80-year-old Port Alberni man fills home with more than 270 eclectic nutcrackers

"This is how it all began," Kenn Whiteman smiles, holding a statue of a regal-looking rodent.

“Turned out to be the Mouse King in ‘The Nutcracker.’”

Kenn happened upon the character 45 years ago, while shopping for something else, and bought it.

The purchase inspired him to the read "The Nutcracker" story and listen to Tchaikovsky’s music.

“I thought, ‘Wow! This is pretty fascinating,” Kenn recalls.

That led to Kenn to start collecting nutcrackers.

“The appeal is the hunt,” he says.

That means Kenn and his wife Linda Whiteman would never walk past a garage sale without stopping.

“He’s got a good eye for these things,” Linda says.