Umbrellas In Vancouver

Combining 2 of my Fave Things....

2010-11-21T01:58:00.000-08:00

Well, everybody who reads any of my posts knows how I feel about umbrellas. But did you know there is a whole other side to my life? It's true. I also love swords! In fact, I love swords so much that for the past several months I've been studying sword fighting twice a week at Academie Duello.

And now Academie Duello has combined umbrellas and self-defence with a 4 hour course called, what else, Umbrella Self-Defence! The class is today and I wish I could take it, but this just isn't a good time. They ran it last month too and had more than 20 people turn out, so I know they'll be doing it again soon and I hope to take it in the near future. When I do, you can be sure I'll blog about it!

This workshop is sort of an offshoot of their Bartitsu class, which combines stick or umbrella fighting, jiu jitsu, savate and English pugilism in a very Victorian form of self-defense.

Obviously, one doesn't go around looking for trouble but it's always helpful to be know how to keep yourself safe. Living in Vancouver pretty much guarantees you'll be carrying around an umbrella for large portions of the year. Doesn't it just make sense to know a few moves to make with it?

Thoughts on Mother's Day

2010-05-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is just around the corner and I've been thinking. We go through so many stages.

I remember being a little kid and my dad helping me prepare breakfast in bed for my mother.

I remember being a young mother and being on the receiving end of those breakfasts. (They usually featured burnt toast for some reason.)

I remember the handmade cards.

I remember helping my kids buy a gift for their grandmother. I know, she wasn't their mother but we still did that. And I know she appreciated the "Best Grandma" mug more than the restaurant dinner I gave her.

Now, I'm the mother of 4 (3 adults and a 7 year old) and a grandmother of 4 (ages ranging from 7 years to 2 months). I saw my adult daughter, Michelle, come home today from her oldest daughter's preschool presentation with a brand new bead necklace, hand made with love.

So, remember your mother and grandmother this Sunday. A lot of people will be taking their mothers out to dinner or buying flowers but those things don't last. As nice as they are in the moment the gifts I remember (both giving and getting) for Mother's Day are the tangible ones. It's funny in a way because I'm a big fan of intangible ones on many occasions, just not for Mother's Day!

If you're looking for a gift for your mother, how about an umbrella from The Umbrella Shop? And don't forget to have it giftwrapped for free!

I love my new folding umbrella! It has that great tone on tone pink roses pattern on top (the one I showed in a deeper red here) but has a floral print inside! I love that unexpected touch. It goes perfectly with our unexpected weather! Right now it seems that we get periods of both sun and rain pretty well every day, so it makes a lot of sense to carry a small umbrella in your purse at all times.

So, go buy your mother an umbrella. And make a hand made card to go with it.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

2010-03-17T00:22:00.000-07:00

You're always a day aaaawaaay!

Yes, it's the procrastinators theme song. I'll do it Tomorrow. But it's true. I've been trying to find time to get in to The Umbrella Shop (as I said in my last post!) but I'm really, truly, going to do it tomorrow.

You know what I should do right now? Well, besides go to bed (because it's almost midnight and everybody else is asleep). I should go clean out my little purse, the one I haven't been using for the past couple of months. Then I can take it with me and see if the umbrella I choose will fit in it. Clever, don't you think? Yes, and take the camera too so I can take pictures.

Besides, if I go choose a new umbrella tomorrow the rain might actually stop for a day or two. And if it doesn't, so what? I'll have a cute, new umbrella to keep me dry!

New Stuff!

2010-03-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

There are a whole bunch of new umbrellas in stock at The Umbrella Shop and I've been dying to see them but things have been really busy and I've been putting it off. No more!

For one thing, I've decided that I need to treat myself to a new umbrella for the spring and I have to pick it out! I think the one I'm replacing is my old 2 fold, because smaller really is more practical for me. The stick umbrella sits in the back of the car ready to get me through any unexpected downpours when I'm driving somewhere but I don't always have my car! Some days I trade my car for the van and that always seems to be when I end up dodging raindrops. A folding umbella fits in my purse and is always at the ready.

So, I'll be looking and, of course, I'll post some new pics very soon!

