Our Story

We rescue stuffies.
They rescue kids.

Stuffie Squad started in the Over the Mountain communities with a simple idea: claw machines are fun, kids need joy, and our community has the heart to make both happen.

Stuffie Squad bear mascot
01 How It Started

It started with two kids reliving a core memory.

My wife and I were spending the weekend in Auburn with some dear friends when their children, still buzzing from a recent trip to Houston, showed off their haul from a massive claw arcade... one plush at a time. The excitement on their faces was impossible to miss. On the long drive home to Vestavia Hills, my mind wouldn't let it go.

I've always wanted to build something of my own. But somewhere on that drive, the idea of a true family business materialized. Something my family could build together, from the ground up.

When I mentioned it to my kids, they lit up. That was the moment I knew. I had to do this. We had to do this.

A pile of colorful plush stuffies won from claw machines
The haul that started it all
02 A Real Family Business

The founding team.

Our son Jack is seven. Our daughter Gia is four. They are, without question, founding members of this operation.

Jack gave us the name. Stuffie Squad. It was never going to be anything else.

Gia weighed in on the logos with the kind of direct feedback only a four-year-old can deliver. And our niece Lucy, daughter of my wife's twin sister, took a notebook to school and started interviewing her classmates about what they'd most want to win from a claw machine. We call those our consulting sessions. We're lucky to have such talented consultants.

We want Jack and Gia to grow up knowing they built something real. Not someday, but right now, at seven and four. We want them to understand that age is never a reason to hold back a good idea, and that a focused heart and mind can contribute something meaningful at any stage of life. This business is meant to be an outlet for their creativity, a source of genuine pride, and a builder of the kind of confidence that follows you everywhere.

The Stuffie Squad founding family: dad with Jack and Gia
The founding team
03 The Perfect Home

Built for this community.

Stuffie Squad is designed to live inside something bigger than itself.

We're looking for business partners across the Over the Mountain communities that share our vision, family-friendly gathering places where parents can linger over a meal or a drink while kids have somewhere real to be. The arcade gives kids an outlet. The stuffies give them a takeaway, something they'll carry home, show their friends, and talk about at school.

That's the scene we're building. If you're a restaurant owner who sees the same opportunity, we'd love to talk.

Two kids smiling on a wooden fence in the woods
Why We Do It
04 What Comes Next

Right now, we're focused on
the Over the Mountain communities.

On Jack and Gia learning what it means to build something, give something, and belong somewhere. On every stuffie finding the kid it was meant for.

That's the whole mission.

Win. Give. Repeat.

Partner With Us Plan Your Visit

We're proud to call the Over the Mountain area home, and we're laying the groundwork to bring the mission to more communities. If you're curious about what that looks like, we'd love to talk.