eNVy looks to extend brand to include Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas

When Scott Dunseath started Reno eNVy he was the sole proprietor of a joke.

The idea was a tongue-in-cheek slogan silk-screened onto hats and t-shirts meant to both embrace and disparage the good, the bad and the downright ugly that comprise the culture of the Biggest Little City.

But what began as a joke became a juggernaut.

Dunseath plans to expand the Reno eNVy line, then springboard into a Tahoe eNVy line and perhaps a Las Vegas eNVy line eventually.

While he's got trademarks for Tahoe and Las Vegas brands, the sole proprietor is taking it slow and first plans to build the Reno business. His plan: Extend the line from just shirts and hats to shorts and sweatshirts. Offer more designs on more garments. And expand the number of outlets, including gift shops at the airport.

"I don't want to dictate what the brand is. I'm trying to let the brand develop into its own personality," he says.

The reason for that hands-off attitude: the logo wear sells equally well at both ends of the fashion spectrum just as well at trendy boutiques such as Jeans Loft at grungy hardcore biker shops.

With a background in the ski and snowboard industry and experience as a rep for Vans, the trendy footwear company, Dunseath has a grounding in the attitude apparel industry. But as a sole proprietor, he's found it difficult to handle the many aspects of running a business solo.

Challenges have mostly been on the production side. Meeting delivery deadlines means getting and building blanks. Getting in line for silk-screening could cause delays.

To solve that problem, Dunseath and two partners opened a silk screen printing shop, Fuel Reno, at 233 E. 5th Street. Now Reno eNVy gets blanks from SanMar, a national distribution company in Sparks that can pick-n-pull 20 or 100 blank T-shirts, hats or other apparel items and send them right over.

The Tahoe eNVy brand might launch this year and Dunseath says, "That's an entirely different model."

He says the new brand likely will be tailored more toward gift and souvenir-oriented products to be sold at resort and gift shops in Tahoe-area towns. And it's a brand with a larger market, stretching through the Sacramento Valley to the Bay Area.

He's also toying with the theme, "Keep Tahoe blue collar."

"It's all turning into megaresorts," he says. "Opportunities to be a ski bum are declining. Luxurious resorts squish the local Tahoe guys."

Las Vegas, known worldwide as Sin City, beckons to Dunseath, who recognizes eNVy as one of the seven deadly sins decried by the church. It's said that fools rush in where angels fear to tread. But Dunseath is no fool.

"To venture into the Las Vegas market, I must seek an angel or venture capital," he says.