[locale: retail store] GumDrops @ Kitsilano

Having moved to Vancouver less than a year ago, my first introduction into the city is over at the funky Kitsilano neighbourhood (fondly called "Kits") which reminds me of San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district due to its similar hippie culture feel. In fact the renowned international organisation that agressively aims to help protect and conserve the environment, Greenpeace, was founded right here at Kits in 1971. How about the yoga-inspired athletic clothing company, Lululemon Athletica, being founded here as well back in 1998. And don't forget to drop by The Naam which has been in existence since the 60's - open 24 hours a day and famous for it's vegetarian and vegan dishes. To drive the point home, let's just say that the popular Kits Beach wouldn't have come into existence today without much thanks to it's private citizens who raised money to buy the beach front land back from the Canadian Pacific Railway company. That's Kitsilano to you.

Today Kitsilano is lined with yoga studios, organic markets, cafes as well as filled with modern retail stores with brand names recognized worldwide. But the heart of Kitsilano still beats strong as walking along 4th Avenue you'll find small shops that truly reflects the soul of Vancouver.

One store is called GumDrops which specialises in apparel for the wet weather. Let's just say that for a place famous for it's wet weather and a store that caters to it by offering specialty and stylish items, it was only founded in late 2007 by an Australian, Shanda Jerrett (who was actually born in Victoria, BC but migrated to Australia soon afterward).


GumDrops is hard to miss among rows and rows of Earth-tone coloured stores. Suddenly there is this aqua pastel hue that jumps right out. For a store that caters to the rain, the interior is bright, cheerful and chic. The various shoe offering are resting against their own glass stand hanging against a bright white wall. The effect is that the hanging gumboots stand out on it's own like falling individual raindrops. Which brings me to the play on the store's name - gumboots and raindrops.


The store caters to anyone who wants a stylish apparel for the rain including men, women, children and pets. And the best part about a store like this - the customer service and support. They are there to ensure satisfaction of the products they sell. They are also there to help with the availability of the products. In fact twice I have placed a specialty order for wellies that had no size and and colour. With those two times they have helped procure the products and even informed me throughout the process of any expectations of product arrival.

I must admit the first time I placed a special order for a pair of Kamik rainboots (a Canadian company founded in Quebec), it took a while and I thought they had forgotten about me. Of course at this point the delay lays on the supplier side. But when the shoes did arrive, I received a follow-up phone telling me they are in the store ready for pick up.

The second time I placed an order were for a pair of Hunter boots. This time the order process was fast. Initially when the boots arrived they were the correct colour and size, but with the incorrect style. That was on a Friday. By next Wednesday, I received another follow-up phone call stating the correct pair has arrived. All throughout the process they were apologetic of the mix-up and even sped up the process of getting the correct pair by sourcing the footwear from another dealer and picking it up themselves. You can obtain a list of Hunter dealers and start calling them one by one for the available size, colour and style that you want (I did and didn't find one single available pair or even greeted with enthusiastic customer service to find one for me). I didn't find any other store that would go the extra length except from GumDrops.

And after having finally received the correct boots, I receive a follow up email from the owner, Shanda, asking if I have finally received the boots and if I am enjoying them. Seriously, try that with another retail store.

Lately, GumDrops has expanded to having an online store - GumDropsOnline - which I am glad will hopefully help garner a larger following and sales. I am confident with the direction of Shanda Jerrett and her original concept that the customer service and support will remain the same as the company grows.

If you're in the area, feel free to drop by their store at:

GumDrops
2029 W 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V6J 1N3
Phone: 1-800-418-4637
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday and Holidays 12am-5pm

Thanks to the concept of GumDrops there is nothing depressing about the rain when in Vancouver. As their motto states: "Get Wet in Style!"

[GADGET: umbrella] davek New York - The World's Strongest, most beautiful Umbrellas.

I've been looking for a simple, sturdy yet chic umbrella to bring around when I walk the streets of Downtown Vancouver. I have been bringing around a Fulton Umbrella, which I have no complaints about. Fulton Umbrellas has been in business since 1956 and based in UK. The umbrella I purchased over at my local Sears department store has the features I'm looking for - compact, simple, and lightweight. Well, I'm getting all of these features at the expense of a good-looking and fashionable umbrella that provides a better than average coverage area that you would expect from a compact product.

