This That and the Other: “We have what you’re not looking for”

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – This That and the Other, a business owned by husband-and-wife duo Ron and Cassandra Berry, creates and sells laser engraved portraits, chainmail jewelry, crochet items and custom engravings on a variety of materials. The couple raise and care for their own Angora rabbits, which they use to spin homemade yarn for crocheting.
The Berrys opened This That and the Other (TTnO) as a brick-and-mortar store in Tennessee, where Ron was known for his magic act. However, his role as a magician and hypnotist offended the local church, and their business failed to take off after members were instructed to boycott.
The Berrys tried again in Green Bay, but struggled to market themselves and were forced to close again due to lack of business. The couple moved to Wisconsin Rapids and decided to step back from TTnO.
Ron had prior experience as a professional golf caddy for 18 years, including time at Pebble Beach Golf Links, and found a position with the Sand Valley Golf Resort training their caddies.
“For five years out there, I worked with them and worked with their caddies, and eventually I ended up having two heat strokes,” Ron said. “And that took me off the golf course, and kind of out of life a little bit.”

The Berrys didn’t let that stop them, however. While Ron was facing his health challenges, he and Cassandra decided it was time to give This That and the Other another try.
“Life has a way of doing one thing so you can start something else,” Ron said. “So we decided to turn our hobby back into a business.”
Cassandra said TTnO took off in the Rapids, and they became regulars at the summer farmers market, which provided them with some of the benefits of a storefront without the stress of needing to keep a shop open.
“We take orders, and we come home during the week, we make the orders and we go back to the farmers market and drop them off, or [customers] come by us and pick them up,” Ron said.
For the past five years, the Berrys have worked from their home and craft room. The couple aspires to open a physical store in the area, but don’t yet have the funds to take the next step. However, they have begun to expand into markets outside the Rapids area in order to further the business.
“We did a Renaissance Fair for three weekends in Des Moines, and that was our first breakout to see what a mass crowd was going to think about it,” Ron said. “And we just got great feedback.”
The couple was able to engrave portraits on the spot while people waited, working from PDFs, JPGs and even pictures of pictures. Cassandra began to make chainmail jewelry after seeing its popularity at the fair, and they drew many sales. Following their success, the Berrys decided to bring their goods to another Renaissance Fair, Baraboo’s “A Gathering of Rogues and Ruffians,” held on Oct. 11-12.
Ron’s current focus is black acrylic, on which he’s learned to create photo-realistic engravings after months honing his craft.
“I spent all winter trying to figure out how to do the technique I wanted to do. Not what everyone else was doing on black acrylic — I wanted to make it different,” Ron said. “It was just scrap after scrap not working. I could get a good image, but it looked like an etching more than it did an actual photo under glass, and that’s what I was after.”
While TTnO’s more artistic creations are a big draw, one of their bestselling products continues to be custom trophies and awards, used by organizations like the Wisconsin Ice Arena Management Association. The couple also creates various custom items for the local Bullseye Golf Course gift shop, including golf bag tags, engraved golf balls and clubs, displays and backgammon boards.
The Berrys contribute to the community beyond TTnO, hosting annual pictures with Santa in their own garage — transformed into a magical workshop — at no charge. Ron said if TTnO becomes a brick-and-mortar, the couple would combine their offerings and turn the store into a winter wonderland each year with themed products like tree ornaments, scarves and hats, home decor — and the Other.