I’ve had the pleasure of covering Uncle Sam Army Navy Outfitters for the past two Halloweens. This year I decided to go a little deeper… I wanted to find out what sort of business Robert runs that can afford him to hire 25 fulltime employees. For example, I had no idea that part of the sales come from supplying movie production companies with authentic military uniforms – uniforms from armies around the world. Did you know that Spielberg calls upon Robert’s company when he shoots military related films? He has recently been called upon to outfit Forest Whitaker and Jude Law for a film being shot up in Toronto. The film is set in the future and the premise is totally bizarre… a perfect calling for Robert and his crew (as explained in podcast).
Also in the podcast, Robert explains how his business ended up based in Buffalo. He talks about how he unexpectedly ended up not only selling Halloween costumes to the local populace, but since he is a wholesaler (15,000 sq.’) he supplies to retailers all over the country. Robert was one of the first businesses to re-populate the Larkin District… a district that is seeing more growth in recent years.
And believe it or not the company is moving towards getting involved with the fashion industry. Ralph Lauren and Abecrombie & Fitch send designers to Uncle Sam’s for fashion ideas, which has prompted Robert to move further in that direction. The internet has been a major part in helping the business to branch out.
Where do the authentic uniforms come from? Where do they go from Buffalo? This is a business in downtown Buffalo that continues to grow. It’s the type of place that can be found in the Garment District in NYC. The difference is that this place makes those stores look like thrift shops. These guys are the real deal, and more people should come down to check out how cool the warehouse is. On top of that, Uncle Sam’s has some of the nicest employees that you’ll ever want to meet. They actually have fun when they’re working and love to see new faces walk through the front door. That’s the door that looks like an army barracks.
Stop by Uncle Sam’s Army Navy Outfitters at 290 Larkin Street in the Larkin Buildings. If you miss out for Halloween, there’s always MASH Bash to look forward to. 716-878-2372