Behind the Counter with Norml

This past week I headed to our nation’s capital on a little end-of-summer trip and while I was there, I made sure to stop by Norml, Ottawa’s premiere streetwear boutique. It was my first time there and I had a lot of questions about their position in relativity to Montreal and Toronto as well as questions about brands they’ve dealt with and the dying sneaker store. Luckily Robbie, the store manager for the past seven years, was willing to listen to my rants and answer my questions even though he had customers wandering around.

Read the full interview after the jump and because the pictures I took didn’t come out so well, all photos courtesy of Norml and their Facebook page.

J: So the first thing I want to know is what’s the street scene like in Ottawa?

R: It’s moving, it’s happening. When you bring brands from bigger cities to Ottawa, everyone here gets a taste of it too.

J: Do you find that something’s amiss being stuck in the middle of Montreal and Toronto or have you guys shaped your own identity?

R: I think we’re pretty much just trying to let people not shop online or have to go to Toronto to get good sneakers or whatever they need. I think that they can just come here and that’s what Norml’s looking to do, just give people the product they normally can’t find.

J: You guys even have some brands that I don’t know where to get in Toronto, like UNDFTD.

R: Ransom carried it for a while but you’re right, it’s not easy to come across.

J: Which audience are you after? Is it the street kids or the skate scene or both?

R: I think it’s everybody right now, you know, it doesn’t matter how old you are or how you dress, you can walk in here and actually find something. From preppy to hardcore to graffiti to street to hip-hop, everything.

J: Do you find that your clientele has shifted over the years and if your customer base has grown?

R: It’s changed like crazy. A couple of years ago, the type of characters walking through the door would never have known about Norml or associated themselves with this type of shopping lifestyle. So I think everyone’s just catching on and someone you would never ever see walk through the door, you see ten of [them] a day. It’s great because you know instead of everyone being “you shop here, I shop here”, everything’s individual, now it’s like anybody can come and get something.

J: Do you guys do events or host stuff within the community?

R: Ya, lots of local support; not just art shows and bringing locals DJs down but lots of events working with brands and sponsorships, just really pushing.

J: Seeing that I’m not from here, give me an example of one of the recent things you guys did, like an event or something.

R: Well for the World Cup this summer we hooked up with Umbro and threw a Finals party, so we gave out a VIP ticket when you bought an Umbro piece; it was great, it was really awesome.

J: Ok so I’ve seen the thing with DURKL. How did that happen, how did it go?

R: I think those guys just hit us up. Everyone’s kind of looking to collab with people right now but I think something a little different is what they wanted to do as well. So we came out with the glass, the whole box set up, it’s just different. You know everyone can just put two names on a t-shirt and call it a collab. They kind of took their time with this one and it worked out really well.

J: Sick. So what’s the one brand you don’t carry that you wish you did.

R: That’s a good question because I’d say a year ago, if you asked me the same question, but now we have the brand. We carry HUF, we carry Alife clothing, so that’s the issue right? Some things aren’t distributed in Canada so that was the issue for a long time but really, anything we want we just go for it.

J: So what’s up next?

R: A good question again. We’re throwing a party with Freshjive in September and we’re doing a big Bruxe bag push and rumour is they’re doing men’s jewellery now. So ya the pop-up upstairs will be Bruxe and Freshjive.

J: Are you guys collaborating with them or are they just using the space?

R: Ya they’re taking the room.

J: So on that note, what’s the next brand you want to collaborate with?

R: Orisue s looking to do something with us. It’ll probably be a cut & sew effect. They’re a really good brand that we can’t wait to work with.

J: So I went online and I noticed you guys really only sell shoes and accessories-

R: For now.

J: Ok, that was my next question [laughs].

R: it’s just a process. We’ve had a couple runs with online stores and this one we’re just really taking it slow because you know a lot of people sell shoes over the Internet and we’d like to expand to sell products but you know, sunglasses and shoes right now seems to be working.

J: So earlier you mentioned Ransom in Toronto, one of my favourite stores, I love going in there and then heading across the hall to Stüssy. They’re not only a retailer but they have their own clothing line. Do you guys eventually hope to have a Norml clothing line?

