Closeout sale at movie prop company helps Calgarians create ‘new kind of Stampede’

Calgarians are getting some unusual new options for getting creative with Stampede decorating this year.

It’s all about giving that wild west look a really wild twist.

Bleeding Art Industries, a Calgary company that provides props and other items for movie and TV productions, is holding a closeout sale as it shuts down.

“We do a lot of things,” Bleeding Art’s Becky Scott said, ”practical special effects, custom fabrication, we make our own blood.”

The closeout sale provides a rare chance for people to pick up unique props used in westerns.

“No denim – we’re going to create a new kind of Stampede,” Bleeding Art’s Leo Wieser said.

Items for sale include a flexible horse’s leg and a life-sized horse’s head made of clay.

“Run a pipe through the head and you could have champagne coming out,” Wieser said. “Or beer.”

Props such as that might lend a social event a traditional feel, while items created for horror productions could add a real twist on tradition.

“Who wants horseshoes and hay bales?” Scott said. “Like, do something a little different.”

The decision to shut down operations after more than two decades was a difficult one, but Scott says it’s the right move at this time.

“There’s a writers’ strike going on, so that has affected what productions are shooting right now – all the activity that people were expecting hasn’t quite come to fruition yet,” Scott said. ”It’s still a tough industry, and I think COVID has affected us as well – costs have been going up and there are still supply chain issues, so it’s still a challenge to run a company like this.”

The closeout sale continues until July 31 on the company’s website.