Sunshine and Parasols

2010-03-07T00:02:00.000-08:00

The weather has been beautiful again recently. On the news tonight they talked about how crowded Stanley Park is and how many people are flocking to the beach! It's hard to believe it's still winter, isn't it?

When I was driving home on Friday I saw a lady using an umbrella as a parasol. Now, this isn't an entirely unusual sight here in Vancouver but I particularly noticed her for all the wrong reasons. I really wish I could have taken a picture but I couldn't because I was behind the wheel and it was only one of those 5 second opportunities.

Anyway, let me paint you a picture. She was using a very small umbrella. It was a solid navy blue and one of the tips was off, so the one rib was poking out. Forget the fact for the moment that it wasn't stylish; it wasn't effective either. First of all, if you're going to use an umbrella to do double duty as a parasol, you should at least use a light coloured one! A slightly bigger umbrella would have protected her from the rays better too. It doesn't have to be a golf umbrella, just a decent size. The one she was using wasn't much bigger than a child's one (and cheap to boot with ugly blue plastic tips) but I can't imagine anyone marketing such a blah colour for kids. And then there was the damage. In a crowd you might actually run the risk of poking someone with that exposed rib and the material wasn't stretched properly so it wasn't protecting her as well as it could have done.

All I could think about was, if she'd bought the umbrella at The Umbrella Shop, she could have gone in and gotten it fixed. Sewing repairs are free and other basic repairs cost $5! It would have looked so much nicer then, but it would have still been all wrong for a parasol.

I've never really done it, but I love the idea of using a parasol. I burn easily, then peel and burn again so I try to stay out of the sun. I know I ought to use sunscreen all the time but it's a habit I really haven't been able to develop. I try every so often but I really hate wearing all that goop on my face. But a parasol. How elegant that sounds. Maybe I'll try it this summer. I went searching online, knowing that the kids do sell some parasols and I found the perfect one for me! I adore all things Victorian, purple is my favourite colour and I grow lavender, so when I saw this one came in lavender I just had to click! What do you think?

Lost

2010-03-03T03:46:00.000-08:00

No, not the TV show or the way everybody seems to be feeling now that the Olympics are over. Lost, as in "lost and found". I read an article in the paper (which I no longer have to refer back to because Tuesday was recycling day) that talked about the incredible lost and found setup for the Olympics and all the different kinds of items that turned up there.

Of course there were about a zillion pairs and singles of the ubiquitous red mitts, toques, cell phones, you name it. Then there were a few stranger items like strollers, which seems like a pretty big item to misplace. Or perhaps you lost a retainer? They had at least one turned in.

Then, of course, there were the umbrellas. Hundreds and hundreds of poor little umbrellas, separated from their owners. Will their people check for them, going through the stacks, looking for their own umbrella? Or will they quietly go and buy a new one? It's a little more daunting perhaps, to have to go through so many that were left behind at various Olympic venues than it would be to go back to the coffee shop or client's office where you may have left your umbrella on an ordinary day.

But just because it might be easier to locate doesn't mean the owner will actually come looking. I saw one of these little orphans 2 or 3 weeks ago at the Starbucks at 3820 Oak Street and it looked so forlorn I just had to take a picture.

It was tucked away behind some milk crates and up against the wall. I wonder if she was ever reunited with her owner. While I didn't pull the umbrella out for a complete check up, she looked to be in good shape and was cute as a button with all those perky little pink dots. Hmm, did you notice how the umbrella morphed from "it" to "she"? Why can't umbrellas have personality or gender? I just hope this umbrella ended up back at home with a relieved owner! I keep meaning to go back and check but I'm just so busy that it never happens. Pity, because I even have an unused $5 Starbucks card.

The Today Show!

2010-02-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

There's international media all over this city right now. When they don't have a news story about one of their own athletes for 30 minutes or so, they run around and look for somebody to interview, often about something unique to Vancouver. Interestingly enough, a number of them are beating a path to The Umbrella Shop.

Maybe it's because they've finally realized that Vancouver isn't the Land of Ice and Snow that many of them believed it was beforehand. Snow? We don't do snow in Vancouver. Rain is where Vancouver really shines, if you know what I mean. If you're going to be stuck in the rain, you'd best have a good umbrella.

