry him. I did so, but noticed that the matting persisted. I brought him back in, and was told that, unfortunately, Sherpa just does that over time. Diana helped my boyfriend and I find a new bear that wouldn't suffer the same matting issue. She was so kind and helpful, putting the old hearts from the former bear into the new one, and proclaiming him the new version of the old bear. And Natalia at the counter gave us 10% off, and was also very sweet! A big thank you to the Build-A-Bear team, with a special thanks to Diana and Natalia! read more

3.5 stars mostly due to the staff. Staff were friendly and greeted us upon walking in, offered to explain the process to us but as we have been here several times with the kidlet (and I worked at a Build a bear back in the day) we skipped that part. They had a good selection of animals and some were on sale 2 for $46 which seems like a lot but considering some in the sale were popular characters like Pokemon it seemed a good deal. Offered the kidlet could get 2 animals or one animal with an outfit. They chose the outfit. Took forever for kidlet to find an animal but once the animal was selected the stuffing part and heart ceremony went fast. I felt that that they had a lot less clothing options than in the past. They had empty wall fixtures and empty clothing fixtures through out the store so not sure if they needed to replenish or if they are getting fewer items because they are selling less. After trying on multiple outfits, one was selected the animal was named and we went to pay. It ended up being $46 for the animal and outfit (outfit was $15.50). I thought it was lame you used to get the bear condo for free and it is now a .95 charge. We opted to not get the condo as we only ever recycle it. Overall the kidlet had fun and got a new stuffed animal. Staff was friendly, the stuffed animals were well stocked but the clothing items seemed few and far between. They had lots of accessories which end up lost or broken in our house. read more

We've come by many times in the past few years to pick up either new bears or accessories for our bears, and Tristan has always been absolutely wonderful. He's ALWAYS extremely kind, friendly, and pleasant with which to work! read more

My son had such a great time! Service is wonderful and they took Precautions to make sure that everyone is safe. Be sure to sign up your children for the pay your age fair which they receive every year read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

The two employees working this morning were great. Took my son and his two friends and they had a blast. They were able to pick out matching suits for their bears and both of the ladies helped my pack of kids dress and guide them. Kindness all around, thank you SD Build a Bear. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Matching frogs! - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

Really cute store with nice associates. My only issue is that Apple needs to update its location on Apple Maps since it's outdated.

We had a great time here at Build-a-Bear for a birthday celebration despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The store was currently limited in capacity and I called ahead to find out if there would be a wait (there was none). We ended up coming on a Wednesday around late afternoon in early December and there were only 2 other families in the store. The staff were really helpful and friendly, going through the different pricing and the promotion that was going on at the time (certain bears were buy-one-get-one for $10). We had been here before many years before so remembered how to go through the "building." The process of picking your bear and clothing is really the main time spent in the store. Actually filling it up and adding the "heart" and stuffing is really quick, maybe 5 minutes or so. If you're quick, it can be about a 15 minute visit, or if you take time making decisions, it could be much longer. The employees/staff are really sweet to the kids while going through the process of making them. They let the kids hug their new pals and put in the heart and make sure the stuffing is just right. Then you get to print out their birth certificate. I think the real genius of this business is that the outfits and accessories sometimes cost more than the bear! We got a Kylo Ren outfit for one of our bears and it came out to be $18.50 for the outfit while the bear itself was maybe $16. So be prepared to spend a little bit (but it's so worth it to see the smiles!). --------TL;DR-------- PROS: fun experience, employees were super friendly and sweet with the kids. fairly good selection of bears and other animals, good selection of outfits. most of the stuffed animals are pretty cute. Quality is very good. CONS: the prices are high for a little piece of clothing that covers a bear, but hey, it's really cute and the quality is good so it's not going to fall apart. BOTTOM LINE: if you know a kid who loves stuffed animals, this is a great experience. One day they'll outgrow it, but you'll still always remember the big smile on their face everytime they hug their beloved pal. It's worth at least going once! read more

Took our grandsons there for Hanukkah presents. After they picked out their bears we proceeded to the "stuffing and sewing" station. TRISTEN who took care of us was so calm and so patient, it was amazing . He went through the process, explaining each step and led us through "birth certificates" and checking out. He was terrific. read more

RUNNING‍ FROM RESPONSIBILITY BEARY FAST! The root of many terrible customer experiences is a company (Build-A-Bear Workshop) that is happy to collect money from a transaction but not to accept responsibility when things go wrong. #UNBEARABLE read more

I was in this store a couple of weeks ago during a weekday. It was early in the morning and there weren't many people at the mall. There were a couple of employees in the store. One was helping a family and the other was stocking. I just felt that the customer service was poor. I was standing next to the girl stocking the back stock bin and she made me feel like I was in the way and didn't say one word to me. I thought she would at least say Good Morning. I wanted to buy something that morning but didn't feel like they wanted my business. I was disappointed. read more

This place is so much fun for the kids. They usually have some pretty good deals, too. Conveniently located at Fashion Valley Mall, this is a nice way to get some shopping in and keep the kids happy. This store practices Covid safety precautions, only allowing so many guests in the store...so get there early. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because there is usually only one person in the store to help and one to run the register. It can get busy but the staff are very friendly. read more

Attend a build a bear party. Fun, enthusiastic party for attendees. The hostess played a variety of engaging games and kept the young ladies entertained. However there was no sitting area and/ or for the parents. So I was just standing around while my daughter enjoyed her party. I think chairs should be offered for the parents. Additionally, there should be a discount offered to the girls whom attend the party that purchase supplement outfits and/or accessories. Yes, they do have coupons for $5 off $25 purchase. But I think it should maybe be a 5% or 10% off any purchase. Build a bear makes available a vast variety of accessories and clothing options for their bears( unicorns and ponies). Price ranging from $5-$35. Adorable, cute items for boy and girl build bear designs. The store overall is very vibrant, colorful and extremely organized. All items were clearly labeled and visible. read more

See all

I would like to send a shout out to Alejandra, she was the sales person who helped us. She was exceptionally patient, attentive and welcoming with my daughter. We went at the Fashion Valley Mall location, and it was packed that day considering its a weekend. My daughter loves to take her time, and Alejandra was very much present in answering all the questions, she left a big smile on my daughter's face. I think Alejandra was a great example of a person who fits in an environment where all her talent and skills are spot on. We left there feeling worthy and happy even when the summer heat and mask don't go along together but it has to! read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

I came to find some new outfit for my bunny. I was looking for normal outfit , but what they had was only character costumes. They even had some Christmas items even though it was in July. I was disappointed by the selections they had. Customer service wasn't good either. No one greeted us nor talk to us at all. read more

See all