This past March, I lost my umbrella – it probably fell out of my “Fashion Week Kit” somehow, and I was never able to get it back (I didn’t realize it was gone until a week later, anyway).  So as soon as I discovered that it was gone, I started looking for a new one.  I probably went to at least seven or eight stores – ranging from higher end department stores to Shopper’s Drug Mart.  What’s very interesting is that there wasn’t a lot of selection.  Places like Holt Renfrew might have a small selection of very pricey umbrellas and then the ones at Shoppers look like they could break at any gush of wind.  More middle priced stores like Michael Kors and Coach did not have them at all.

My luck seemed to come in the form of luggage stores, especially those owned and/or operated by immigrants from Asia (probably because many immigrant Asian women love using umbrellas as parasols. Extra protection from the sun keeps them looking young).  But even then, availability seemed to be on a small rack in the corner, with a selection that isn’t much more (though better quality) than at drug stores.  Who would have thought that it would be so difficult to find an umbrella?  I thought that everyone had one – how do we keep ourselves dry in the rain, after all?  And why are most umbrellas plain and usually available only in black, charcoal or dark blue? I realize that those colours go well with practically everything, but at the same time, everyone has those shades, making it sometimes difficult to distinguish.

I realize that unlike shoes, bags or clothes, most people only have one umbrella.  But at the same time, one shouldn’t have to go to several different stores just to find one – especially to stores that SHOULD carry them.  There are a lot of things that people have one of – cell phones and cars, for example, but one certainly doesn’t have to search everywhere for them.

Do you have trouble finding good umbrellas?

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