How Shibumi Shade Took Over the Beach with Dane Barnes

How Shibumi Shade Became North Carolina’s Unofficial Beach Flag | 10 Years of a Homegrown Idea

Ahead of the July 4th beach rush, the episode features Dane Barnes, co-founder of Shibumi Shade, reflecting on the company’s 10-year rise from a DIY, wind-powered shade prototype made from hardware-store materials to a common sight on North Carolina beaches. Barnes explains how he, his brother Scott, and friend Alex—without sewing or product experience—built early shades for their own family trips to Emerald Isle, began taking orders in 2016, and later grew into a Raleigh-based business with defined roles across sales, operations, and marketing. He shares the meaning of “Shibumi,” discusses the Quiet Canopy and the shift from local manufacturing to overseas production, clarifies misconceptions about beach bans, and highlights new products including the Shibumi Chair and the Park Vista shade for grass.

00:00 Sponsor Messages

01:44 July 4 Beach Setup

02:53 Origin Story Prototype

05:13 From Hobby to Orders

06:15 Meaning of Shibumi

06:55 How the Shade Works

08:09 Founders and Roles

09:51 Manufacturing and Quiet Canopy

10:44 Beach Bans Explained

14:26 Becoming a Must-Have

15:23 New Colors and Editions

17:05 Why Raleigh Base

18:07 Lessons in Entrepreneurship

19:54 New Products Park and Chair

23:06 What's Next and Brand Magic

24:50 Lightning Round Favorites

26:59 Where to Buy Closing

Creators and Guests

Host

Melissa

Host of What's Up, Wake + social media manager + writer + travel editor

Guest

Dane Barnes

Co-founder of Shibumi Shade

What is What’s Up, Wake?

What’s Up, Wake covers the people, places, restaurants, and events of Wake County, North Carolina. Through conversations with local personalities from business owners to town staff and influencers to volunteers, we’ll take a closer look at what makes Wake County an outstanding place to live. Presented by Cherokee Media Group, the publishers of local lifestyle magazines Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad, What’s Up, Wake covers news and happenings in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and Wake Forest.

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Today's episode is arriving just in time for the July 4th holiday, when countless North Carolinians are packing coolers, hauling beach chairs, and getting ready to claim their spot on the sand.

[00:01:55] Melissa: Buckets and shovels? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Shibumi Shade? Basically a beach requirement at this point. What started as a simple idea between two brothers and their friend has grown into a full-blown phenomenon that's celebrating 10 years in business. Chances are, if you're headed to the coast this weekend, you'll spot a sea of Shibumis lining the sand.

They've become our state's unofficial flag, it seems. Today we're joined by Dane Barnes, co-founder of Shibumi Shade, to talk about building a homegrown North Carolina company, turning a simple idea into a beach necessity, and what it's like to see your invention become part of family vacations and summer memories.

Dane, thank you so much for being here today.

[00:02:41] Dane Barnes: Thank you for having me.

[00:02:43] Melissa: I've, I've gotta start with the fact that you started this with your brother, Scott, and your friend, Alex. Mm-hmm. How did you guys come up with the idea to begin with for Shibumi?

[00:02:53] Dane Barnes: So growing up, family vacation was always one week at the beach in Emerald Isle, and it was our favorite week of the year. And then fast-forward, uh, my parents bought a beach house in Emerald Isle in 2015, so we knew that we would be going to the beach a lot more often, and we wanted to come up with a better way to provide shade, because all of my growing up years, there were only two types of shade.

There were the traditional beach umbrellas, and there were the 10-by-10 tailgate tents. And those were lousy for lots of reasons. They're not very portable. They, like umbrellas, don't provide a lot of shade. Uh, tailgate tents are really heavy, difficult to set up, and both of them, um, blow away when the, when the winds at the beach get really strong.

Um, so we wanted to see if we could come up with something better, and we had an idea for a wind-powered shade.

[00:03:44] Melissa: I can imagine 2015, y- I mean, you look young. Well, how old were you when you guys got started on this?

[00:03:50] Dane Barnes: So I graduated, Alex and I graduated from Chapel Hill in 2009, and Scott graduated, uh, from Chapel Hill in 2012.

