A RETAILER of collectable teddy bears has opened a second store in the region.
More than £40,000 has been invested in the Hartley Bear's Emporium, in Yarm High Street, following the success of the store in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.
The shop has created three jobs, with more expected over the coming 12 months.
Hartley Bear's Emporium was established more than a decade ago in Leyburn and sells high-quality bears and related gifts through its website www.hartleybears.co.uk to both collectors and non-collectors across the globe.
Julie Nichol, from Sadberge, near Darlington, bought the business in 2004.
She said: "Hartley Bear's Emporium is itself an already well-established business and that convinced me that I should expand into the Tees Valley.
"Yarm is a popular shopping destination which is already synonymous with unique products and designer brands.
"Hartley Bear's Emporium brings a different product to the area but teddy bears are something that appeal to all types of people.
"I believe that we are filling a niche in the market."
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