Huntington business replicates people, pets and memories in miniature 3D

After their daughter died, Jonathan and Sonia Tomlinson opened an unusual business inspired by her fight with leukemia.

The Huntington Beach company they debuted last weekend, 3d Likeables at 7641 Talbert Ave., uses three-dimensional scanning and printing to create lifelike miniature replicas of people and pets.

The Tomlinsons weren’t able to create a “likeable” of their daughter Gianna before she died in May at age 24. But Jonathan said he learned that life is fleeting and that the most important part of it are memories gleaned from experiences with loved ones. Now the couple feel it’s their mission to help others preserve those memories.

“This business is my husband’s way of turning an absolutely devastating event in life into something beautiful for as many people as possible,” Sonia said.

The 42-year-old Huntington Beach residents say 3D replicas capture moments in a way that can’t be duplicated by a photograph.

“We are all used to photographs in 2D, but we see and experience life in 3D,” Jonathan said. “Now they can remember the moment the exact way it was supposed to be.”

To get a likeable, a customer makes an appointment by emailing info@3dlikeables.com or calling (310) 545-9434.

Up to four people can be scanned at once at the store, which takes less than a second. Then the replica, a figurine, is made out of sandstone, a material Jonathan said is long-lasting and similar to drywall.

It takes one to two weeks for the likeable to be delivered.

The smallest figurine, 3 inches, for a single person costs $49 and the largest, 9 inches, costs $210. For more price information, visit 3dlikeables.com/likeable-pricing.

Jonathan said people may get a likeable for a variety of reasons — to capture how they looked the day they went to the U.S. Open of Surfing or how their child looked the day he or she hit a big home run. Grandchildren may want to surprise their grandparents with a replica of them for the mantel.

The business can take its scanning equipment on the road for corporate events and parties.

“The options are limitless,” Sonia said.

Others in the Tomlinson family also have rallied around 3d Likeables.

Daughters Sophia, 13, and Athena, 9, help out at the store.

Sons J.J., 3, and Zeke, 1, aren’t old enough yet to lend a hand.

Jonathan said the girls take pride in what they’re offering because they’ve learned the value of capturing memories before it’s too late.

As part of the family’s dedication to Gianna, 3d Likeables wants to start a partnership with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Jonathan said.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot