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Americana quest boosts mail order Bear Creek receives many inquiries about gifts appropriate for soldiers. Scare shuts Ohio Harry & David shipping center By GREG STILES Bear Creek Corp. may be a roundabout beneficiary of the war on terrorism. It also experienced the downside of the post-Sept. 11 atmosphere this week. Harry & David reports a 25 percent increase in inquiries related to international shipping, as well as questions about the kinds of gifts appropriate to send to soldiers. Harry & David President and CEO Nancy Tait said in a press release that customers are looking for Americana gifts that can be shipped great distances and remind them of home. "Many customers are looking for American-made products that also can be shared with others," Tait said. The mail order giant with headquarters in Medford has added detailed information on its HarryandDavid.com Web site concerning overseas shipping, along with APO and FPO shipping information. For the first time, the company can include retail-quality greeting cards with many of its packages. Bear Creek senior vice president of corporate relations Bill Ihle said overseas shipments typically account for 1 to 2 percent of the company's orders. "This jump is certainly new and obviously unexpected," Ihle said. "But if we can bring a bit of America to a soldier in another part of the world and pass on holiday wishes, it brings a smile to our face." He said there was no comparable demand during the build-up prior to Desert Storm, when thousands of troops were deployed in the Middle East. That war began in October, but many soldiers were headed home by Christmas. This war on terrorism is an uneasy period across the country. At Bear Creek's Hopewell campus in Hebron, Ohio, suspicious items found by employees prompted a call to the police and resulted in shutting down the call center and distribution operations for six hours. "There was a suspicious package left, with the address misspelled and everything else that would get your attention," said Lt. Glenn Watson of Hebron's police department. "They also received a letter just before that with a map of the Middle East and a typed message stating something about 7,000 people." He said about 300 employees evacuated the center, and the second shift was told not to report to work. Licking County's hazardous materials team and bomb squad were brought in - only to find the package was filled with what might be expected in a gift package. "It was mugs," Watson said. "The lady brought them in, sat them on the counter and said 'We don't want these and left.'" Watson said people in the town of 2,500 are a bit jumpy because of anthrax scares. Ihle said if Bear Creek is going to err, it's going to err on the side of caution. "We have a very proactive security department," Ihle said. "Our most important asset is our employees. We're going to overcompensate on the side of safety and protect them at all times." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.