The place has stuffed bears, carved bears, bear photos and paintings and a fearsome looking fiberglass bear on its awning out front.

So it was probably only a matter of time before a real bear came to call at “Bear-ritos,” the restaurant inside Main Street’s Bear Den Mall.

“He walked in like he owned the damned place,” said Dave Shackford, who has operated the bear-themed gift shop and restaurant for 20 years. “I mean, just because your name’s on the place doesn’t mean you can have your run of the place.”

Shackford last week installed a new garage door at the back of his restaurant and hadn’t yet put on locks when a bear came visiting about 2 a.m. Sunday. The bruin – which may be a small brown bear cruising Front Street in recent weeks – got enough of a claw between the edge of the door and the pavement to hoist it up to a clearance that allowed him to enter the building, Shackford said.

Once inside, the bruin wandered through, including past some trash bags, and may have gone out through another door left open for ventilation.

The bear was possibly attracted by an exhaust fan while baker Rusty Goodin was making pastries inside, about 20 feet away. “If you’re in the back, you smell it, but this is cutting it kind of close,” said Shackford.

Goodin heard rustling in the back, but by the time he checked, the bear was gone. It left some muddy paw prints on the garage door and a hole in the door gasket.

Since the visit, Shackford has clamped shut the garage door.

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