Teddy Bears help memories live on

Sarasota, Florida - You can't say no to a teddy bear.

There's something about their faces, their fur and their feel. Bears bring up memories of childhood and happiness. They can also be the ultimate keepsake.

No one knows this better than Rita Glosser, a kind-hearted Sarasota woman who sees teddy bears every time she opens her front door.

Bears are her business.

The Pittsburgh native smiles and says, "It's symbolic of love and kindness." Then, her eyes widen as she laughs, "You don't have to take it outside or feed it!"

Rita's booming business in a bear economy is making these high-end stuffed animals from the most precious of materials: memories.

"This is a very personal thing to me," Rita says.

It all started when Rita lost her mother years ago. Living in Sarasota, Rita realized she would never actually wear her mother's mink in the Florida heat. But, she couldn't bear to part with it.

After some brainstorming, "ReMinkie" bears were born. Rita made a bear from her mother's mink, with her mother's name embroidered on the front paw.

When friends saw the bear, they loved it. People began asking about the creation of their own "mink" bear.

Rita was in business, one close to her heart.

In her Sarasota home overlooking the Gulf, Rita's living room is covered in bears. She touches them lovingly and sighs. She says when they leave her, a piece of her leaves with them.

"Each one has its own personality and its own characters. None look alike," she tells us.

A few years later, minks and other furs expanded to fabric. People would send in shirts, ties, wedding dresses and pants. Some even sent in towels and washcloths.

But not all stories are born of tragedy. One man who wouldn't part with his old lumberjack shirt, was driving his wife crazy. When she bought him a new one, she contacted Rita, and sent her the old shirt.

Six weeks later, a lumberjack bear was being shipped to Rita's newest customer.

The best part, Rita says, is helping someone hold onto a precious memory. "When they're made into a bear, it's something for someone to hold and touch, it almost immortalizes them."

One woman sent in her husband's firefighter uniform after he died in the line of duty. His shirt and rank were fashioned into a bear's body, and the stuffed animal, full of love and life, was passed along to the man's little boy.

And even in this unbearable economy, Rita is doing just fine. Last year alone, she says she had her best year ever in 15 years.

Rita tells us the letters she gets after clients receive their bears are hopeful and heartbreaking all at the same time. She says she feels as though she is helping others to heal. "The letters I get once we've made a bear are so unbelievable."

Dian Hersam is one of Rita's favorite clients and a self-admitted daddy's girl. When her father passed, Dian had a huge collection of his ties.

"He wore them all the time. People dressed up more back then. He wore them to church, to work."

Dian never wanted to get rid of them, but at the same time, wasn't sure what to do with them either. Rita's ReMinkie bears were the perfect solution.

Dian had a neck-tie bear made for her and her daughter.

"I get joy every time I look at it. I think of all the good times we had together, things we did. It has been great having it around." Rita says.

Rita has a number of clients all over the United States and Canada. She says a many of them come from Texas and the Bay area.

Each bear takes a month to six weeks to craft. They are handmade by a staff of seven women, several of whom have been with Rita since the beginning.

The small bears sell for $125 and the larger ones sell for $200. Rita tells us Christmas is her busiest time and that she asks her customers to please place orders by September, if at all possible, to avoid the holiday rush.

If you would like to read more about Rita's ReMinkie bears, click here to view her website. You can also call Rita at 1-800-373-6465.