West Kelowna man with a passion for collecting movie props has turned his hobby into a business

A West Kelowna man with a passion for collecting authentic movie props is getting set for the return of in-person conventions.

It's been two years since Richard Johns was able to set up his movie props and displays for eager audiences, but that's all set to change in 2022, and Johns has been using the extensive time off to prepare.

"For the past few years it's been kind of hard because COVID has shut down everything, so it's allowed us time to get our displays bigger and better. In July of 2022 there's Kelowna Fan Experience, and we’ll be doing a show there, there's also Kelowna Comic-Con in August so we’ll be doing that, and then in September we’ll be in Vancouver doing GateCon,” said Johns.

Johns has been collecting movie props and displays for nearly 25 years. He now possesses over 500 props, but he hadn't shown off his collection to large audiences until seven years ago, when his daughter mentioned to him that something was missing at Kelowna FanExpo.

“We were leaving, and we had a great time, but my daughter said one thing was missing, and that was movie props. She told me I should get a hold of the organizers, and so I did,” said Johns.

The event organizers were interested and wanted to have him at the next event. From there, John was advised by the organizer to create a website, which has now transformed into a business.

“It's been crazy since my first event. We had people asking us if we sell props, so we started selling, and it's turned into almost this full-time business. I work full time as a law-enforcement officer, so what I’d like to do when I retire in 10 years is work my props business full time,” Johns said.

His impressive collection features props from TV's Stargate and caught the eyes of the largest Stargate convention in North America.

“We just got a call a couple weeks ago from GateCon, and they had heard I had acquired some really cool props, so they asked me if I would be a part of their convention. There's going to be 25 actors, producers and big names associated with the show as guests,” Johns said.

Humbled by the invitation, Johns wants to really wow the crowd at GateCon. He’s in the process of constructing a 1,500 square-foot set decked out to replicate a scene from the show to make its guests feel like they’re in an Egyptian tomb.

Johns said he's gained quite the list of connections from people around the world in the movie industry, and that's how a lot of his collection was built.

Johns considers it a fun hobby and a way for him to also spend quality time with his family. His wife and daughters often help him out at the conventions, and fully support his side business. If you’d also like to support him, check out his website by clicking here.