While shopping around at my nearby neighborhood, Yaletown, I came across a store that sold an unusually irresistible-looking umbrella. There was a post-card sized flyer of the umbrella which dubbed itself - "The World's Strongest, Most Beautiful Umbrellas". My first impressions of course were that it was such a strong and egotistical statement. But after having examined the umbrella in detail, I would have come up with the same product description myself. It's that nice.

These are serious umbrellas. And the company behind it is davek New York. The company was started by an engineer, David Kahng (Dave K...davek...davekny), who wanted a stronger collapsible umbrella that won't buckle under stress and pressure from the wind and rain. If the frame inverts, you press the button (the same and only button to open and close the umbrella) and it corrects the frame. And if ever the umbrella does fail under normal use, the company backs their product with an "Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee".

Davek Accessories, Inc. is able to offer this kind of guarantee because it stands behind it's technology:

1. Davek's patented Carbon WindFlex Frame System. A 9-rib frame system that is reinforced with flexible carbon polymer ligaments to prevent rib distortion. A solid steel shaft for stability."

2. Superior Fabric. An extremely thin and strong 190-thread count nylon fabric which they claim is the most tightly woven fabric available. The fabric has a water-repellent outer coating as well as an inner coating for maximum protection.

3. Beautiful Handle. A zinc alloy handle plated with brushed nickel for protection against corrosion.

4. 3-Action Button System. Push to open. Push to close. Push to correct the ribs should an inversion of the frame occur. Simple. Smart.

The price? What would you expect for something this superior? We're talking about an Aston Martin versus a Camry. Both will get you from point A to point B. But only one will get you there in style. We're talking USD99.00 for a Davek SOLO which spans a comfortable 43" diameter. USD149.00 for a Davek DUET which spans at a 55" diameter - think golf size umbrellas. While those who choose to go smaller can opt for the Davek TRAVELER which is USD95.00 and has a 40" diameter and folds down to a compact 9" length. That's small enough to fit into your messenger bag (or brief case if you still sport one these days) and still get great coverage from the rain.

Now should you lose your Davek Umbrella the company has provided each purchase with a one-time Loss Protection Card. You are allowed to redeem a replacement umbrella from the company at half-price. Remember this is one redemption per customer only. So don't go around thinking you can carelessly loose this umbrella anytime. Now if only Aston Martin can provide the same Loss Protection benefit...

And if you're still scratching your head because of the price, why don't you head over to a clothing store like Burberry and check out their umbrella prices. Here, let me help you out - Burberry Online. The cheapest is USD140.00 for a "Mini Umbrella" and the most expensive is USD450.00 for a "Canvas Umbrella".

Don't get me wrong, I patronize Burberry. I'm sure fashionistas are glad the company is selling umbrellas at this price because we can't afford diluting the infamous "Burberry Check" (trademarked since 1920) to every piece of apparel in the street. But ask yourself this, are you paying for the brand or for the technology of the umbrella? If you're the former, no amount of reasoning will make me convince you otherwise. For everyone else, think twice and compare first before spending on a USD25.00 umbrella.

Now, if you've read this far then you definitely are either: a sensible person who appreciates quality and technology and wants to invest their money in items that last OR wants the best in everything including searching for that perfect umbrella.

Any limitations to this umbrella?

Yes, there is one. I have to say the limitation stems from the beautiful mechanism of the umbrella. As much as the mechanism is made to elegantly open and collapse with a touch of a button, the flaw from the mechanism is also it's Achilles' heels from being the perfect umbrella.

You open the umbrella with a touch of a button. There is no other way. You have a choice to close the umbrella by (a) manually retracting it to fully compact position in one step or (b) fulfill a two step process by first push the button to collapse the ribs and then complete the process by manually retracting the stalk.

