On a recent Friday date, Hofstra University students Stephen Winley and Jaidan Hill hit a Build-A-Bear Workshop in Garden City, where they assembled a new furry friend together for the first time.

For 26-year-old Cammie Craycroft’s friends, the perfect birthday activity this summer was a group trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop. Craycroft said she and her friends grew up going to the retailer, which ...