The Downtown Huntsville BIA is bringing back a program to keep downtown shoppers dry.
The take an umbrella, leave an umbrella program stocks downtown businesses with free-to-borrow umbrellas. It was on a soft pause during COVID-19, although some businesses still had them available.
“The idea is when a shopper comes downtown and it starts to rain or they forgot their umbrella, they’re able to take an umbrella from one of the merchants,” says Morgan Lonsdale, Manager of the BIA. “And then you either bring it back to the same merchant the next day, after it’s done raining, or you leave it at the last merchant you’re shopping [with] at the end of the day.”
Lonsdale says people can feel free to borrow them for a little bit longer if they need to.
“If these umbrellas grew legs and walked out of downtown Huntsville, they’d still promote us. They’re bright orange, they say ‘Downtown Huntsville’ all over them, they have business names on the umbrellas,” says Lonsdale. “So we’re okay. If you need an umbrella and it comes back downtown in a couple of months after the rainy season, that’s okay.”
That being said, Lonsdale says they would still prefer that the umbrellas are brought back in a timely manner, and trusts the community to do so.
“The community feedback is super positive, and the community respects this initiative,” says Lonsdale. “They understand the concept of bringing it back, so that the next time you’ll have an umbrella.”
Lonsdale says that the BIA restocks the umbrellas every spring, but they’re available year-round. She adds to ask the business owner if you can’t find an umbrella.