Or maybe it was because they like the fact that the store has the only remaining umbrella factory in North America. It's quaint and quirky to look at how an umbrella is made, kind of like going to look at how the Amish put buggies together. Well, guess what? You're probably never going for a buggy ride but I'm willing to bet that you need an umbrella, at least occasionally, no matter where you live. And if you live in the Pacific Northwest you probably need one at least 4 to 5 days per week during the so-called winter.

Anyway, whatever the reason, the Today Show was at the Broadway store on Monday and the material they taped is supposed to be shown on Friday morning's show! Yes, I'm serious. Matt Lauer and the Today Show were there! I talked to Scott about it, but he didn't reveal any details so I guess I'm just going to have to watch to see if he's on it. Uh, "he" being Scott, of course. I know Matt will be on the show!

Go for the Gold

2010-02-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

Well, the Olympics are in full gear and Vancouver is a really fun place to be right now! Canada is in 4th place right now in the medal count with 2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze (behind the US, Germany and France). Congratulations to Alexandre Bilodeau, who won Canada's first gold on Canadian soil, Maelle Ricker (a native North and West Vancouverite who grew up on our North Shore mountains), Marianne St-Gelais, Mike Robertson, Jennifer Heil and Kristina Groves! Let's hope there are many more to add to the list!

Our family may not have event tickets, but that doesn't mean we're not getting out and taking part in what's going on. We had the opportunity to meet the Israeli athletes last week and Devorah and I had our picture taken with an Olympic torch that had been used earlier that day!

Now, there's a once in a lifetime picture right there! Doesn't Devorah look proud? The red and white emblem you see on the torch and my jacket is for Canadian Magen David Adom, the organization that sponsored the evening. They're the Jewish equivalent of the Red Cross and the group raises money to buy and equip ambulances in Israel.

On Monday night we headed down to Yaletown to see Matisyahu, whose song "One Day" is the Anthem for these 2010 Olympic Games. He was performing at CityStage, the big open-air venue at David Lam Park and it's lucky I had Michael's red stick umbrella with me! We stood in line for over an hour to get in and then for about the same amount of time inside while it rained the whole time. It was still great and we caught the evening's fireworks display too!

The Newest Employee at The Umbrella Shop

2010-02-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to say that my daughter, Michelle, had a baby boy this morning at 7:59! He weighed in at 9 lb 5 oz and is just as cute as can be! (I'm not biased, really!)

Look for him to be working behind the counter of The Umbrella Shop in early 2024! His sisters are thrilled to have a brother and all the uncles and aunties are happy to have a nephew. Michelle may be off on her maternity leave but things go on at work, where Charlotte is ably covering for her. And of course, Scott is always there.

An Umbrella for Valentine's Day?

2010-02-12T16:41:00.000-08:00

An umbrella for Valentine's Day? Why not? Chocolate is yummy (particularly if it's Godiva!) but it's gone so fast. For me, a confirmed chocoholic, chocolate is lucky to last out the day.

And a dozen roses are beautiful but they just don't last. I found out why this past week when someone showed me Steve Whysall's blog post on the Vancouver Sun website. As recently as 2003 over 11 million locally grown roses were sold in BC. That number is down to 3 million per year and dropping steadily, due to the massive influx of cheap roses from South America. It's much cheaper to grow them there and BC growers can't compete with a price of 35 cents per stem! Funny, but it still costs $36 or more a dozen to buy an arrangement last time I checked. Anyhow, the reason they don't last as long as they used to is that they're probably about 2 weeks old already when you buy them!

So how's this for roses that will last? It's a beautiful dusty rose umbrella in a tone on tone pattern of roses! The thing I love about this umbrella is that the pattern is woven right into the material, so it's very subtle and so, so elegant.

Or you could buy a cotton floral umbrella that was made right here in Vancouver (possibly even by my son, Scott!). This is the only umbrella factory still in existance in North America! Although they only make a limited number here I think that just makes the ones they do produce even more special.

Here's another floral possibility, with a more contemporary look.

