791 Fort St.
Victoria, BC V8W 1G9
Phone: (250) 590-1418
Tues to Sun 11am to 8pm
(10pm Sat/Sun)
Kevin Rottaris wears many hats. He grew up on a farm, served in the military as a combat engineer, and has always had a passion for the geekier side of life. Whether that is with Aliens or Star Wars, he certainly has a love for the movies of the 70s to 80s more so than any other era. During my sneak preview of Rotty’s Creations, a maker space and retail store that will be opening Oct 16th, his interests were easy to spot on the shelves. Anything newer, like Pokémon and the TCG market, came from his business partner, Reese Bourdon.
But this is more than a store. Cinematic nostalgia is everywhere, and there are plans for a makerspace that will be the second level. Before coming to Victoria, he spent about a year and a half running the operation in Red Deer, Alberta, hoping to return to more work in the film industry as a special effects artist. Sales were terrific, but he wasn’t doing everything he’d hoped to get back to after “settling down.”
“Honestly, the idea of coming to Victoria started as a joke,” revealed Kevin. “We had a table at Island FanCon in Langford, and on the day we arrived, our hotel wasn’t ready yet, so we went to the beach. Reese had never seen the ocean before, so I thought I’d show him. Then it started with, ‘Hey, how cool would it be? We can make orders from here and have this view.’
“There was a seal nearby, and a whale. As we looked into it, we noticed the rent for a shop here was a lot cheaper than back in Alberta. What really sealed it was my business partner saying, ‘You can work in film again.’ I’d been trying to get back into film, but I could only find small-budget or no-budget work. When I spoke to the film union here, they said they were actually desperate for special effects people.
“Every time we thought, ‘Okay, we need this,’ we found it. We also love the lifestyle. It’s more laid-back, especially with the wilderness. Since arriving, we’ve been driving around the Island, and I love the vibe, the places and the landscape. I never wanted to leave BC, but Vancouver was so expensive. It’s a bit cheaper here, or at least more reasonable.”
While working at HollyNorth Production Supplies Ltd., supplying productions around the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, he met plenty of film industry talent. Requests could be as colourful as, “Hey, we need several buckets of blood for our shoot tomorrow.” His experience also includes stage lighting, welding concert rigs, fog and laser effects. He even showed off some masks he’d created to wear on Halloween or offer for a charity auction. If there’s one lesson from hearing about his career, it’s that welding and machining are useful trades to learn. I heard that advice about the former ages ago and should have followed up. The latter? I should’ve known.
And he knows pyrotechnics, too! Staging explosions is another skill in a career that’s taken him behind the scenes of movie magic. We also talked about animatronics, puppets and the people who bring them to life. One visitor he recalled from his shop days sounded very much like Phil Tippett, although he hadn’t recognised him at the time.
After our conversation about the effects industry, I’m fairly sure Kevin could be Canada’s answer to Adam Savage (MythBusters). The storefront represents more than a place to hang out. As the workshop develops, he wants to teach others to create models, puppets, toys and other wonderfully geeky things. Between his military service, freelance film work and time volunteering with Todd Masters at MastersFX during the making of Falling Skies, Kevin has made plenty of connections. The creations in that workshop blew him away! He also recognises the value of community, however big or small.
He said, “I met Reese at one of the markets in Lacombe, Alberta. He’s the one downstairs who brought in Pokémon collectibles and stuff like that. Once we started combining my creations with his collectibles and TCG products, our business really took off. But we found ourselves too restricted by mall hours.”
It was time for a change. They’d expanded into popular draws like Magic: The Gathering and D&D, but their ambitions went beyond the mall. Their personalities were part of the appeal, too. Kevin joked, “I also think people really liked me and Reese. When we tried bringing people in to run the store while we did conventions, we heard complaints about us not being there!
“We thought about opening another outlet where we could have a big gaming area, a stage and a lot more. Once we saw how expensive it would be, we changed our minds. And when we visited Victoria, we got a really good deal on this unit because it had been empty for a while. We settled on this one because it had great foot traffic and it’ll be our home for the next three years as we build a new following.
“We’re going to meet the people running the other nerdy stores in town to make sure we aren’t stepping on toes.”
With only a day until the grand opening, they’re ready. There’s room for only a few gaming tables at present but it’ll change over time. Kevin’s longer-term plan is to move the workshop into a separate unit, freeing up space for more players to be at the shop. Also, the really popularƒone off TCG games will be represented. They’re registered with the Wizards Play Network and Ravensburger to run sanctioned Magic: The Gathering and Lorcana events. And yes, there has to be Pokémon.
Kevin recognises that you have to start small when rebuilding in a new community. Upstairs, he’s setting up a workshop where he plans to teach others some of the skills behind his film work. There are more upgrades to come, including equipment and custom decorations. A full-sized Xenomorph on the platform overlooking the door? Yes, please.
Kevin said, “Compared with how we started in Red Deer, this is way better. We didn’t have racks or towers. We had gridwall, but basically the store was a bunch of folding tables and tablecloths. It slowly grew from there. I’d also like bigger D&D games where each table is a faction battling the others. They’d be strategising against one another and working together.”
There’s still organising and setup to finish, including the ventilation, sinks and any code upgrades needed for the resin and filament printers. The large Anycubic machines, a Kobra Max and a Photon Max, already occupy a sturdy table. Lessons will come first. Kevin is still working out the access rules, and printing may initially be offered as commission work. Before anyone uses the workshop tools, he wants to make sure they know how to handle them properly. A selection of power tools will be available, and this master crafter wants his babies treated well. Kevin mentioned that everyone in the army had to complete the tool package.
“I’ve seen people who didn’t know how to swing a hammer or use a screwdriver because they’d never done it before. Not everyone gets that experience.”
On opening day, I may return to snag that Skeletron Roboskull® MKII. By then, more stock will be out to check out more of the retail section, and I’ll just have to wait for the Makerspace to officially open. I’m more excited for this part to have classes and sign-ups to learn their equipment. And afterwards, I can finally print out those models and cosplay elements I’ve been wanting to get done. And as more one-offs are made for their craft corner, it’ll be interesting to see how well this section of the store will do.
With a shop full of collectibles and movie nostalgia, Rotty’s Creations looks like a promising place to hang out, learn something new and find cool stuff like that toy I previously mentioned. Who knows, maybe they’ll become a pair of collectible pickers themselves like Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz from American Pickers. With that item and a Shogun Warrior in the store winking at me and making me think, “Y’know, I kinda just gotta have it…” I will be back!
Rotty’s Creations (Red Deer, Alberta Commercial)
