For couples who want to find the bridal registry selection expected of a national chain store and the personal service expected of a local boutique, Duncan McPhee is a great place to start. This gift, accessories and bridal registry store has been owned and operated by Jennifer Mezenberg and her family since 1980, located in a fabulous, historic building at the corner of Quebec and Norfolk Streets in downtown Guelph.

Showcasing everything from invitations and wedding favours to crystal and dinnerware, it’s easy to get lost in the options here. And that’s where the Duncan McPhee team comes in. They assist in finding, matching and coordinating the perfect items all the while keeping their prices lower than most national chains and carrying 95% of their products in stock so it’s there when you need it. Well known lines - Riedel, Royal Doulton and Gordon Ramsay – are on display amidst more unique lines, all of which were hand picked by the team. In fact, the Duncan McPhee philosophy is “If we wouldn’t buy it, we won’t sell it.”

We sat down with Jennifer Mezenberg to find out more about why brides will love Duncan McPhee.

Historically speaking…

Duncan McPhee started in 1947 as a combination of an interior decorating business, a gift boutique, a picture framing business and an art supplies shop. The store moved to its current location in 1959, which is located at the corner of Quebec and Norfolk Streets in a historic 1836 heritage stone building.

This is the building that Elaine Tucker and her husband, David, fell in love with and eventually bought in 1980. When the interior design aspect started to take up a lot of the Tucker's time, they decided to focus entirely on the gift aspect, which is still what the business is focused on, thirty years later.

Elaine's daughter and co-owner, Jennifer Mezenberg, began her career at Duncan McPhee part-time while in high school and university, so she already knew all of the aspects of the business when she joined the family operation full time in 1992 after taking an entrepreneurial course and later graduating with a Business Degree from Brock University. Today, Jennifer says she carries on her Father's legacy (who passed away in 1997) as the owner who focuses more on the business aspect of the store.

Jennifer is also the one who started the bridal registry portion of Duncan McPhee. "We’ve always carried art and other home décor items," says Jennifer. "So it was a natural progression."

Family owned and operated, Duncan-McPhee strives to provide "professional service, superior quality, exceptional value and a wonderful selection of products for all our customers."

Industry recognized…

Over the years, it's not just brides and loyal Guelph shoppers who rave about Duncan McPhee as they've received several awards, including the Canadian Giftware Retailer of the Year Award of Merit, the Better Business Bureau’s Integrity Award, Guelph’s 175 Anniversary Award, the City of Guelph Business Award for their long standing service excellence to business and the community, as well as many people's choice awards for service, product selection and maintenance of their historic property.

Jennifer and Elaine also sit on a number of boards in the community and feel that community is important to the way they run their business, which is also why they give back to it and support it whenever they can.

Duncan McPhee has been featured in several local publications, including a lifestyle feature that focused on their bridal registry in Homes & Lifestyles and an article on their twenty successful years, which appeared in the Fall 2000 edition of Retail News.

Service, service, service

We're certainly not surprised that Duncan McPhee has won so many awards and is recognized in the community for their long-standing, reputable service with a staff and management that knows everything about each product, and is more than willing to help.

We're sure that Jennifer's genuine love for the job has something to do with it, too. “I love what I do. Meeting new people, helping with their registry selections, helping their families with their gift selections, I love everything about it," she told The Ring. "Life is about making connections and re-connecting.”

Attention to detail was something we found Duncan McPhee to be exceptional at as well, as they told us that they personally assist each couple with their gift registry selections. From helping you figure out how many place settings you will need, to matching them with linens, flatware, crystals and accessories in order to get the look you're trying to achieve.

But Duncan McPhee doesn't just help you; they also help your guests. When they stop by the store to purchase your wedding gifts, they can help with non-registry items based on your tastes, as well as steer guests towards items that will complete portions of your registry or towards others that might be particular favourites of yours.

To make things even more convenient for guests (especially out of town guests), Duncan McPhee also offers a toll-free number where your guests can place orders to, include complimentary gift wrapping, and offer in-town delivery. "It’s more personal than online, but just as convenient."

A registry with Duncan McPhee

For couples who aren't sure about wedding registries, Jennifer says to not be afraid. "Don’t feel like you’re asking for gifts," she says. "People want to buy you a gift that you’re going to love. In the absence of a registry, they will still want to buy you a gift. It will just be more difficult for them to select something. A gift registry saves your guests time and takes the stress off of them. And they can select something that they know you want and love that still fits their budget."

Plus, at Duncan McPhee, they offer a great guarantee that allows you to return or exchange any item that you don’t love (though we would find that hard with the selection and quality they offer).

In addition to helping you select items to put on your registry, Duncan McPhee will also keep your registry on file indefinitely, so you can keep adding to it. "It’s a great way to help family members pick out Christmas, birthday and anniversary gifts." You also have the option of completing your registry and Duncan McPhee will often offer completion packages to help you with this. For example, if you only received five of the six place settings you registered for and some of your crystal, they can help make sure you get what you wanted.

For their bridal clientele, Duncan McPhee also hosts an in-house bridal show each year in addition to the bridal events they participate in outside of the store. During these events, sales reps from larger suppliers are available to answer questions that couples may have.

What's in store…

Duncan McPhee carries all of the most popular brands as well as a few more unique lines, and prices that we found to be lower than the national chains. We were told that they regularly check every price to make sure it's comparable to other registries.

Products range from home accents and décor accessories with specifics from throws and bedding (of the finest Egyptian cotton) to table settings and pieces of art. They carry pretty much everything except large furniture and major appliances.

Top brand names include tableware by Denby, Portmeirion and Maxwell & Williams. Crystal décor and stemware by such names as Riedel and Nachtmann. Cookware by Gordon Ramsay for Royal Doulton and kitchen items by Henckel and WMF, to name just a few of the lines that you'll find at Duncan McPhee.

In store, you'll also find items made of Swarovski Crystal, fragrances from Lampe Berger and bath products by Crabtree & Evelyn.

Lampe Berger is actually one of Duncan McPhee's hottest products (and one of our favourite things). These home fragrance units are not only beautifully decorative, they also purify the air, kill bacteria and clear odours (including pet and food odours) with a wide selection of fragrances good enough to eat.

Jennifer says that Duncan McPhee has 95% of your registry items on hand or can order them in and, because of their great relationships with their suppliers, they'll receive them within a few days.

It's hard to visit Duncan McPhee and not find something new each time, too, as they change 65% of their products three to four times per year and told us that they're always looking for new things to add.

All the extras…

On top of registry items for your guests' guidance, Duncan McPhee also carries many other wedding products, such as guest favours, wedding party gifts, guest books, stationery, jewellery, champagne flutes, cake knife sets, garters, purses, veils and cake toppers.

What's cooler is that if you book your registry with Duncan McPhee, invitations are 25% off and they'll help determine the wording with you.

With such a huge selection, we think you could spend hours shopping at Duncan McPhee, or just as easily find what you're looking for in a short period of time.

For other occasions like baby showers, birthdays and holidays, Duncan McPhee can put together customized gift baskets themed to the specific celebration. Check out some of the options on their website.

Details, details, details…

• Stop by Duncan McPhee to check out their items and meet with them to set up your registry.
• Jennifer suggests registering at least 6 to 9 months before your wedding in order to overlap with engagement parties, bridal showers, Christmas and birthdays.

Contacting Duncan McPhee

Jennifer Mezenberg at Duncan McPhee can be reached by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 519-821-1260. You can also visit Duncan McPhee online at http://www.duncan-mcphee.ca.