About - Port Dalhousie Supply Company
Founded in 2016 by Christopher O'Connor, the Port Dalhousie Supply Company (PDSC) came from one very simple, but powerful concept known as, "Sense of Place". National Geographic defines it as, "the emotion someone attaches to an area based on their experiences." Growing up in Port Dalhousie, Christopher, a third-generation resident, has a lifetime of these experiences, some unique, some shared with the people he grew up with, some shared with the generations before him. The Port Dalhousie experience is unique to all, but there are common threads that create a powerful bond between inhabitants, visitors, and those that have come and gone. It's hard to explain... you just feel it!
To capture that feeling Christopher created the iconic logo you see today; a rope circle representing perpetuity in a nautical fashion, an image of the famous Outer Lighthouse, the year in which Port Dalhousie was incorporated; application was made to the County Council and on October 30, 1862 the bylaw to incorporate the village was passed., the word "Original" to represent not only the local pronunciation, but the many original facets of our Town and people. That icon is now the internationally recognized seal of the Port Dalhousie Supply Company that adorns thousands of apparel pieces that have been shipped to every corner of the world. Every time someone see's it they "get that sense of place feeling".
Port Dalhousie /dəˈluːzi/ in the local tongue is Port Duh-LOO-zee.
Behind the scenes we really ended up here because of a few story lines that intertwined along the way. In 2014 Instagram was rapidly gaining traction after the acquisition by Facebook. Christopher, being a published amateur photographer with a portfolio of imagery, thought self-publishing on this app was the perfect way to share photos of his muse, Port Dalhousie.
March 20th, 2014 - "Super Storm Sandy"
A few photos were posted on the app and forgotten... social media had just begun to expand in to everyone's lives at this point in history so there was not a lot of action... but then, a few months later the account was reopened and had over 100 followers and engagement! Exciting stuff at this point. So another photo was posted and the audience continued to grow, and grow, and grow.
How could we grow this even further and bring it in to real life? Something simple, affordable, easily shipped... a t-shirt! It wasn't until December of 2016 that we released our first apparel line after realizing that we truly have something here and can build upon it. Queue the "Original Tee".
During this period of our history PDSC wasn't more than an idea and we wanted to share our "sense of place" with friends and family. 25 shirts were made and distributed to those who knew the feeling, and conveniently this was a few weeks before Christmas and the response we received was overwhelming, "Where did you get these?!", "Can I buy one for my Dad?!", "My sister in Phoenix would love one!". Quickly we ordered more and the rest is kind of history.
To be continued...
The year 1862, as seen on our logo, celebrates the only official record of the establishment of the village of Port Dalhousie. It was certainly referred to as Port Dalhousie before this date, but like the formation of Canada on July 1st, 1867, we celebrate the official record of the formation of Port Dalhousie on the day of its incorporation. Any other approach is subject to interpretation, just as the first use of the word Kanata when European explorers were coming to the New World.