Or you could go with traditional hearts! And don't forget that you can get free gift wrapping with any of these! The Granville Island location is even open on Sunday if you're right down to the wire. So, have a Happy Valentine's Day.

Breakfast TV!

2010-01-25T00:36:00.000-08:00

Remember I said that there was going to be more filming at The Umbrella Shop? Well, Breakfast TV is going to be there in less than 6 hours! They're a live, local morning show and they're going to do 3 or 4 short segments (each about 2 or 3 minutes long), possibly on making an umbrella as well as reporting on the weather, spaced out over about an hour and a half. The first segment is supposed to start at about 6:45 am and then they're supposed to check back about every half hour.

I remember Scott did something like this before (for Urban Rush, I think, or maybe it was the Breakfast Show on CITY) and made an umbrella for Karen Khunkhun. It was a lot of fun to watch because I'd never actually seen them make one from scratch before that. It's very cool that they have the only umbrella factory still in existence in North America!

The problem with a live show is that you have to be able to get the channel and you have to actually watch (or tape it). I'm not quite up yet at 6:45 and then am far too busy trying to get everyone up, dressed and out the door to actually watch TV. I'll have to catch it on tape. Or maybe not. I forgot about the marvels of modern technology. If you go to the Breakfast TV site they have a video archive so you can still see what happened!

Scott is the only one of my kids who will be on air. Neither Michelle nor Charlotte can make it in that early (BT is showing up at 6 am!).

But if you have a chance, check it out. Also, keep an eye open for their bit on The Weather Network because that one cycles around and will be shown fairly often over the next while. Yeah, what can I say? I like to brag about my kids!

Mild Winter, Bare Mountains?

2010-01-21T00:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back! I had a nice break but Real Life hit with a bang when I got home and I've been so busy I've barely had time to breathe. Whenever I sit down at the computer in the evening I fall asleep!

To follow up on my last post, Emily got her pagoda umbrella and said she really likes the colour. I picked out a cheery purple especially for her. The giveaway was a lot of fun and I'm rolling around some ideas for a new one. Soon.

Olympic fever is starting to hit Vancouver as it dawns on all of us that the Games are starting in less than a month! Road closures are starting to go into place and there are "no stopping" signs up along pretty well every major road, not just the ones that feed into downtown.

A lot of merchants are worrying about how their customers and suppliers are going to reach them, with a lot of places downtown being the most seriously affected. I asked my kids if this will be a problem for them since Broadway is one of the streets with the "no stopping" signs but, of course, they have a parking lot behind The Umbrella Shop on Broadway. Lucky for them and for folks who need to buy an umbrella in the next couple of months. Of course, there's always online shopping too. I tend to forget that because I like to shop in person.

It looks to me like the store is probably going to be pretty busy. The world is coming to cold, wintry Canada for the Winter Games and it seems pretty likely that they're going to get rained on! I'm willing to bet that a lot of the folks will be turning up with their thermal long johns and their skis but that they won't necessarily think to bring an umbrella with them. Well, surprise! Welcome to the (West Coast) Canadian winter. Rain followed by showers with sunny breaks and then more rain.

Speaking of weather, the folks from The Weather Network were in the factory to do some filming the other day. And I hear that more filming for some other shows is in the works. I'll let you know when I have some more details.

I don't think the people who run the ski slopes, particularly the Olympic venues, are too happy right now. It hasn't exactly been a snowy winter for them and I gather they're going to be resorting to some fakery in the coming weeks. I know the snowmaking machines get turned on whenever possible and that vast quantities of stockpiled machine-made snow can be moved into place as necessary. Tonight, when I was only sort of listening to the news, I heard about some plan to use bales of straw under the snow as well.

They'd better do something soon. I was looking up at Grouse today and it looks like there are big bare patches on it!

Giveaway Winner!

2010-01-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

And the winner is: Emily B, who preferred the pagoda style!!!!

I'm away at the moment in the Okanagan with very limited wifi access but I'll be in touch with Emily early in the week so I can arrange to send the umbrella!

