Entry No. 23 — the Providence file — filed under: 1968
The Fantastic Umbrella Factory
Robert Bankel founded this five-acre compound on a nineteenth-century Charlestown farmstead in 1968, named it on a whim after a San Francisco trip, and never manufactured a single umbrella. David and Linda Turano have run it since 2010 — daughter Elinora minds the main store while outbuildings hold Small Axe Productions (pottery, instruments), the Purple Shell (hand-carved wampum by Narragansett artisan Allen Hazard), Frills, and the Bee Suite. Crushed-clamshell paths wind past dahlia and hydrangea beds, a bamboo grove tall enough to disappear into, goats, chickens, and George, an emu in his mid-thirties. The whole place has resisted modernization with impressive discipline.
→ Three at a time, never the same twice — explore weird Providence
The story
Robert Bankel started in 1968 in a small 1800s Temperance Hall on an old Charlestown farmstead, selling penny candy and gifts. The name came back with him from a trip to San Francisco; no umbrella has ever been manufactured on the property. He spread into the barn, put in a cafe, and invited craftspeople to work on site, which is essentially the arrangement still running. The 1810 farmhouse is still standing; the early-1800s barn burned in 1989. Bankel retired in 2008 and died in 2019. David and Linda Turano, long fixtures there, took it over in 2010 - "We had been there for so long; we were really the best people to take it," David told Rhode Island Monthly. Daughter Elinora works the main store; son Gino keeps the buildings up.
Five acres hold roughly nine independent businesses in separate outbuildings. Small Axe Productions anchors it with gifts, clothing, jewelry and musical instruments. The Purple Shell is an Eastern Native trading post selling wampum and hand-carved jewelry by Narragansett artisan Allen Hazard. The General Store trades in humor, magic and rock and roll; Bee Suite is a candy country store of nostalgic and imported sweets and craft chocolate; Frills handles vintage from the sixties through the nineties; Lil Rhody Toys does novelty; The Rustic Garden sells tropicals and containers; and Block Prints Graphics has printed Rhode Island T-shirt designs since 1993.
Bankel's perennial beds are the connective tissue - hydrangea, lilac, daffodil, dahlia - threaded with crushed-clamshell paths and specimen trees including an umbrella pine and a dawn redwood, plus a koi fountain and bamboo tall enough to walk into and lose sight of the shops. George the emu is past thirty-five. There are goats and free-ranging chickens, and feed for sale if you want to be popular.
What it's like
You park on gravel off Old Post Road and walk in. There is no gate, no ticket and no obvious order to any of it: the clamshell paths loop between outbuildings, so the visit runs on wandering rather than a route, and the shops open onto the gardens while the gardens open onto the animals. Buy a cup of feed and the chickens find you within seconds; George, being an emu, sets his own terms and is best given room. The shopkeepers are the owners, so questions get real answers and browsing without buying is entirely normal. Leave the dog at home - that rule is absolute, and with loose birds and goats underfoot, obviously so. Two hours covers the stores and the bamboo without hurrying.
The move: Leave Providence by early afternoon, give yourselves an hour for the shops and another for the bamboo and George, then drive the last ten minutes to the Charlestown Breachway to watch the boats come in before dinner back up Route 1.
📍 Before you go Just off Route 1, about 45 minutes south of Providence. Open daily 10-5 year-round (until 6 in July and August), weekends only in January-February, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, and Easter. No dogs allowed on the property.
- 📍 Charlestown
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 4820 Old Post Rd, Charlestown, RI 02813
Hours: Added 2026-08-25 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Frosty Drew Observatory & Sky Theatre — Ten minutes away in Ninigret Park, same town: the shops close at five or six and Frosty Drew opens its domes at sunset every Friday, which turns a shopping detour into a full day without moving your car far.
- The Glass Station Studio and Gallery — Twenty minutes back north on Route 1 in Wakefield - another owner-operated craft complex, but with furnaces running and a 1,800-square-foot gallery instead of gardens and poultry.
More weird in Providence
Good to know
How do I get there from Providence?
About 45 minutes south. Take I-95 to Route 1 and come off at Charlestown; the entrance is at 4820 Old Post Road, and there is a lot on site. It is roughly ten minutes from the Charlestown Breachway and the Ninigret Park beaches, which is the main reason to make a half-day of it.
What does it cost to get in?
Nothing. There is no admission booth - the shops are the business, and the gardens, bamboo and animals come with the parking space. The only compulsory expense is the cup of feed for the chickens, which is not compulsory but you will buy it.
When is it open?
Daily 10 to 5 year-round, extended to 6 in July and August. January and February are weekends only, with seven-day operation resuming March 1. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day and Easter Sunday. Individual shops within the complex can keep their own rhythm, so call 401-364-1060 if you are coming for one in particular.
Can I bring my dog?
No. Dogs are not allowed anywhere on the property, and given the free-ranging chickens, the goats and a thirty-five-year-old emu, the policy is less arbitrary than most. There is no kennel or shaded waiting area, so plan around it rather than showing up hopeful.
Does the season matter?
Considerably. The perennial beds and the bamboo are at their best from late spring through early fall, the henna artist only works July and August, and the summer hours run an extra hour. Winter strips it back to weekend shopping in January and February - still open, but the gardens are the point and they will not be doing anything.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · rimonthly.com · Yelp
📷 We made a card for this one on Instagram →
last checked: 2026-08-25