Jesus Christ. What is this world coming to? I only had the honor of meeting Amy once, and she was an angel. I can't even imagine the trauma that her son just had to experience and to know that the trauma was caused by his stepfather is absolutely atrocious.
Fucking horrible. She was so kind and open and approachable. She cared about people and she cared about her work and the community. She'll be sorely missed. Let's all look out for each other through this
This right here. I loved seeing Amy, always a smile on her face, hugs were always in the mix. The little notes we’d send each about our pugs, Ludo and Frank, when I ordered and the ones I would get back in the packages. Until we see each other again.
I'm just so sick over this I can't even wrap my brain around it. I bought my first ever piece of Japanese sofubi from Amy at NYCC. I stumbled upon the Lulubell booth and she was so nice and friendly and eager to talk to me. Luke was there and he was quirky and fun. Later that month Bwana had his show at Lulubell and I never looked back. Over the years I would exchange small talk with Amy as my Grody army grew and it was always great getting those hand written notes "Thanks Jonathan!" in the packages that would arrive with astonishing speed. It was just that one encounter by one of the friendliest people I ever met that sent me down this rabbit hole for the last 10+ years. My thoughts go out to Robert and Amy's family. The community she helped build is strong and you have our support. EDIT I'm now noticing that I joined SB 2 days after attending that NYCC and meeting Amy and Luke Spoiler: The one that started it all View this post on Instagram
What a shame. Like a lot of folks I knew Amy as an acquaintance, just a bright light in the community, always happy whenever I saw her at shows behind the lulubell booth or if we had emails back and forth, she even let me do a bunch of mashups for Dcon one year. She just let me do my thing. She was a pillar of our community and now she’s gone. I feel so bad for her family; her kids, Luke and everyone. We could use more people like Amy in the world.
Just feeling so down about this all day. Amy and Luke helped me out so much with my early pursuits. She will be missed in a big way. People like Amy helped me to know this hobby brings people together even when apart. I never got a chance to meet her, but I always imagined that I would feel the same warmth and good vibes. So down about this. May she rest in peace, and her loved ones find peace in this life.
Senseless. To take away your wife, to steal away a child’s mother. Gone too soon, will never be forgotten. Remember Amy’s smile. Hope for justice. Never let her flame burn out.
I don’t even know what to say. This is absolutely gut-wrenching and so fucking senseless. Why is there so much hate in this world?
The first time I met Amy she knew who I was and this amazed me. She was professional and sweet at the same time, showing the best in humanity. When going through Arizona I made sure to get to her shop to show my support, as I would at every show she was at that I attended. The world needs more like her. This is one of the few things that has made me want to cry in a very long time.
I'm devastated by the brutality of the news. My deepest condolences to Amy's family and friends. I never had the honor of meeting Amy in person, but she made a strong impact on me right from the start. Amy was always ready to help me out whenever I had any questions or comments about my Lulubell Toys orders. She always went the extra mile to please me and make me feel a special customer. With the passing of time, Amy turned out to be one of my dear friends at the toy community. In December 2019, Amy made a post on Instagram asking her followers to post photos and tell their stories about Toy Angels in their lives, people they have met via the toy community that were special to them for some reason... Amy, I must say you were certainly one of the Toy Angels to me. And I'm very grateful for all things you did to bring joy to my life.
I want to come back to one very important thing, and that is mental health. I don't know if her husband was getting help, or taking medication, but this tragedy is part of the mental health story that affects everyone on this planet. Please, if you are depressed, anxious, lonely, overwhelmed, and having difficulty coping, reach out and get help. There is nothing wrong with getting help. Everyone's life is better when we learn self-regulation and self-efficacy. Everyone deserves to feel like they can manage life's difficulties. Get help for yourself and for others. Don't allow yourself to suffer more than you have to. You are worth a better life, no matter what you feel in the moment.
RIP Amy. My thoughts and prayers are with Amy's family, and friends. Please let us know if there is there any kind of Go FundME set up for her family.
Didn’t know Amy but you can tell a lot about a person in the way others speak of them and she sounds like someone pretty special. May she rest in peace and my condolences to her family and all those who called her a friend.
Anyone here who bought from Lulubell knows Amy's notes. She was a singular personality and a lovely human being. I will never forget her open kindness. Condolences to all of us and especially her family.
So crazy in the New York metro area, all the smoke from the Canada wildfires has blown down here. It’s orange with heavy smoke and it smells like fire. Never experienced anything like it. Feels like the world is burning. A fitting environment right now.
it just hurts to think of what she was going thru prior and how we never know what other ppl are going thru. rest in peace
https://www.azcentral.com/story/new...r-charge-in-wifes-shooting-death/70291528007/ There's a small update at the bottom. "Court documents state that Osowski was held on $1 million bond, with his court dates scheduled for June 12 and 14." Dunno how long the media will cover this but I want to see due justice for Amy and her loved ones. EDIT: Also looked up how bonds work as I am not familiar. Apparently if bond 1 MIL it takes $100,000.00 for bail.
Huge loss all around. It's difficult to wrap my head around how this could happen. I worry for Luke and hope he's got family and friends close through all of this.
Around 2009-2010 I started getting into collecting toys. I'd just moved to Tucson for college and had found some blind box stuff (domo kun, KR stuff) around campus. In my quest to find more I stumbled across Lulubell. This was prior to even Red Hot Robot, another toy store in Phoenix locals may or may not remember. Anyways, I took my scooter (lame i know) and rode it from campus close to DT Tucson. The store was by the train tracks kind of away from the more busy areas, so when I got there for the first time, I wondered if I was in the right spot. This was my very first exposure to Japanese vinyl, mostly remembering the vast amount of what I would later find to be Siccaluna toys hanging around the store. This was also the very first time I met Amy. A great person from the start, never hesitating to be helpful to some random kid with limited spending money and with very little knowledge of the toy world. I would continue to find my way to Lulubell from time to time, getting bits and pieces for my budding collection. As always, there was Amy; knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. When I heard Lulubell was closing in Tucson I was very disappointed. A little later on I found out Amy was moving to Phoenix and the shop would be resuming operations in DT Mesa, I was super excited! One day I came to visit the shop with my family and she proceeds to tell my dad of the first time she met me, which was rather embarrassing at the time, but in retrospect, very endearing. I guess we'd both made an impression on each other. Anyways, I'd continue to visit pretty frequently, especially after I finished school and moved back home. I attended a lot of their gallery events, and was able to meet Luke and assemble toys when he was here several years ago. The closure of their brick and mortar and COVID really changed things for me, unfortunately, and i'll continue to look at those missed opportunities with a tinge of regret. Everyone knows of Amy's undeniable influence and what she did for this community. Personally, I'd like to think she played a large part in keeping me interested in sofubi and helping me be the toy collector I am today. And rather than ruminate on the tragedy that has unfolded these last few days, I chose to remember these times instead.