Tattoos, Taxidermy, & Sword Tricks: Amanda April June Oddities

Amanda April June Bolt began walking the road to her destiny at the age of fourteen, when she started learning the art of tattooing. After a few years of learning the trade in Florida, Bolt came back to the Binghamton area to help take care of her family. During this time, Bolt and her partner (in life and business), Geremy Smith, began building a family of their own. The two had a little baby girl.

Raising a child did not keep Bolt from sharpening her trade, but instead, helped inspire her to explore new avenues of creative expression. During the limited spare time she had, while at home taking care of her new baby, Bolt began experimenting in taxidermy. But this was not your grandfather’s taxidermy of stuffed squirrels or moose heads; Bolt had a different type of specimen with which she wanted to work.

“I came home from work one day and she had an octopus she had cut up and was putting it into jars,” Smith describes his first encounter with his partner’s new trade. Not too long after that, Smith found a similar greeting when returning home from a long shift driving for FedEx. Only this time, instead of octopus parts, he walked in on Bolt teaching herself how to sword swallow. This certainly must not have been an easy pill for Smith to swallow, but he continues to show nothing but support for Bolt’s artistic passions.

Although tattooing, taxidermy, and sword swallowing may not be the most classic triple threat, it certainly does not make it any less impressive. Bolt has mastered these skills with ingenuity and beauty. Not to mention, the story of how she learned these talents is one of bravery, giftedness, and perseverance.

For tattooing, it was Bolt’s drive to push herself to succeed, and reach new heights with her skill. Taxidermy came about in a search for greater fulfillment in life and herself. In addition, it was a way to create something new out of death: a sort of rebirth. “Lately I’ve been making creatures that don’t exist out of bones,” says Bolt. Finally, she took on the art of sword swallowing, mostly as a way to help deal with pain from her past. When she was young, Bolt suffered from a great deal of jaw pain and underwent agonizing surgeries. Instead of ignoring the pain she endured or relying on painkillers to numb her, Bolt took a more innovative route to recovery. She had heard that sword swallowing was tremendously painful, a fact intrigued her, as she wanted to push herself to the farthest threshold of pain possible. By doing so, she would better learn to cope with the chronic pain she is left with. Such a worthy payoff; however, did not come without trial. Learning and practicing sword swallowing is not only extremely dangerous, it is also incredibly difficult. Naturally, it is a counterintuitive action. “Everything in you says, ‘No, don’t do this,’ but before you know it, you’ve done this impossible thing.”

Conquering impossibilities seems to be a part of life for Bolt and Smith. For example, they have managed to turn Bolt’s eclectic group of skills into a living. This past August, the two opened a storefront in historic downtown Windsor. They set up shop in one of the oldest buildings in Windsor, established in 1892. The building, said to have once housed Windsor’s original press company, is now home to Amanda April June Oddities. “We really wanted an historical building,” says Bolt. Although the quaint town of Windsor may seem a bit out of place for such a unique shop, the couple find themselves more than happy with the location. “It’s a completely different feel here; it’s very quiet and peaceful.”

A nice, quiet town is likely a relief to the young family. They used to spend most of their time on the road, traveling to flea markets, art shows, and other events, to show off Bolt’s various talents and sell her artwork. Still, Bolt and Smith are by no means stationary. Bolt’s merchandise has shipped as far as the United Kingdom and Canada, and she has also performed in Canada. In addition, after he saw her perform at Carousel’s own Scarousel Ball in 2014, Bolt was requested by Binghamton’s previous Mayor to perform at that winter’s New Years Eve Masquerade Ball at the Roberson Museum. In fact, that particular Scareousel was Bolt’s very first public performance sword swallowing. Since then, her performance career has taken off. This year she can be seen at many events, including the Terror Expo at the Best Western in Johnson City. In addition, Bolt has been asked to participate in National Sword Swallowing Day in Time Square, where Ripley’s Believe it or Not is trying to break the world record for most sword swallowers to drop (swallow) their swords at once.

Between performances, shows, and expos, Bolt and Smith spend their time raising their daughter, running their shop, and creating new works of art. Their store is full of a wide array of creations: great for gifts and one-of-a-kind masterpieces to show off in your home or office. Bolt makes a great deal of beautiful jewelry with her specimens, and her specialty is working with wet specimens [octopi, seahorses, etc.] that she suspends in jars and bottles - giving the deceased creatures an almost life-like quality. Each piece tells a story.

Although animal bones and specimens in jars may not seem like a very natural thing to many people, Bolt is sure to keep the method of her work as natural as possible. She allows each specimen to complete each process of decay, to allow for clarity in its display. Most importantly, she and Smith make sure no animals are harmed for their profit. All of their specimens come from the most humane sources possible. “They [the animals] are already dead when we meet them,” Bolt explains.

So if you need a little whimsy or fantasy in your décor, some new ink on your skin, or a gift for that someone in your life who appreciates the odd and the beautiful, then make your way to Windsor. Not only will you be able to check out some truly amazing works of art and nature, you will also be greeted with a warm welcome and interesting conversation. It is a unique and wonderful place to visit for anyone who can use a little oddity.

Amanda April June Oddities (and custom tattoos) is located at 108 Main Street, Windsor, NY. Hours are 1-8pm, Tuesday through Saturday. More information can be found on Facebook, Instagram@amandaapriljuneoddities, etsy.com/shop/AmandaAprilJune, or by calling (607) 765-4673. Tattoo inquiries can also be directed to covermeinink607@gmail.com.