Vancouver Trendz [THURSDAY]

Swinging in the Rain

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Look at your umbrella. Just look at it! It's plain and boring, right? You wish you had one with a little more personality, right? You're not really happy being one of the "I guess black is good enough" crowd, right?

Well, guess what? There's a store waiting just for you and it's only a tiny scoot away. The Umbrella Shop on Granville Island is literally stuffed to the roof with them. Umbrellas of all different colours and patterns just piled on top of each other and crammed into every available shelf.

The Umbrella Shop is a third-generation business that started in Toronto in the 1920s. Founder Isadore Flader began by collecting umbrellas door-to-door for repair. Now, his grandson and granddaughter, Glen and Corry, run the business, which makes its own umbrellas in a factory above their store on Broadway.

Some favourites include the black cotton umbrella decorated with a local artist's rendition of the Vancouver skyline for $84.95. There are some wonderfully bright and vibrant European prints for $75. And there are a ton of colour and pattern options available in the very practical folding-umbrella category, all for just $29.95.

Stop yourself from making the usual boring brolly buy this fall. Do something bold, and head to the Umbrella Shop.

Umbrella Shop, Granville Island in front of Kids Only Market, 604-697-0919, www.theumbrellashop.com