Thanks to you all for entering. There were 9 qualified entries by the cutoff time. I saved a print screen of the official Random Numbers result but can't figure out how to get it on here ('cuz it's a doc, not a jpeg). Maybe I can edit this later if I can get Scott to fix that for me once I'm back home....

Have a Happy New Year everybody! I'll be back soon and I'm going to try to have more contests or giveaways in the future. I think they're a lot of fun!

One Umbrella or a Wardrobe?

2009-12-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to enter my great umbrella giveaway!

Do you have one umbrella or a whole wardrobe of them? I'm in between. I have two. One folds up and fits in a purse. The other one doesn't. My two daughters, on the other hand, have an entire wardrobe of them.

Now, Michelle I can understand. She's fashion-conscious and she works surrounded by umbrellas all day long. So it's really no surprise that she has quite a few of her own. But I find it funny that her little sister (who is about to turn 7) has several too!

Just how many umbrellas does Devorah own? She has a pink bubble, a floral one with a little ruffle, a Madagascar movie tie in one, a Kidorable dolphin umbrella, one that's like a hat you wear on your head and one that someone left at our wedding about 8 and a half years ago. So, if you were at our wedding and your child lost her umbrella, now you know where it went! Seriously, there were very few kids there and I asked all the parents afterwards but nobody seemed to think it was theirs. It lives in our car now, ready for emergencies. Devorah sort of alternates between the other ones, although the Kidorable umbrella is the one that's been in use recently.

Were you counting? That's 6 umbrellas for a 6 year old! Does this mean I have to go out in the next week or two and buy her a new one in time for her birthday? At least she doesn't collect shoes!

Your Favourite Umbrella Giveaway!

2009-12-21T00:48:00.000-08:00

I’m celebrating the launch of the Umbrellas in Vancouver blog with the giveaway I mentioned previously! You see, this is the best thing about having all these connections. I can say, “I want to run a contest” and my kids will go find me something to give away!

Since it’s fall (shading into winter today) that means it rained for practically the whole of November and a fair bit of December as well. Yes, we get the occasional nice day (or the occasional snow flurry) but it’s usually back to rain the next day. It’s dark, it’s dull, and my SAD is kicking in. I have too much going on in Real Life to be able to go hibernate, so I thought it would be fun to give away an umbrella to brighten up somebody’s day.

But what kind of umbrella should I give away? Here are the 6 types from which you can choose:

This is a black microfibre, a classic men's umbrella, generously sized.

This is a pagoda style umbrella.

This one is a classic print.

This is a 2 fold collapsible umbrella in a classic print.

This is a freeflex umbrella, with fibreglass ribs and is big enough for 2 people.

This is a bubble umbrella, made of PoE plastic (more environmentally friendly than PVC).

The umbrellas vary in price from $19.99 (for the bubble) to $64.95 (for the microfibre) but don't let the price sway you. Just pick the style YOU like the best! Here are your choices again:

Microfibre
Pagoda
Classic Print
2 Fold Collapsible
Freeflex
Bubble

Here’s how to enter (and get more than one chance to win):

You MUST write a comment on THIS post in order to enter, stating the style you prefer. This gives you ONE entry (no matter how many times you comment here).
Subscribe to the Umbrellas in Vancouver blog and get an additional entry.
If you have a blog, write a post on your blog about our contest, include a link to this post and let me know about it. Include a link to your blog. That will get you one additional entry.
Go to the Facebook fan page for The Umbrella Shop, become a fan if you aren’t already, and leave a comment on the wall. That comment is worth one entry (and only one, just like in #1 above).

Got it? It’s not really too complex. The contest starts today, December 21, 2009 and runs until December 31, 2009 at 6 pm PST. I'll pick the winner using a random number generator. The winner will be announced both here and on The Umbrella Shop website in the first week of January 2010 and will win an umbrella of the type they picked as their fave!

You can get up to four entries, but remember, you have to do the first one in order to enter at all and you have to let me know about all the other things you do because I'm not a mind reader.

This giveaway is open to anyone living in the US or Canada, except for The Umbrella Shop employees and their immediate families (‘cuz that just wouldn’t be fair).

Best Supporting Performance by an Umbrella?

