A couple’s anniversary getaway took a wild turn when a bear strolled into a Gatlinburg tea shop and began rummaging through merchandise before suddenly jumping onto the counter in a startling encounter caught on video.
The couple, Victoria Puyol and Joshua Card, were visiting Gatlinburg to celebrate their seventh anniversary when they stopped at The Spice & Tea Exchange on Friday, which is where Card spotted an unexpected visitor near the entrance.
“There’s a bear,” Card recalled saying.
At first, Puyol said she didn’t quite process what was happening, but when Card and the store clerk repeated themselves, she turned and saw the animal standing in the doorway.
The couple recalled guidance to back away from bears, but as they stepped away, the bear ventured farther into the store. The clerk directed them behind the register, where they had access to an emergency exit.
The curious intruder appeared particularly interested in the shop’s inventory, tearing into a sweet-tea blend and investigating tea diffusers as a crowd gathered outside.
An employee from a neighboring store sounded an air horn, the couple said, but it appeared to have little effect on the bear.
Card began recording as the bear approached the counter.
“Hey, what you doing there, buddy?” Card can be heard saying in the video.
The bear then turned and jumped onto the counter, prompting Card to step backward.
“He’s talking to this thing like it’s a puppy,” Puyol recalled. “It’s a bear. It’s not a puppy. It’s a bear.”
Card said he initially thought the animal might have been a “show bear” on a leash with a handler nearby because they were in such a populated area. He quickly realized it was a wild bear.
Card, a military veteran who also has experience as a lifeguard, said his background dealing with emergency situations helped shape his reaction. He described feeling uncertain about what the young animal was capable of and whether he should intervene or simply give it space.
“This didn’t really feel like an emergency,” Card said. “It felt unpredictable to me.”
Card said the bear appeared more curious than aggressive.
“He didn’t really seem threatened,” he said. “Even when he jumped up on the counter, I was like, okay, well, I’m going to take a step back.”
Puyol said she was more shocked than frightened.
“I wasn’t scared,” she said. “I was just shocked.”
“I wasn’t like, ‘Oh my God, it’s a bear, I’m going to die,’” she continued. “No, it was like, there’s a wild animal, like eight feet away from me.”
Adding to the irony, Puyol said she had repeatedly told Card before the trip that she hoped to see a bear during their anniversary getaway.
“Be careful what you wish for because I wanted to see a bear, not that up close and personal,” she said.
The clerk eventually told the couple about another exit through the second floor, but the bear suddenly ran out before they needed to use it. Card and the clerk then shut the door and waited to make sure it was safe before leaving.
Puyol estimated the entire encounter lasted roughly 10 to 15 minutes.
The couple said store employees told them the bear appeared to be a repeat visitor and had entered the business earlier in the week.
The shop also posted a photo of a bear earlier in the week with the caption, “This young bear came into our shop today, snagged some sugar and came back for more!”
Now that they made it out safely, the couple said the encounter made for an anniversary they will never forget.
“The trip has been filled with oddities, and so this just kind of … fuels that whole experience,” Card said.
