Burcu’s Angels Returns to Main Street
Article and Photographs Provided by Abby Wiseman
Burcu Ozdemir believes that men on Main Street need as much colour, texture, decadence and magic as women do, so she opened a second Burcu’s Angels shop on Main Street.
“A men’s store on Main street, is desperately needed as far as vintage goes and as far as colourful and interesting goes,” says Burcu.
Interesting is the definition of Burcu’s Angels 2. One wall of is full of colourful and creative designer sweaters, while the other is covered with beautiful fur coats and everything else is inbetween. My favourite find is an impeccably tailored royal blue designer suit. A rarity. Young men come in and out of the shop, checking out the weird and the wonderful, while Burcu’s son Alia caters to their needs. A man brings in Givenchy t-shirt and a Japanese tailored wool coat to be bought. Alia is quick to assess and acquire the items, calling the seller by his first name.
There’s a sense of community in these stores, perhaps that’s because Burcu has been buying and selling vintage clothing for the last 20 years. Her shop is a colourful array of apparel from the 20th century and even a few older pieces. But the clothing she brings in must fill her “colour, texture, decadence and magic” criteria.
Burcu can almost always be seen sitting at a little glass table with a bowl of dog treats outside her first location on 16th Avenue just east of Main Street. Burcu talks freely about the neighbourhood she has been a part of since its grimier days and about how she operates who business as a safe space for the queer community as well as those who just need some of what she calls “therapy.”
“We deal mostly with personal style so all the things you thought you’d never do, are things you end up doing,” said Burcu. “Because you can return and exchange things it can become a bit of a library and quite a bit of therapy.”
Although she has specialized in mostly women’s vintage, Burcu recently acquired a vast amount of men’s apparel, especially sweaters, from one couple who loved fashion and owned six apartments worth of clothing. When one partner passed away, the other approached Burcu to buy the highly organized and cared for collection.
“I sent him to every other store saying I don’t think I can’t afford your merchandise,” said Burcu.
In the end Burcu bought the collection, but it was so large it was swallowing up her shop, she had to give much of it away until the second space came available.
Burcu said that the men who frequent the new store have been shocked by the number of sweaters and really excited about being personally styled.
There are bigger plans in the works for Burcu’s Angels 2. She plans to turn the large space in the back into an art gallery and gathering space for active elders who wish to come together to discuss issues such as will writing and community, as well as host yoga classes. The gallery is named Talkhard Gallery, which hosted its first fundraiser event called Luv Shmuv on Valentines Day, which featured performances by drag queen Delica Cee, an instant menopausal fashion show and celebrity underwear auction.
Visit Burcu’s Angels’ Facebook Page for more information!
Burcu’s Angels