So I think I-

[00:03:59] Melissa: So you were guys were fairly fresh graduates at this point.

[00:04:02] Dane Barnes: That's right.

[00:04:02] Melissa: Okay.

[00:04:03] Dane Barnes: That's right. Um, so but yeah, we, we all had our full-time jobs, um, doing different things, nothing related to the beach or products or anything. Uh, but we had this idea, and we taught ourselves how to sew and, and made the first one out of materials from a local hardware store and from JOANN's Fabrics and set it up on the beach, and it really worked, and people started to notice.

[00:04:26] Melissa: And you had, you had no It's not like you had any history of sewing- Right ... or talents and, and working with fabric and PVC pipes and hacksaws, but you s-

[00:04:37] Dane Barnes: We had no talents. Yeah. No talents at all.

[00:04:40] Melissa: But yet you still had this idea and saw it through to, to come up with that first prototype.

[00:04:46] Dane Barnes: Right.

[00:04:46] Melissa: And I, I think a lot of people might have an idea.

I feel like I have a lot of great ideas, but to, to actually have the idea and do it is something totally different.

[00:04:56] Dane Barnes: Yeah, we were, um, we were excited about it because, again, we knew we would be going to the beach a lot more often, and, uh, we just wanted to try to make our experience better. So we thought about it for a while, and we just started to take one step at a time, and, um, it turned into something cool.

[00:05:13] Melissa: Did you start out with the idea thinking, "Okay, this is something that we're going to mass produce, and it's going to become the, the North Carolina-" No. "... unofficial flag?"

[00:05:23] Dane Barnes: Not at all. We actually never, um, intended to sell them in the first place. We just wanted to make something better for- Just for

[00:05:29] Melissa: your family

[00:05:29] Dane Barnes: for ourselves. That's right. Okay. And then, but then when we set up the, what we made on the beach, um, other people started to notice. Other families walking by in Emerald Isle at the beach would come up and say, "What is this thing, and where did you get it?" And they said, "Will you make us one?" And at first we said no, um, because it just was, um, kind of rudimentary.

You know, it was five five-foot poles of PVC and, um, not very good stitching. We, we weren't the greatest, um, you know, on the sewing machine. So at first we said no, but enough people came up that we thought, "You know, maybe there is an opportunity here." So we did start to take orders in 2016, and we would sew them, uh, in a spare bedroom, um, and then deliver them to customers kind of every weekend in Emerald Isle.

[00:06:12] Melissa: So it was really a side hustle to begin with.

[00:06:14] Dane Barnes: That's right.

[00:06:15] Melissa: Why the name Shibumi?

[00:06:17] Dane Barnes: So, uh, the name Shibumi, so, uh, Scott and Alex and I, we all three went to UNC Chapel Hill, and we all three lived in a very small apartment complex in Chapel Hill called Shibumi. So that's how we first heard of the word, and then we learned that Shibumi is a Japanese design concept that means effortless perfection or the elegance of simplicity.

And so we felt like that was a really good description for the Shibumi Shade, and now for any product that, that we come out with. You know, we, we want them to be easy to use and, um, and kind of have a simpler design. So it, it's a fun double meaning for us.

[00:06:55] Melissa: You, you mentioned the easy to use, and that's, that's really the biggest allure to the Shibumi Shade is the fact that one person can set it up.

Even an umbrella, like you mentioned earlier, is, is kind of hard, especially, you know, I'm not the strongest person in the world. I hate to admit that. But, you know, you have to screw the, the sand screw thing in and get that deep enough, and then put the umbrella in. And, and like you said, it doesn't even take up too much space for, for, for the sun, so you have to keep moving your chair around the umbrella- Mm-hmm

around the shade. Um, but with the Shibumi, it, it really just takes one person, and you don't have to move it throughout the day.

[00:07:34] Dane Barnes: Yeah, I think the trick of it is the fact that it is held up, like the canopy is held up by the ocean breeze. That, um, to, to describe it for people who don't know the Shibumi Shade, it's one, uh, arch made of a, um, of a camping tent pole, and then there's like a parachute fabric that's just attached on one of the four edges to that arch.

