Bear necessities! Sue Smithers’ Teddy Den is a new Albany venture to bring joy and raise funds for charity

If you go down to Stirling Terrace today, you’re in for a big surprise because just on the corner before Spencer Street, the teddy bears are having a party.

Hundreds of teddy bears, all belonging to Sue Smithers, a retired aged care nurse who just wants to bring a bit of happiness into all that doom and gloom in the world.

She has always loved teddies, but the collection she has in her shop has been accumulated only over the last three years or so.

When there were too many for a bedroom at home, she decided to start a new venture and took a lease on the Stirling Terrace premises in the hope she could make enough money to cover the rent and have a bit left over for the charity Free the Bears.

Most of the bears are upcycled from op-shops where she finds them nearly new, decides what sort of cuddles they should be providing and makes clothes for them.

Although most of the clothes are new, she’s also very happy when she finds an op-shop jumper, which maybe a grandma has knitted, and will always look good on its new owner.

So, there’s a chef bear, Hermione the Harry Potter bear in her Hogwarts uniform, a Blues Brothers bear and a wonderfully woolly bear with a rose in her headband who looks as though she has had a night on the tiles.

The bears that fill the right-hand side of her shop are all from her own collection and are not for sale, but the others are up for grabs and priced at a steal.

She said she retired just three weeks ago and wanted to share her hobby with a wider audience.

“They were all in my bedroom, which was overflowing, so I thought it would be nice to share them with the community,” she said.

“I also wanted to do something for the cruise ship passengers who come into town and wander around, wondering what to do.

“It’s just about providing a bit of joy for people in this depressing world.”

Her daughters never showed great interest in either bears or dolls, but her granddaughter loves the bears.

Her collection is massive, especially considering it has been amassed in a relatively short time.

“It’s taken three years, but we have hoarders in the family,” she said.

“My Mum and Dad had an antique business.”