N.C. Cameron & Sons, Limited Celebrates 84 years of giftware excellence!

Founded in 1927 by the man who gave his name to the company, Mr. Neil Campbell Cameron, N.C. Cameron & Sons, Limited - Presently, Enesco Canada Corporation - has provided quality giftware to Canadian retailers for 80 years. Originally started as a premium and incentive business, the company provided fine English bone china, “Royal Cameronian”, to customers as redemption for stamp booklets from a grocery store. Aided by his growing family, working out of the basement of his family home, Neil started selling his English china directly to gift and jewellery stores. Sales increased and the company grew in size until a separate building was necessary, leading to the purchase of a small office and warehouse on Dufferin Street in Toronto in the mid 1930’s. After serving in the Canadian Air Force in the Second World War, Mr. J. Douglas Cameron, aided by his brother Donald took over the day-to-day operations of the company. Importing companies could only import with quotas granted by the government in the post war years, so at this time the transformation of the company from a premium supplier to a gift supplier began, in order to take advantage of the better margin potential in the gift business. By the mid 1950’s, realizing the potential of goods from the Far Eastern market, Doug Cameron began sourcing more and more goods out of the Orient, particularly Japan where Mr. Cameron developed a passion for the Japanese culture and way of life. This was reciprocated in kind by the Asian suppliers and agents who have remained life-long friends with the Cameron family.

Changing times and demographics moved the company away from being primarily a china supplier to a company with a diverse selection of giftware catering to a countrywide network of gift retailers. Products such as European crystal, Indian brassware, and Italian marble as well as a myriad of other products from around the world complimented the original British chinaware. Despite the rapid growth in business the Cameron family always followed their credo “Cameron’s Traditional Quality and Value” in its dealings with their customers. This has stood the Company in good stead over the years as faithful customers make N.C. Cameron a prime destination for all giftware needs.

In 1982 the third generation of Cameron’s took over the realm, as Mr. Craig Cameron became president of the company and his father remaining as Chairman of the Board. Earlier, the company had taken on the “Precious Moments®” line, which was soon followed by the addition of “Cherished Teddies®”, two lines that have captured the hearts of millions of consumers worldwide. The success of these two lines propelled N.C. Cameron & Sons to being one of the largest giftware distributors in Canada.

Towards the latter part of the eighties, the Cameron family decided to strengthen its ties with Enesco Corporation and in 1988 the Company was sold to Stanhome Inc., the parent company of Enesco. The purchase of N.C. Cameron coincided with the company’s move to new headquarters in Mississauga (currently over 100,000 square feet) where we remain today. With over 12,000 feet of showroom the building is a true showcase of the best in giftware.

In 2007, Enesco Corporation re-organized and became Enesco LLC, but this had no impact on N.C. Cameron & Sons, Ltd. and we remain today the wholly owned Canadian subsidiary.

Effective, January 2009, after 81 years of giftware excellence in Canada, N.C. Cameron & Sons, Limited, the Canadian subsidiary of Enesco, LLC, announced that it has changed its business name to Enesco Canada Corporation. The name change was undertaken to better represent Enesco, LLC’s expanding range of worldwide capabilities, and the continuing globalization of the Enesco business.

Enesco Canada is justifiably proud of its history in Canadian giftware but realizes that it is you, the retail customers, who have made the company what it is today and on behalf of Mr. Craig Cameron, President, we thank you!