And so the canopy floats, uh, like a bedsheet on a clothesline. Mm-hmm. And so I think just the way that it's designed really lends itself to be really lightweight and really simple, and then it's easy for one person, uh, to set up in just a few minutes.

[00:08:09] Melissa: Talk about working with your brother and your friend.

I know a lot of people say that you should avoid working with family and friends. Right. What do you say about this experience?

[00:08:19] Dane Barnes: Right. I've read a lot of those articles that say the same thing of be careful starting a business with family or friends because if it doesn't go well, you could, you know, your, it, it could hurt your relationships.

We were aware of that. Um, but interestingly, we wanted to actually spend more time together. My brother and best friend and I were all three very close. Um, so we wanted to spend more time together, and then at the beginning we just set the intention that, hey, whether this goes well or whether it goes poorly, you know, let's put our relationship with each other first.

Uh, but then I think as luck would have it, Shibumi has done really well. So I think that, you know, again, we've had a lot of stress and a lot of uncertainty and all of those things, um, but I think ultimately that Shibumi has been successful, has really, you know, helped a lot.

[00:09:06] Melissa: Do you each have your own roles and things that you do within the company?

[00:09:10] Dane Barnes: We do. Yeah. When we first started out, we tried to figure out, you know, who was gonna do what. So I like to talk to people, so I was doing sales and customer service, and then selling our product into stores, uh, that, that we wanted to carry it. Um, Scott was a consultant for his job before Shibumi, and he was a math major at UNC Chapel Hill, so he did all of our supply chain and operations and, um, finance.

And then Alex really liked, um, computers and IT and social media, so he built our website and did our marketing and advertising and things like that, uh, later on.

[00:09:45] Melissa: And for sure none of you guys are still doing the sewing yourselves.

[00:09:50] Dane Barnes: Right. That's right.

[00:09:51] Melissa: Are they made here in North Carolina?

[00:09:53] Dane Barnes: They were. So for the first seven years, uh, all Shibumi shades were made in North Carolina and Virginia.

Uh, and now, um, they're made, uh, overseas because we came out, uh, with something called the Quiet Canopy. So when Shibumis are ... Like, when the wind is really strong, some people thought that the Shibumis could be a little loud. Um, and so we responded to that. We did years of research to figure out a better fabric that was significantly quieter.

We came out with the Quiet Canopy, um, that has a little bit of stretch to the material. It's more difficult to sew. And so, um, a, a lot of factors came into why we switched from sewing them here locally to overseas.

[00:10:33] Melissa: Your warehouse is here in Raleigh though, right?

[00:10:35] Dane Barnes: That's right.

[00:10:36] Melissa: Okay. So you still have the company itself is based in Raleigh.

In Raleigh. Okay. I was, I was happy to hear that part. Speaking of the noise-

[00:10:45] Dane Barnes: Mm-hmm ...

[00:10:46] Melissa: I'm not sure if this is why or not, but I wanted to ask you There's some beach towns that have banned Shibumi shades, and they prefer only to have the umbrellas. Can you tell us why? Is it, was it because of noise?

[00:11:02] Dane Barnes: No. So th- this is a common misconception that Shibumi shades are allowed in 99% of beaches- Yes

in the US. There's only a very small handful.

[00:11:11] Melissa: That's why I was surprised to hear that.

[00:11:12] Dane Barnes: Right. Yeah, there's only a very small handful. Um, there's Myrtle Beach, the kind of greater Myrtle Beach area, and then there's a, a few beaches in the northeastern United States that, that don't allow them. So for example, it, uh, to my knowledge, none of them have banned Shibumi shades specifically.

Uh, I'll give an example of, of Myrtle Beach and, and North Myrtle Beach. Essentially, Shibumi was invented in 2016, but two years earlier in 2014, The Grand Strand, so North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach, came out with the umbrellas only rule. So it predates Shibumi- Oh ... even being invented by two years. Okay.

