What began as a simple anniversary escape for one couple in Gatlinburg turned into a memorable wildlife encounter when a curious bear transformed their tea shop visit into an unexpected adventure. Captured on video, the bear made its way into the store, sifting through items before leaping onto the counter, startling everyone present.
Victoria Puyol and Joshua Card were in Gatlinburg celebrating seven years together. While exploring, they made a stop at The Spice & Tea Exchange on a seemingly typical Friday. However, their visit quickly took a surprising twist when Card noticed the unanticipated bear near the shop’s entrance.
“There’s a bear,” Card recalled expressing as he processed the unusual sight.
Initially, Puyol was confounded by what she heard. It wasn’t until both Card and the store clerk reiterated their incredulity that she turned to see the bear firmly planted in the doorway.
Joshua Card’s initial sighting of the bear at the shop’s entrance was just the beginning as the animal ventured further inside, leaving both him and Victoria Puyol with an anniversary story to remember. (Victoria Puyol and Joshua Card)
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.
A bear suddenly jumped onto the counter inside a Gatlinburg tea shop as Joshua Card recorded the unusual encounter. (Victoria Puyol and Joshua Card)
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.
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“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.
A bear wandered into The Spice & Tea Exchange of Gatlinburg while Victoria Puyol and Joshua Card were shopping during their seventh-anniversary getaway. (Victoria Puyol and Joshua Card)
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.
A bear wandered through a Gatlinburg tea shop, rummaged through merchandise and jumped onto the counter during an encounter caught on video by a couple celebrating their anniversary. (Victoria Puyol and Joshua Card)
“The trip has been filled with oddities, and so this just kind of … fuels that whole experience,” Card said.
News Media has reached out to The Spice & Tea Exchange of Gatlinburg for additional information.