CoKreeate: From Larry King, to Mini Me, Kat Bailess & More – Company Launches First Retail Store This Week

Will Co, Mini Me, and Andy Co of CoKreeate

I was introduced to a company called CoKreeate back in February when I did a story covering the first ever 3D printed comic book cover, which the company created for former professional wrestler ‘Brimstone’. I was fascinated by the incredible detail in which the company was able to take a normal 2-dimensional piece of artwork, and transform it into a 3D printed masterpiece.

My 3D Printed Wedding Photo by CoKreeate (Whitney and I)

The company, led by Andy and Will Co, was kind enough to request that I send them any image I would like to have transformed into a 3D portrait. After much thought, I sent them one of my wedding photos, featuring both myself and my wife Whitney. There was no way they could take this single 2-dimensional photo and transform it into a 3-dimensional portrait? Was there?

About a week and a half later, in the mail I received my 3D printed portrait. Whitney was quite excited to see the results, and I honestly was not expecting much. When I pulled the portrait out of the packaging I was astonished by the accuracy and detail displayed in the portrait (which you can see to the right).

Since then, CoKreeate has gone on to expand upon their offerings. When possible, they use high tech 3D scanners in order to create the most accurate figurines and portraits of people. These guys have their own studio, but they also are willing and able to go on the road, and visit clients in the comfort of their own homes.

Larry King and Andy Co

Cokreeate actually started out as a fun little hobby. This was until Will Co’s wife convinced him to take his hobby and make it into a business. From there, Will and his brother Andy decided to put their savings together and open up what is now Cokreeate, which officially launched in November of 2013. “3D was not in any of our backgrounds and everything was self taught,” Will tells 3DPrint.com.

Since the article we ran, and the subsequent wedding photo that Andy and Will provided us with, the company has gone on to gain quite the publicity nationwide. They have created figurines for several famous personalities. In fact, they created a miniature of Larry King, which he showed and discussed live on his web series “Larry King Now”. They’ve also created a mini-miniature of Mini-Me, which was quite the hit among his fans. On top of this they have also done work with former Marvel Comics president and chairman, Stan Lee, as well as actress Katherine “Kat” Bailess; UFC creator, Art Davie; former UFC Champion, Bas Rutten; actors Cas Anvar, and Warren Jones; and even porn stars Natalie F’n Star, and Joslyn James, among others.

Former UFC Champion Bas Rutten.

“During our first year of business, we’ve been getting a lot of inquiries regarding a store or a place to see more products,” Will Co tells 3DPrint.com. “As you know, we currently are versatile giving us the ability to go to the client versus having them come to our location. Not all customers feel comfortable meeting in their homes or work place, therefore we decided to open a retail store.”

Actress Kat Bailess

On this coming Saturday, November 15, the Grand Opening of the first CoKreeate store will take place in Alhambra, California. The store, located at 410 Main Street, Suite 221, will be quite the destination for those interested in 3D printing. “We strive to become an ‘all in one’ solution,” explained Will. “This applies to 3D printing, 3D scanning, crash courses, helping others with custom projects, collaborations and much more! If we have the powers to help fulfill a project, we’ll give it a shot!”

The chosen location is significant to the brothers because of its nearby vicinity to a high school, where they plan on demonstrating and educating students on 3D printing as well as its capabilities. “There are all types of food businesses around, giving our customers a wide variety of selection,” says Will. “The building is fairly new considering the other vacant stores around Alhambra. Lastly, we want to support the city we live in and currently Alhambra is a growing city due to local bars and restaurants.”

If all goes as planned Andy and Will hope to franchise their business and then expand. They are certain that they will be opening up more locations, leaving the Alhembra store as their main headquarters though.

UFC Founder Art Davie

Having had the chance to meet with Andy Co at the recent Inside 3D Printing Conference in Santa Clara, he is one of the more friendly people you will come upon. At the same time, you can tell that he is serious about what he does while also enjoying it thoroughly . It wouldn’t surprise me if one day very soon, we see a CoKreeate store in every large city across America.

As for Andy and Will, they got their start because of a hobby, a convincing wife, and ultimately friends and family who wanted to see them succeed.

“Cokreeate couldn’t have happen without the following wonderful people: Our parents, Jewel, Jen, Ryan, Yuka, Darren, Brimstone, Gpad, Novella, all of our supportive family members, our #3dfam (they know who they are), and Diego, Rich, Metal and the crew at Deezmaker,” says Will.

What do you think of some of the incredible things that this company has created? Will you be visiting their store in Alhambra? Discuss in the ‘CoKreeate Retail Store Opens’ forum thread on 3DPB.com.