2009-12-13T02:37:00.000-08:00

I went to see a high school performance of the Wizard of Oz this past week with half my family and half of Corry's family. Corry's daughter, Suzie, was the Cowardly Lion and she was grrrrrrreat! She had the audience in stitches several times and did very well with both the acting and singing.

The performance contained all those wonderful songs that you probably remember from the Judy Garland movie version and my youngest daughter, Devorah, had a tremendous time. She sang along quietly and knew what was coming next. The Wicked Witch didn't scare her because she used to be terrified of the movie one and just got over that about a year ago. After that, there was no way a teenage girl (even one with green face paint) could scare her.

There were a few new scenes and slightly different twists on how the story advanced. At one point, in the Emerald City, the Cowardly Lion was being attacked by a girl from Oz but eventually managed to get the umbrella the girl was using away from her. Then, when the Great and Terrible Oz showed up, the Lion was able to hide behind the opened umbrella!

I've said it before: I see umbrellas everywhere!

You Get What You Pay For

2009-12-08T23:17:00.000-08:00

I was looking at a rack of *ahem* inexpensive umbrellas on Sunday while I was waiting in a lineup at Canadian Tire and it reminded me of a comment that was made to me the other day, something to the effect that people want to pay $5 for an umbrella. My question is WHY?

Why would people want to pay that little for an umbrella? Is it because they always buy the cheapest brolly possible and then toss it as soon as it breaks? Folks, it breaks because it's cheap. If you buy a reasonably priced umbrella with decent features it will outlast ten of those $5 or $10 jobs. And if you buy one from The Umbrella Shop, you can usually get it repaired if it breaks for that $5 you would have spent anyway. Then it'll outlast another bunch of cheapies.

Besides, you deserve an umbrella you actually like, as opposed to a boring one that just keeps the rain off. If you live here on the West Coast (or anywhere else where it rains a lot) you're likely to be using it a lot!

Oh, and I didn't take a picture of the umbrella display at Canadian Tire because my phone's memory was full. I think I'm going to have to buy a memory card. I know it's better if there are pictures. Speaking of which, I want to get started on the giveaway I talked about before but I'm just waiting on a few pictures I need first. It's going to be fun!

An Upcoming Giveaway

2009-12-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be great to start the blog off with a giveaway and what better prize could there be than an umbrella? I mean, this is a blog about umbrellas after all. Anyway, I've used my connections to arrange that and I'll be posting soon with the details! Stay tuned.

I See Umbrellas Everywhere!

2009-12-03T22:51:00.000-08:00

Last night my husband and I went to the Giants' game. We wandered around at the intermission and guess what caught my eye? That's right. It was a Giants umbrella. I didn't examine it closely, just took this picture on the fly with my smart phone so I can't tell you too much about this particular item, other than that it was selling for $12. Sorry for the poor picture quality but I was in a bit of a hurry as I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be snapping the merchandise.

I think the Giants' goalie should have used it to deflect all the pucks that got through! We packed it in with about 3 minutes left in the game when the Giants were losing 5-2. The Kootenay Ice then scored yet again in the final minute, making it 6-2.

It was fun to get out anyway!

Why Blog About Umbrellas?

2009-12-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

Why not? I’m in Vancouver after all. We get a lot of rain and there are lots and lots of umbrellas here. But there’s more to it than that.

Umbrellas make up a big part of the lives of several of my family members. Two of my kids (Scott and Michelle) manage The Umbrella Shop here in Vancouver. They work for Corry and Glen Flader, a brother and sister who are carrying on a tradition started by their grandfather. While they have a few retail locations in the city, my kids work out of the factory and main store at Broadway and Spruce.

Yes, that’s right. They actually make and repair umbrellas right here in Vancouver! That’s pretty cool. And now their older brother’s wife, Charlotte, is also working there. It’s become a real family affair.

I have to admit I didn’t know much about umbrellas beforehand. And I still don’t know nearly as much as my kids do, but I’m learning. It’s really pretty interesting and there’s so much variety in umbrellas that there’s no excuse for hanging onto that old black one with the broken rib any longer!

Come and hang out with me while I brag about my kids, excuse me, I mean “while I explore the fascinating world of umbrellas”.