Umbrella Vendors Find Silver Lining
The assets were liquid and the prices were fluid. That’s how business was when curbside umbrella sellers flooded Los Angeles streets at the height of Wednesday’s rainstorm.
Along 5th Street in downtown the price of an umbrella ranged from $2 to $10, depending on whether you were closer to skid row or the high-rise financial district in the other direction.
“It does seem like the taller the buildings are around you, the more expensive the price of an umbrella is,” said Oscar Fernandez, a file clerk at a high-rise law firm. He was under a $5 model he bought from a vendor near 5th and Hill streets.
Wajeha Bilal was wearing a plastic bag over her head as she rolled several dozen umbrellas down the sidewalk near 5th and Maple Avenue in a two-wheeled cart. She had stocked up on them at $21 a dozen at a downtown wholesaler. She was headed to 103rd Street to resell them. The asking price would be $5, she said.
Near Main Street, a vendor who identified herself only as Maria had six umbrellas left in her tiny cart as she stood out of the rain under a building’s overhang. She replied “$2,” when asked their price.
Closer to 5th and Spring streets, a homeless man who declined to give his name was selling them for $4. “I’ll let you have that one for $3,” he said with a laugh, pointing to a bent and battered multicolored umbrella abandoned in 5th Street.
Near Broadway, Adrian Orozco was selling new umbrellas for $3. “It’s a good deal,” he said.
A few steps away, shopkeeper Anvar Alfie was trying to shoo another vendor away from the front of his Angel’s Gift Shop. The tiny storefront was stocked with umbrellas priced from $3 to $5. “This is my business, I’m trying to pay the rent,” he said. “There are too many of those people out there selling them.”
Up in the financial district, Bete Lemos was offering $10 umbrellas to the high-rise crowd from office buildings near 5th and Flower streets. Business was not that brisk, she said.
Suddenly there was the sound of a crash as an MTA bus plowed into a fire hydrant at 5th and Grand Avenue. A geyser from the sheared-off hydrant shot into the air and showered the bus with the day’s greatest deluge.
No one was injured in the crash. Passenger Jerry Clark of Glendale was the last person to dash through the geyser to escape the bus.
He also had the last laugh as he popped open a red nylon umbrella to shield himself from pouring water.
“I found this one. It didn’t cost me anything,” he said.
