After my first interview in a long while. I headed to the local mall, where I tend to wander as I think. I like to people-watch and explore. I had not been in this mall in years. I like to support small businesses. I love to find unique places. This is when I discovered Teddy B’s Gourmet Popcorn.
I was on cloud nine after that Interview. Extrovert mode is still active. So I struck up a conversation with Teddy. Before COVID, he had 7 stores.. Now poised in a great location to launch forward from.
Teddy B’s is a wonderful! Gluten and nut-free popcorn store. In the Burnsville Mall in Minnesota. Author’s note: His popcorn is amazing. Cheesy Bear is my favorite flavor.
I love to draw people who intrigue me. Stylized in Chibi anime style. I like to ask permission before I do so. I am usually timid about asking.. The Introvert persona makes me shrug it off like ” Na, that seems weird.” Well not this time, I was inspired! But how do I bug a guy working? “Will he find it weird?” Introvert mode persona dominance tried to take over. My curiosity and desire to create art beat it down into a small voice.
I wanted to draw this wonderful Person! As a coloring page for his store or whatever he wants to do with the end result. I like the simple structure of black and white drawing. There is something about the absence of shading and color that makes it fun to draw. Excited to see what people do with this guided canvas for them to color. Will they see different colors or be inspired to add more lines and details to areas that I left intentionally ambiguous?
Teddy is down-to-earth, humble as they come. A business owner rebuilding back greater. In a mall of all places. So I asked if he would mind if I took a picture. I told him, “I want to make you into a coloring page. For your store!” He said “yes” I took some pictures, went home, and went to work!
It only took 3 days to complete. Not 8 hours a day or anything, but about 3-4 hours total.. 2.5 for the coloring page.. The rest to color and shade my version, I usually don’t color, shade, or highlight a coloring page.. I find that influences how people color the page. I like giving people the option to imagine the colors and shades themselves. But this time I decided to color it in and shade it digitally.
After I finished the drawings, I prepared a file and physical copies of what I had made. As I prepped for my Sunday activities Saturday night.. I put the finishing touch on the product, a letter of introduction, and comments.
I got to have a second conversation with Teddy, and it reiterated my impressions of the man. A dreamer with a logical plan. A man with an Idea all the way back in 1988.. 7 stores before COVID. A sound idea to build back up in logical steps. And a man who understands trademark law with a great solution to his own issue. An Artist / Crafter / Food enhancer! A Family man. With respect and tribute to his late father. It’s all there in his store and Person. Dreams, Ideas, and a feeling of connection, IRL face to face business. With a flare of online embrace!
I think I will write a more intricate Blog post on Teddy B’s once I catalog the story in a way that does his story in the best light and understanding. I am excited to see what comes next for him.
Perhaps the next post on Teddy B will be about another coloring page I am inspired to do? Perhaps the history of his bears? Oh, the possibilities! It’s times like these where I love being an artist, branching out into writing to work on communication skills.
Visit Teddy B’s in the Burnsville Mall, 2nd floor. https://www.yelp.com/biz/teddy-b-s-popcorn-burnsville
Read more of his story and videos on his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TeddyBsPopcorn/
Until next week!
-Sam-