A Place in the Sun
Donna Moore hopes you have it made in the shade--her shade, that is.
The sea of bright yellow umbrellas dotting Ventura’s beach-scape is her doing, and the splash of color is definitely turning heads.
Moore’s Yellow Umbrella Co. is the latest venture to hit the beach. She’s banking on the idea that some beach-goers don’t want to lug all that gear--umbrella, chairs, towels, snacks, drinks--across the sand and would prefer to have their place in the sun ready and waiting.
So for $10, people can rent an “umbrella station” for the day that comes with two lounge chairs. For $20, the package also includes two towels and two beverages--cappuccino, if you’re so inclined.
Moore’s Muzak system plays jazz with soothing hourly reminders of the time and occasional messages about goings-on in the Ventura area. From the 40 umbrella stations, all lined up on a patch of sand near San Jon Road, beach-goers can soak up the ambience all day or come and go.
If it hadn’t been for Moore’s involvement with an Italian club in Los Angeles (she’s half-Italian), the Yellow Umbrella Co. might never have taken root in the sand. Three years ago she was traveling through Italy with club members when they stopped in Rimini, on the Adriatic coast.
There, rows of colorful umbrellas dotted the sand, and people were accustomed to renting a station for the day. She thought it would work in California.
“Ventura reminded me of Rimini,” said Moore, 49, who works in Ventura as a real estate agent. She approached state officials about doing the same thing along a stretch of San Buenaventura State Beach.
They liked the idea, but it took much longer than she expected to wade through the state’s rigorous permitting process.
By the time she opened earlier this month, she had spent $70,000. The concrete to anchor the umbrella stands under the sand cost $13,000. The umbrellas are specially designed to vent the strong winds sweeping off the ocean. She also had a wooden boardwalk built for the layout, which measures 130 square feet.
From a small trailer, Moore sells drinks, bagels, pastries, ice cream and beach souvenirs. Except for the hidden concrete, it’s all portable and will be removed at the end of the summer season. Just when that is, is up in the air. Her contract says May to Sept. 15, but she hopes to get that extended to Oct. 2.
BE THERE
Yellow Umbrella Co. is on the beach near Harbor Boulevard between Ventura Pier and San Jon Road. Open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends, 9-6 p.m. weekdays; (805) 648-9790.