R: I like to say that we have slowly been doing it for a long time. In the beginning, Norml 10 years ago, that’s what it was. Everything on the racks said ‘Norml’. We’d go to a party and there’d be a booth set up and we’d be selling t-shirts. That was the beginning and it’s turned into selling everyone else’s brands as opposed to Norml but we do make t-shirts, crews, zip-ups in the winter, that kind of stuff. We do winter jackets too.

J: when you walk around downtown, or I guess is downtown the area where everyone hangs out as I’m not familiar with the city. Where’s the best neighbourhood with the best art, the best skate, the best urban vibe?

R: Ya, there’s no Kensignton market, there’s no specific spot for that thing. Ottawa’s not that spread out; a little smaller; but ya downtown they make their way to Rideau [Centre], then they make their way to the market, down Rideau [Street] but Elgin and Bank Street and Centretown does[sic] pretty well too but there are local galleries all over the place. The art here is really really good.

J: When you walk down the street, do you see people wearing the clothes that you made?

R: All the time. I have my own clothing company as well.

J: Cool, talk about that a little.

R: It’s called Fall Down Clothing and it started out as a skate brand but it’s turning into something else. It’s basically Inuit- and Aboriginal-based and is just my drawings on shirts and it’s working out really well.

J: And you sell that here at Norml?

R: I sell it in Ottawa-

J: In Norml?

R: Ya in Norml (author’s note: unfortunately it was sold out when I was there so I didn’t get to look at the products but a new shipment’s on the way) and I’m trying to get in Lavish & Squalor in Toronto and Off the Hook in Montreal.

[Here we get into a conversation about different shops in Toronto and Robbie tells me that he lived in Toronto for a while, which brings is us to…]

J: Are you familiar with the store Goodfoot-

R: That went out of business.

J: Yes, exactly. There’s another store in Toronto called Stolen Riches that also went out of business. So this is the plight of the dying sneaker store. Do you have a lot of competition in Ottawa? You can be biased if you want but are you the best?

R: Ottawa’s weird like that; there isn’t as much in comparison to Toronto or Montreal but Foot Locker is mass-produced and we’re constantly battling with them.

J: I feel like that’s two different markets.

R: It is. We’re not big on the Air Forces, we’re more streetwear. But I wouldn’t really recommend [anywhere else]; this is the place to be. Not even just for product; Ottawa has nothing else.

J: Seeing as you have no competition, it’s a bit easier for you but let’s say I opened up across the street and I carried a bunch of brands just like you guys, what’s the move? What do these sneaker stores need to do to stay afloat?

R: Customer service is huge man. I think the employees that we have reflect the shoppers. We have repeat customers not just because they want the product but because I help them to find what they need and they’ll come back just for that; not just for the conversation but for the help.

J: Livestock in Toronto is the only Level 0 Nike boutique in Canada-

R: We’re shooting for it; that’s the plan.

J: What are the qualifications; I know nothing about that.

R: It’s actually so over my head that I couldn’t even answer it.

J: What’s craziest brand you’ve ever dealt with. Nike has all these qualifications and it’s kind of the boss.

R: I like the little guys. Not only because I’m running a small brand but any small t-shirt brand is just doing it because that’s what they do. Amongst Friends is one; they’re blowing up now but they just started with a few tees and now they’re doing really really well.

J: What do you think of something like Karmaloop? They just opened their first retail store in Boston but it’s really just a website that carries a ton of brands. Do you think that will eventually supplant the physical store?

R: I think people still need the motion of shopping. You wouldn’t do your groceries online-

J: People do-

R: But you don’t.

J: You’re right, I don’t.

R: I wouldn’t either. People will always shop.

J: You mentioned Amongst Friends. I bought a shirt of theirs off Karmaloop but I never would have known about it had it not been for browsing through the Karmaloop website.

R: Well the Internet’s a powerful drug. Another good thing about Ottawa, a lot of local companies I need to shout out; you got five or six up and coming brands: Very Local, started here in Ottawa, Oxyrotin, Raised by Wolves, Fall Down Clothing, Bad Habits and Trife Clothing; and Ottawa’s moving.

J: You just answered my last question, which was “who should we, as Torontonians, Canadians, people who enjoy street culture, look out for from Ottawa?”

R: Ya, Ottawa’s definitely underrated for a capital city but we’re not far behind.