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Every time she passed by 610 Laurel St., Susan Allen pitied the black bear on the front porch.

The longtime fashion consultant recognized a potential client.

鈥淚 said, 鈥楾hat poor bear needs some clothes, different clothes,鈥欌�� said Allen, who spent years crafting outfits for performers at Grand Strand theaters. 鈥淪he had a shirt on him and a hat on him. And the longer I kept looking at him, [I said], 鈥楽he doesn鈥檛 change his wardrobe.鈥欌��

For nearly 20 years, the taxidermied bear has greeted visitors from the porch of Clairette Mathis鈥檚 Conway home. The bear has always been dressed, but in the last eight months, Victor Victoria 鈥� yes, the bear has a name 鈥� has never been more fashionable.

There was a beach hat, sunglasses and a surf board for the summer. An aqua dress and gold scarf for New Year鈥檚 Eve. Just last week, Victoria 鈥� the bear鈥檚 preferred name when wearing women鈥檚 clothes 鈥� donned a red dress with white polka dots, black gloves, a red purse and a heart-shaped pink 鈥淏e mine鈥� sign.

Valentine鈥檚 Day is almost here, after all.

The reason for the bear鈥檚 expanded wardrobe can be found just down the street where three sartorially-minded septuagenarians live.

Allen and Betty Sue Loflin moved to Laurel Street with another friend nearly three years ago. All in their mid-70s, the self-described 鈥淕olden Girls鈥� were living in the same Myrtle Beach apartment complex when they decided it would be better to share a home than pay three sets of bills.

鈥淲e enjoy each other鈥檚 company,鈥� Loflin said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e three old ladies, but we have fun.鈥�

Once they arrived in Conway, they soon noticed the bear, often slowing to look as they drove past. They appreciated its seasonal outfits, but they also thought it would be fun to give the bear more variety in its apparel. So one day Allen knocked on Mathis鈥檚 door and asked if she and her friend could dress the bear.

The timing was ideal.

鈥淚t was really funny that that happened because I was running out of clothes for the bear,鈥� Mathis said. 鈥淭he bear only has certain outfits and they were getting all worn.鈥�

***听

Mathis admits she did not always appreciate having a bear on her front porch. She can鈥檛 remember the exact year her husband told her that a friend had given him the furry statue, but she knows she wasn鈥檛 amused when she learned it was a few feet from the front door of her 19th century home.

鈥淢y husband brought it home and I said, 鈥業 will not have a bear on my porch. No way,鈥欌�欌�� she recalled. 鈥淏ut then I thought, 鈥業f I put an outfit on the bear, it鈥檒l be cuter.鈥欌��

An elementary school teacher for nearly 40 years, Mathis always dressed herself for the seasons. And since the bear arrived around December, she bought the bear a holiday dress, a hat and shopping bag that said 鈥淢erry Christmas.鈥�

Soon she began trying other outfits. The bear became a ghost at Halloween. It was a pilgrim for Thanksgiving. Around St. Patrick鈥檚 Day, the bear sported a green hat and vest.

Victor Victoria鈥檚 name comes from the 1982 Julie Andrews film about an unemployed singer in Paris who impersonates a man to land a job. Mathis chose the moniker because she thought it sounded elegant. She also likes the movie and the name gave her more flexibility with the outfits, which are difficult to find.

鈥淒o you know how hard it is to dress a bear?鈥� she asked.

Over the years, the bear developed a local following. Neighborhood kids even began posing for annual photos, documenting their childhood by standing next to a posed creature that stands over 6 feet tall with its teeth baring.

鈥淧eople stop all the time when we鈥檙e sitting out here and when they鈥檙e walking they鈥檒l ask about the bear,鈥� Mathis said. 鈥淎nd they鈥檒l say they like her outfit.鈥�

Folks also began associating Mathis with Conway鈥檚 most famous bear.

鈥淚 have become the bear lady,鈥� she said. "I don鈥檛 have a name. I鈥檓 the bear lady.

And if I give directions to where I live, I鈥檓 the house with the bear and everyone knows.鈥�

The bear鈥檚 origin story remains somewhat of a mystery.

Mike Mathis said he was told it came from the Tilly Swamp area, 鈥渂ut I can鈥檛 swear to that.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where the old boy is I got the bear from,鈥� he said.

What he remembers is that years ago he was running a tree service and his buddy had one, too. One day he noticed the bear in storage at in the back of his friend鈥檚 business.

鈥淗e had that old bear,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 said, 鈥業 want that old bear if you ain鈥檛 going to do nothing with it.鈥欌��

A few years after the bear moved to the Mathis porch, the hunter who killed it told Mike Mathis he wanted it back.

鈥淢an, you can鈥檛 have the bear back,鈥� Mike Mathis told him. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my wife鈥檚 bear.鈥�

However, he made the hunter an offer.

鈥淚f you go the house and get the bear from my wife, you can have the bear.鈥�

Victor Victoria never moved.

In recent years, the bear has faced a new challenge. Squirrels discovered it and began chewing its fur. The bear lost its paws and an ear. The Mathises tried applying cayenne pepper to the bear鈥檚 fir to keep the squirrels away, but that hasn鈥檛 worked well. With the bear鈥檚 condition in decline, Mike Mathis suggested they finally remove it from its perch.

Clairette Mathis didn鈥檛 mince words.

鈥淒on鈥檛 you touch my bear,鈥� she told him.

***

While she remains protective of Victor Victoria, Clairette Mathis welcomed the help from Allen and Loflin.

She knew it was time to upgrade the bear鈥檚 wardrobe. A bear could only rotate the same clothes for so long.

Expertise was also on their side.聽

For years, Allen鈥檚 job was to dress the Gatlin Brothers when they had their eponymous theater at Fantasy Harbour, so she has an eye for finding the right fit. Loflin, who worked for 44 years as a nurse before she retired, embraced the joy of the search for outfits.

But they soon discovered dressing Victor Victoria isn鈥檛 easy, especially with anything homemade.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nowhere you can go buy two or three yards of material,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淲almart鈥檚 got where they pre-cut it in little bags. Well, that doesn鈥檛 help me. I need yards of material.鈥�

When it鈥檚 time for Victor Victoria鈥檚 new clothes, the women visit thrift stores searching for men鈥檚 3X shirts and women鈥檚 dresses size 22-24. Dollar Tree is good for accessories. They get a kick out of hearing store employees ask what size they need.

鈥淏ig enough for a bear,鈥� they say.

鈥淲e love to tell the story,鈥� Loflin said. 鈥淲e love to talk about [how] we dress a bear. And they say, 鈥榃hat?鈥欌��

The bear鈥檚 height, wide girth and lack of posable limbs mean they have to cut shirts and dresses down the back to get them on the bear. Sometimes they add padding to the bear鈥檚 chest to emphasize, well, the Victoria features.

They appreciate the challenge. Allen is already preparing for Victor Victoria鈥檚 Easter attire: she plans to dress the bear in a bunny costume.

For Loflin and Allen, dressing the bear is a fun way to spend their golden years. It's a break from conversations about heart surgery and physical therapy.

For the Mathis family, it鈥檚 another chapter of celebrating their fun landmark.

And while there is concern about squirrels and the bear鈥檚 future, no one wants to see Victor Victoria go.

鈥淗e鈥檚 mine if she ever gets rid of it,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淚鈥檒l sit him on the porch farther down the road.鈥�

But Clairette Mathis鈥檚 position hasn鈥檛 changed 鈥� for nearly two decades.

鈥淚 like it so much I would just keep it until it literally fell apart,鈥� she said.