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. From the freeway, motorists crane for a better look at the sight, and, on the pier, strollers wonder if it’s perhaps some new art installation.

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.

“You had to go early to get a chair,” she said. “The Italians made the beach a big event--everyone congregated there to hang out.”

She thought it would work in California, and she took lots of snapshots to help sell the idea here.

“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.

“All I had were these stupid Polaroid pictures,” she said. They liked the idea, but it took much longer than she expected to wade through the state’s rigorous permitting process.

Moore spent $40,000 even before her project was approved. By the time she opened earlier this month, she had dished out about $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. Large planters also adorn the spot.

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.

Now that she’s built it, will they come? Obviously, many will continue to lug their beach paraphernalia to the water’s edge for a free spot in the sun. And that’s fine with her.

“We cater to those who don’t want to carry an umbrella, chairs, blankets, cooler,” Moore said.

Customers can even order lunch and have it delivered--she has a deal with Ventura’s Patio Cafe. And Moore doesn’t mind if people stop by for a cappuccino and take up chair space to drink it. She also rents volleyballs for the volleyball courts nearby.

Opening late in the season, Moore’s colorful place in the sun isn’t packing them in yet. If takers are sparse, the inquiries are not.

“Every day people stop by and ask,” Moore said. So far, many of her customers have been from outside the U.S., where the custom is better-known.

A vacationing Italian couple, Alexandra Ricci and Airaldo Piva, parked themselves under a yellow umbrella one day last week and spread out the newspaper. It was just like home for them.

“Most of the people there do it this way,” Piva said.

The Italian government owns most of the beach--only a small sliver is free, Ricci said--so the sand is covered with umbrellas operated by concessionaires who also keep the beach clean.

Moore isn’t pushing for that, although she hopes to spread her idea to a few other coastal locations. She’s the first to try it in California.

She’s already making plans for next summer--maybe live music and longer hours. She hopes the place will draw corporate parties, and one couple has lined up the colorful spot to exchange wedding vows.

BE THERE

Yellow Umbrella Co. is on the beach near Harbor Boulevard between the Ventura Pier and San Jon Road. Open daily, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends, 9-6 p.m. weekdays; (805) 648-9790.