Our Story

Hi! We're 2 brothers (Dane & Scott) and 1 best friend (Alex) who grew up visiting Emerald Isle, North Carolina every summer for family vacations for as long as we can remember.

This annual beach trip is hands-down our favorite week of the year, and has always been a time for relaxation and enjoying the company of family and friends.

During one of these annual trips, we finally realized that one thing was consistently getting in the way of the perfect beach-day experience: those flimsy beach umbrellas and bulky tents that never provided quite enough shade, were too heavy to carry, too complicated to assemble, and might be carried down the beach in a strong gust of wind.

This got us thinking: why not create a beach shade that fits in a beach bag and weighs less than the bocce ball set? Couldn't it also provide enough shade for everyone and leave enough space to stretch out? Why not build something that works with the wind, not against it?

So, we put our heads together and began a design and creation process of what we thought would make the best possible beach shade. We made countless trips to the local hardware store; we taught ourselves to sew; we patiently perfected a design. After more than a year of late nights, design changes, testing, and improvements, the Shibumi Shade was born.

Today, Shibumi Shades have spread across US beaches from Emerald Isle to Santa Monica and from Cape Cod to Oahu. We’re no longer sewing in a spare bedroom, but we’re proud to have each Shibumi Shade sewn in our home state of North Carolina, and close by in Virginia, too.

We're continually energized by the connections we've made with Shibumi users. Thank you for your pictures, your messages, and your support. We are truly grateful.

- Dane, Alex, and Scott