Because in those days, in those days there were only umbrellas and tailgate tents, and they had a lot of problems with people bringing their 10 by 10 tailgate tents. Uh, they were pretty inexpensive, and people would just, at the end of their vacation, just leave them, just not even pack them up-

[00:12:01] Melissa: Yes ...

[00:12:01] Dane Barnes: leave them on the beach.

That's not good for sea turtles. It's an eyesore, et cetera, et cetera. And so Myrtle Beach said, "You know what? No more tailgate tents." So it became, in the summertime, the umbrellas only rule. But Shibumis are still allowed there nine months out of the year, uh, from Labor Day to Memorial Day. So you can, if you go to the, to Myrtle Beach today, you can still use your Shibumi, but as of Memorial Day, you can't.

Um, so they just haven't caught up with the times, even though everyone has switched to Shibumi shades. Um, unfortunately, they have not updated their outdated ordinance, which is really unpopular. So we're hopeful-

[00:12:36] Melissa: Yeah ...

[00:12:36] Dane Barnes: that at some point soon they will, um, they will allow Shibumis.

[00:12:40] Melissa: I'm glad I asked that because I had no idea that it, this predates- Right

the, the Shibumi shade. Mm-hmm. Very interesting. Yeah, it sounds like they're really outdated. That's 10 years ago that you guys have, have been in business. Right. They need to relook at that.

[00:12:54] Dane Barnes: We hope so.

[00:12:55] Melissa: Yeah. Did you ever imagine that this product would become a beach must-have for so many people?

[00:13:56] Dane Barnes: Never,

[00:13:57] Melissa: never. At, at what point did you realize that it, it really has become a must-have?

[00:14:02] Dane Barnes: I don't know, maybe, maybe three years in or something, like around 2019, and just walking out to the beach in Emerald Isle and looking left and looking right and all you see, as far as the eye can see, is Shibumis, is amazing.

And I think any time we see drone photos or videos of the beach and just all the way to the horizon are Shibumis, that it's a really surreal thing, um, because our product kind of lives in the public eye. You know, everyone who goes to the beach will see other Shibumis and you can see them, whereas if we sold, you know, gas grills or something for a backyard, I wouldn't know what kind of grill you have or vice versa.

But with beach shade, it's kind of like they're all together, so it's a really cool visual.

[00:14:43] Melissa: Yeah, it's definitely a sea of Shibumi shade. It

[00:14:46] Dane Barnes: really is.

[00:14:46] Melissa: Um, you guys have stuck with the original color palette for a very long time, which was the darker blue with, uh, for one stripe and then the teal color- Mm-hmm

for the other stripe. Right. And I read that it was based on the colors of the ocean. That's right. The deeper the ocean was the darker blue- Mm-hmm ... the more shallow end is the teal color.

[00:15:06] Dane Barnes: Right.

[00:15:06] Melissa: But now you have started to introduce other colors. Mm-hmm. Is that by customer demand?

[00:15:13] Dane Barnes: Yes.

[00:15:13] Melissa: Okay.

[00:15:13] Dane Barnes: So, uh, we made the decision to only sell one colorway, the blue and teal, just to keep our operations simpler for the first many, many, many years.

Mm-hmm. Um, and then people started saying, "Hey, love the blue and teal, but, you know, I wanna express myself," or, "My kids don't know which Shibumi shade is ours 'cause they're all the same." Um, and so- That is

[00:15:34] Melissa: a good point. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's hard to find your chair and your s- ... your family when, when all of the shades are the same.

[00:15:40] Dane Barnes: Right. Yeah. And so people, you know, wanted to express themselves, and so we then started to come out with other colors. But we've stuck with colors that, um, that are from the beach in some way. So for example, the first new color we launched, uh, we called the Sunset, so it was pink and orange. Um, that was a huge hit, and so we've tried to come out with other colors- That's my favorite, um, color

[00:15:59] Melissa: combination

[00:15:59] Dane Barnes: um, that, that are still beachy.

[00:16:01] Melissa: Yeah, yeah. I always love pink and orange together anyway, but that's, that's been my favorite. That's

[00:16:05] Dane Barnes: a fun one.

[00:16:05] Melissa: And it does stand out. But I did see, um, you guys were doing some school colors. