Uncle Otis, one of the few Toronto businesses that has matured with its clientele, turns 20
Uncle Otis is 20 years old. (Image: Tony Enns)
When Yorkville men’s boutique Uncle Otis turned 20, they had booze sponsors, Toronto’s top DJs—Brendan Canning , John Kong , DJ Serious and designer Hiroshi Awai —and a Red Bull patio packed on a Sunday afternoon-turned-evening with what owner Donnell Enns describes as “fashion types, music-heads, industry people and people that shop at the store and appreciate what we do.” Since taking over in 2000 and bringing in manager–co-buyer and fashionable gent Martin James in 2009, Enns transformed Uncle Otis from go-to street style (think Stussy and Supreme ) to upscale emporium with casual lines like Dunderdon , Rag and Bone , Wings and Horns , Klaxon Howl and Kin by Sydney’s . But a company can’t typically last 20 years without encountering a few bumps, and Uncle Otis saw its share—from recessions to inflation to staff changes—but the store survived and prospered through a period fuelled by what Enns calls “naïveté.”
“We carry 20 to 30 brands, so we can really focus on our curated selection of products. We’re also [carrying] a lot of Canadian [designers], which is really important,” says Enns. “But what sets Uncle Otis apart is our customer service. Great, honest, earnest customer service never goes out of style. We’ve always offered that.” This could be why customers have stayed with the brand for over 15 years (it also might be that, on top of the store having great pieces and friendly faces, there just aren’t that many menswear stores in Toronto).
Much like big retailers Hudson’s Bay Company and Holt Renfrew , Uncle Otis is offering limited-edition collaborations with Canadian designers they love (for Uncle Otis, it will service as a tribute for its 20th anniversary).“The collaborations are very, very exciting for us. Our theme is local, besides one collaboration we did with Rag and Bone, which was a great scarf,” says Enns. “But we’re keeping it Canadian, because there is amazing Canadian product being recognized internationally.” This fall, Uncle Otis will be carrying a redesigned Constable jacket with Canada Goose , mélange wool vest made with Klaxon Howl, a double-pocketed shirt with Kin (Kin has yet to put pockets on its shirts), back-buckle black jeans with Naked and Famous and a branded hatchet with Base Camp X in the shop’s signature cyan blue. A stylish axe? Yes, please. (Lizzie Borden would be so proud.)
Uncle Otis , 26 Bellair St., 416-920-2281, uncleotis.com .
80387 Artist Derrick Hodgson, designer Sarah Kawasaki and A2Zane shop owner Zane Aburaneh. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7099.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7099.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7099.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7099/ dsc_7099 0 0
80388 DJ Brendan Canning (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7106.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7106.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7106.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7106/ dsc_7106 0 0
80389 (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7115.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7115.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7115.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7115/ dsc_7115 0 0
80390 Uncle Otis’s Martin James. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7135.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7135.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7135.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7135/ dsc_7135 0 0
80391 (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7138.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7138.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7138.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7138/ dsc_7138 0 0
80392 Uncle Otis’s Merv Maranan, Martin James, Donnell Enns and longtime client Elmer Sotto. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7146.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7146.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7146.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7146/ dsc_7146 0 0
80394 Jason Ebanks and Kristi Enns. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Director Filmographer Jason Ebanks and Kristi Enns https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7168.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7168.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7168.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7168/ dsc_7168 0 0
80395 Blogger Anita Clarke, Push Creative Management’s Alan Thomas Smith and PR specialist April Wozny. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7184.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7184.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7184.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7184/ dsc_7184 0 0
80396 (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7195.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7195.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7195.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7195/ dsc_7195 0 0
80397 (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7223.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7223.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7223.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7223/ dsc_7223 0 0
80398 Director Jason Ebanks. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7239.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7239.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7239.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7239/ dsc_7239 0 0
80399 DJ Serious (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7243.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7243.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7243.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7243/ dsc_7243 0 0
80400 Milk DJ and promoter Gani Shqueir, lawyer and Uncle Otis client Shari A. and Milk DJ and promoter Felix Bianchini. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7254.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7254.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7254.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7254/ dsc_7254 0 0
80401 <em>eTalk</em> host Tanya Kim and Uncle Otis owner Donnell Enns. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7278.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7278.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7278.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7278/ dsc_7278 0 0
80403 (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7322.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7322.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7322.jpg 624 938 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7322/ dsc_7322 0 0
80404 Jason May, Stefan Majumder, Uncle Otis owner Donnell Enns, Jeremy Relph and brand developer and graphic designer Tony Enns. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7356.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7356.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7356.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7356/ dsc_7356 0 0
80405 Industrial designer Marc Shu-Lutman, web developer Pier Shu-Lutman and industrial designer Brett Solo. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7357.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7357.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7357.jpg 624 415 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7357/ dsc_7357 0 0
80406 Uncle Otis’s Chrys Nguyen and friends. (Image: Dave Gillespie) Uncle Otis 20th Anniversary party https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7374.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7374.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_7374.jpg 624 938 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/dsc_7374/ dsc_7374 0 0
80427 Uncle Otis https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/UncleOtis.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/UncleOtis.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/UncleOtis.jpg 656 440 [] https://torontolife.com/shopping/uncle-otis-turns-20/slide/uncleotis/ uncleotis 0 0
what sets this place apart besides the great brands they carry is the awesome customer service. they are all truly genuine and honest people – it’s why I keep going back. well done, lads. congratulations on 20 years.