Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 2/14/2023
BRIMFIELD – Offering an experience like no other, Capt’n Cod’s Bear Cove brings the magic of creating a stuffed animal friend directly to you.
The Bear Cove was established by Brimfield resident Nikki Bessette in 2018.
Bessette explained that her mother-in-law had a similar business that started around 2008 on Cape Cod.
“She had the original idea,” offering T-shirts and bear stuffing in her store, before switching gears and starting a new career, said Bessette.
She continued, “Everything was just sitting in storage and [she] offered me to have it. [I] created my own thing with it.”
Capt’n Cod’s Bear Cove offers animal stuffing, but “it goes beyond that,” Bessette said. She described it as a “magical experience.”
“Kids can take part in creating their own animals,” she explained. With over 40 animals, 35 outfits and 15 T-shirts to choose from, among other accessories, “the possibilities are endless,” shared Bessette.
A popular Bear Cove offering is children’s birthday parties. Bessette said the parties are a “great entertainment value” – taking care of the entertainment during the party along with party favors for children to take home.
The Bear Cove also travels to local, larger events. For instance, in 2023, Bessette said they will be at the Brimfield Old Home Day, along with Silver Bell Farm in Monson on June 10.
She expects that she will also be at the Sturbridge and Brimfield farmers markets this year. As the events are planned, they are posted on Facebook. Bessette noted that she updates the page regularly.
Bessette told Reminder Publishing that she has a list of surrounding towns she will travel to with some of the furthest being Ludlow, along with some northern towns in Connecticut.
She went on to share that the Bear Cove originally started on a renovated public transportation bus, before opening a store in the Cape Cod Mall.
After COVID-19 shut the store down, Bessette took her business back on the road. As she moves from one location to another, supplies are stored in an enclosed trailer. When arriving at the event, everything is spread out in an “open air” atmosphere because of COVID-19.
Over the past five years, Bessette said there has been “a lot of pivoting.” For instance, it went from the mall where they had staff and regular customers, to reverting to traveling.
In July 2022, Bessette moved back to Brimfield – where she once lived – with her husband and two children.
She explained that Capt’n Cod’s Bear Cove is a family business that she primarily runs, with occasional help from her 9-year-old daughter or son, if he’s up for it.
When she thought about continuing the business after being shut down, Bessette said, “It’s such a fun experience for the kids … I will keep the business going for as long as it will go.”
In the future, she said she would “love” to get back into a brick-and-mortar location – probably not a mall – but a place for people to come visit Capt’n Cod’s Bear Cove. She added she would eventually like to have both – a traveling business as well as a location.
“I hope people come and visit us,” she said. “If we have a successful summer, I hope to have a temporary location for people to come to.”
On the cape, Bessette had a lot of business partnerships. She noted that she is hopeful to develop partnerships in Western Massachusetts as well.
She went on to acknowledge “EforAll” [Entrepreneurship for All] on the cape. “EforAll” [has] the resources I need to keep growing my business,” she said.
To learn more about Capt’n Cod’s Bear Cove, visit its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/CCBearCove/.