We are a family-owned small business, located in beautiful Big Bear, CA. We got our name Metal Monkeez because Billy’s wife Rachel always called him a monkey as he is light on his feet and is always climbing in or on something, combined with his love for and skill with metal, the name Metal Monkeez was born. Billy has been working with metal ever since high school, oh so so many years now. He doesn’t even have enough monkee toes to count that high, even if you add his fingers.
In 2018 Rachel and Billy started doing the metal art when her health began to decline. Rachel was diagnosed with kidney failure and diabetes among other medical problems. They used the metal art to spend time together and as a distraction from her health concerns for both. Having the metal art and the social media interaction with customers and people helped her so much, it gave her a new drive and passion for the metal art. As her health declined, her passion for art started to come out in a second form and that was stained glass. She envisioned combining the two arts one day. She grew mentally stronger and more determined as time went on, doing the metal art was giving her focus and will. As they were growing and creating more designs and ideas.
Together they created an Etsy page under MetalMonkeez. They offered all kinds of custom metal art with the designs they had created together. Unfortunately, Rachel was getting sicker and had to have her leg amputated in January of 2020. By this time, she had already pulled her best friend, and chosen sister Jessica into Metal Monkeez and showed her the ropes. Knowing that Jessica would be able to take her place in Metal Monkeez when the time came, Rachel was ready for one final push to continue her passion with metal art and creating designs.
Rachel pulled in her actual and chosen family so that she could point them in the direction of her dream. There is a dedicated gamer section for Jessica’s son Andrew, also Rachels’s chosen son. Rachel and Andrew the gamer, developed a special gamer line of designs which Metal Monkeez will continue to offer in memory of Both of them. Rachel grabbed Billy’s brother Eddie and had him start helping Billy with the grinding and cleaning of the signs. Rachel also pulled in Mario, Billy’s best friend and chosen brother of 9 years to help with the metal art, as metal is heavy and Billy needed more muscles and more brain power. Mario has taken Rachel’s place next to Billy in the creating new designs. True to Rachel fashion Jessica has pulled back in Sarah Andrew’s girlfriend of 7 years and chosen daughter to Jessica and Rachel to help with this circus. Rachel built a family and started a company and left a legacy for the ones that she loved.
And because they are the family that Rachel built, they will continue to build and carry on her dream. On the way of continuing to build Metal Monkeez, there has been another chosen sister added to the family. Dawn the Owner of Lodge Podge. After meeting Billy and Jessica and learning their story Dawn gave them a place in her store and her heart. Billy and Jessica met Dawn after seeing a Facebook ad that she was opening her store. They have since all became a huge part of each other’s families. She is now part monkee. If you come by and see her at Lodge Podge, you might even catch a glimpse of Billy and Jessica dropping off new product for the store or a custom order.
As Rachel was Billy’s high school sweetheart, they were together for 30 years, and they worked side by side every day in everything they did. Rachel and Jessica were best friend’s and chosen sisters for 20 years. Metal Monkeez wants to continue Rachel’s legacy, her passion, and her dream for the metal art she came to love so much. Jessica is now by Billy’s side and is dedicated to her chosen sister’s dreams, and to helping Billy in his dreams to make Metal Monkeez what Rachel and he dreamed of.
Unfortunately, in August of 2021, Rachel, lost the battle with her illness and passed away. Andrew passed away in November of 2021. They both live on in all of the Metal Monkeez hearts and art daily. They miss them dearly each and every day and hope they are proud of them.
Thank for reading the Metal Monkeez story,
Have a great day!!
Metal Monkeez Billy, Jessica, Mario, Eddie, Sarah and Dawn.
