SHOP TALK : Rain Gear : Umbrellas Come in a Surprising Range of Designs, Sizes--and Prices

If you’re like us, you were caught wet-headed during the big rainstorms and scrambled for something with which to cover your head. (Unlike some people, however, we don’t use newspapers for protection; newspapers are to be read, enjoyed, perhaps laminated and filed for future reference).

So we decided to go shopping for umbrellas to help ourselves, and hopefully some of you, to be better prepared for even more rain. We discovered three things right away.

First, we were right about not being the only ones unprepared. When we stopped at the Ventura Target store last week, there had been such a run on umbrellas there was all of one--that’s right--one, umbrella left on the rack. Presumably they have restocked.

Second, smart business owners were promoting their umbrellas heavily, either in window displays or near check stands.

And third, and most importantly, there’s an amazing array of umbrellas out there. We had no idea of the variety of designs and sizes--not to mention prices.

If you’re in the market for an umbrella, first decide what you’re looking for. Do you simply want protection from the elements or do you want to be protected while looking elegant, cute, or unique? A lot depends on how much money you want to spend. After all, you don’t want to get soaked.

Our first stop was at the Ojai Arcade. We headed straight for the British-influenced Tottenham Court, which we suspected might stock some extravagant umbrellas. We were right.

There was a nice black umbrella by Comoy’s of London. It came with a wood handle topped by a sculpted likeness of Sherlock Holmes (pipe and all) for $66.50.

An even more elegant black umbrella, with tassel and gold shaft, was topped by an antique glass doorknob. Price $85. For a more cutesy look, there was a fruit-themed Mary Engelbreit umbrella for $34.50.

Down the arcade from Tottenham, we spotted a gorgeous flower-print umbrella with a curved wood handle in the window of the Hand and Heart gift store. Inside, we found other equally beautiful prints--including poinsettias, Monet water lilies, orchids and Renoir paintings. All were priced at $36.

As lovely as these umbrellas are, the price may not be affordable to all, especially those of us who tend to lose our umbrellas when the sun comes out.

If you’re looking for something more affordable, you can always stop by a department store. We checked out the stock at the Robinsons-May store in The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks. Men’s umbrellas were $12 to $20 and women’s ranged from $12 to $25.

We also dropped by Ventura’s Roger Dunn golf shop. (Golfers are known for carrying huge umbrellas.) There we found two types--the no-frills, but extra-wide (62-inch) umbrellas for $22.99, or the same size brand-name umbrellas for $59.99.

The only difference was that the more expensive ones boasted the names of golf ball or club manufacturers.

For something less expensive, there’s always the convenience stores. The Ventura Target was selling the automatically retractable umbrellas for $9.99. The store also had rain hoods for $2.99 and ponchos for $4.99 in a nice wet-weather display.

Or you can drop by Wal-Mart in Oxnard. Here they had set up a “Rain Center” near the checkout aisle. The automatic, over-sized umbrellas (in black, gray, tan, green, yellow or blue) were going for $6.96, a rain bonnet was $1.96, vinyl raincoats were $5.96, and children’s reversible ponchos were $2.96.

No matter what umbrella you end up purchasing, please, please, put it in an obvious spot when finished, so you won’t have to go out and buy another one the next time it pours. As for us, we’re about to tear apart the trunk of the car in hopes of finding our old one.