Hold on because that's NOT the limitation I'm talking about. The limitation is only realised when you fully utilise the umbrella in your everyday situation. There are times when you want to collapse the canopy temporarily because you are walking under a covered area at times (and there are those times when you alternate under a covered area, then a portion exposed to the rain, back to a covered area, and then back again to the rain.) You find yourself having to collapse the umbrella first especially as a courtesy to other pedestrians. You don't want the umbrella hitting the heads of pedestrians waiting under the covered area as well as hit umbrellas of other people passing by.

In any case, you will not be able to spring the canopy back to extended position if you pressed the button to collapse the ribs. That's because you have released the tension of the mechanism and there is no other way to keep the canopy open except by creating the tension again by "resetting" the mechanism once again. You do this by completing the closed position of fully retracting the stalk as if you were going to keep the umbrella already. In full compact and retracted position, you can then proceed to push the button to open it once more. You can not simply go from collapsed ribs position to MANUALLY extending it open (like a normal umbrella will allow you to). It cannot be done as it won't click open into place. It will only allow you to click the umbrella into closed position. If you try to open it, it will just collapsed back to closed position.

So imagine again the scenario where you constantly have to open and close the umbrella as courtesy under alternating covered and open walks. Which means you have to cock the mechanism each and every time into fully compact position before you can open it once again. Because this is not a manual umbrella, you can imagine the tiring force you have to deal with against the internal springs.

Apart from that, there should be nothing that will stop you from owning one of the most beautifully designed and constructed umbrella that David Kahng has created.

So the next time it rains and you open that Davek Umbrella, you know you don't call attention to yourself by having the umbrella scream - "Look at me and my checkered fabric!". You open your Davek Umbrella and you appreciate the simple and elegant design hidden beneath comes forward-thinking technology and painstaking build that went into creating it. For the price it sells for, it may be one of the better investment these days.

Oh, and for the ladies, it does come in RED.

For the FALL 2008 line, Davek NY has equipped their original Davek SOLO umbrella with a nylon protective cover. Before this, only the Davek TRAVELERand Davek DUETumbrellas were provided with an umbrella cover. I've also noticed that the Davek packaging changed from a cream-coloured box to a "sexy" dark red colour.

It is also worth noting that both the TRAVELER and DUET umbrellas have always included a leather wrist strap, leaving the design of the first-introduced SOLO umbrella with a metal clip. Hopefully Davek NY can retrofit these umbrellas with a wrist strap as well so users can secure the umbrella to the side of their bags or luggage the same way you can do with the other two umbrellas.Lastly, none of these folding umbrellas in existence is made possible without the mention of the original telescopic umbrella invented by an engineer (surprise!) named Hans Haupt in 1928. The umbrella company is Knirps with it's famous red dot symbol on the lower left corner amidst a black square background. The umbrellas prices average at half the cost of Davek NY umbrellas. Their Alu Line is the most elegant, in my own opinion, especially if it comes in all-black. Then they continue with other lines including the X1 Line, Fiber Line and Steel Line. But it doesn't stop there as you are offered a variety of prints for the umbrellas ranging from simple, to artistic and finally to tacky choices.

And that's where the Davek NY umbrella, although late in the game, leads in the race. Knirps offers a two-year guarantee versus a lifetime for Davek NY. Davek NY umbrellas all offer advanced design and material composition and comes under a simple line-up of three sizes and elegant, solid-print colour choices. Knirps design looks just like any other umbrella because it has been copied over and over since it's inception. Davek NY, on the other hand, has gone out of it's way to create an unmistakeable design from the zinc alloy handle to the wide closure strap and finally to the two-tone colours with the second colour splashed on 1/9th of the umbrella fabric.

I can only hope that Davek NY maintain few umbrella choices by offering top-of-the-line materials across the line in few sizes and doesn't fall victim to other umbrella manufacturers by creating ridiculously unlimited lines that all look alike then distinguished only by the material of the umbrella.

WHERE TO BUY:

In the USA, you can check out the partial list of retailers or buy directly from davek New York.

Locally in Vancouver, you should check out:

dandelion emporium
(Proprietor Laura Frederick)
2442 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3E2
Tel: 778.239.4613
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm