Hello and happy spring to you, readers! It’s Chet and Char from The Beast Boutique, back to update you on life and shop things! (This is a long one; I apologize in advance.)

What happened in March:

March came with a frustrating detour into the Doldrums, where The Malaise, aka. my depression, dwells. 🙃 (Thank you, Dead Cells.) Interpersonal issues, health stuff, and external stressors left no room for art or working on the business. That’s why the Pride restock I had planned ended up being half the size I’d hoped for.

Now though, things are hopefully evening out. The biggest boon is that my brother has returned from his deployment, which is a HUGE weight off my family’s mind. While he’s undoubtedly a shit sometimes, he’s one of my anchors and I’m thrilled to bits to have him back. (plus, he’s already dragging me back into his hobbies, which doesn’t leave much time for depression.)

Another very cool thing that happened is that we took a trip to El Paso, TX with my mom and her bff! Something that really stuck out was how some parts of the city seemed so robust and vibrant, while every few blocks there were countless vacant buildings and closed businesses. What we were able to find indicated that Covid had a huge impact on the local economy, so I wonder what it would have been like to visit a few years ago.

All the same though, we got to ride the historic streetcar, see the art museum (which is free!), wander a local craft market, and eat some amazing food. (Pictured below is the lamb burger I got from Lamezze. I would go back just for that burger.) We stayed at the Boxstel Hotel, got coffee at “Coffee Box", and saw fireworks right from the window of our room! I would never have picked El Paso on my own, but ended up loving our stay!

That wraps up March, which brings us to April:

The Model of the Month was supposed to be a brand-new hummingbird ornament, in honor of my brother’s return. Sadly, technical and artistic difficulties foiled this plan. I still hope to release this model sometime soon, but it won’t be this month.

Instead, we’ve chosen an apt substitute to fill the role this during this most vernal time: the Chubby Bunny! Our 2016 Strawbunny model has been remastered and is bounding into spring as our featured model! All versions of this model will be on sale until the end of April. (We currently have both pride flag variants and natural coat colors in stock.)

Also, we should start hearing back from the shows we’ve applied for in the off-season this month, so we’ll let you know what our next show dates are as soon as we can!

Finally, happy birthday month to our dear, dear friend SMB, and to my (Chet’s) great-grandma Collins, who would have been 100 this year. She was an extraordinary woman who loved all the joys life had to offer, and always encouraged the best in the people around her. That encouragement extended to our art. One of our figurines (pictured below) lived on her counter for years, where she saw it every day. Now it lives back with us, to remind us of her every time we see it.

I encourage you to go into this new month with the spirit of Grandma Collins. As she always said, “Be good! Do your best! Say your prayers every night, do what God wants you to, and you’ll always be happy.”

While I’ve always been on the outs with the concept of an all-powerful deity, my grandma’s wisdom transcends the religious constructs of man. 👍 Find the joy this month, and do your best!

Thanks for reading, and we’ll catch you next time!

- Chet (and Char, who says hello!)

/