November 4

Sherwood and Diane Visit the Half-Off Bears.

This great tourist trap and nest of the unexpected was a few miles down the San Lorenzo Valley from Boulder Creek and Ft. Harrington. We called the place "Half-Off Bears" rather than its real name, "Bob's Burl Shop," because of its permanent sign: "Carved Redwood Bears Half Off!" Here's a snippet from a local newspaper's story on the place, published shortly before the family finally gave up on the enterprise after three decades:

Bob’s Burl Shop has been on a windy corner near Ben Lomond for 31 years. Robert “Bob” Perry and his wife, Gerrie, opened the shop after moving into the area and buying the property for $50,000.

The Perrys started modestly by cutting wood and sanding a few tables and shipping them to buyers. Then, one day, the delivery man told Gerrie the couple could ship the tables for a cheaper rate if they formed a business.

“Uh, OK, we’re Bob’s Burl Shop,” Gerrie quickly replied.

So, on the spot, the business had a name. It’s survived more than three decades selling carved bears, redwood tables and live burls among assorted bowls and redwood gifts.

Bob died four years ago, and business has slowed down in the past year since Gerrie’s son-in-law, Ralph, stopped carving bears full time to take a job as a lawyer.

Even though Gerrie now lives alone with her cat, Bob’s memory still lives in the stories Gerrie loves to share.

“He was nuts, absolutely crazy,” Gerrie said with a smile. “But you couldn’t get mad at him, because he’d have you laughing in a couple of minutes.”

The family clearly is eccentric. I mean, after all, what person in his right mind would give up a career as a bear-carver to take up lawyering?

Date: November 4, 2001
Location: Ben Lomond, California
By: Mel Meeks (Mrs. Fort's sister's husband, then visiting from Oregon)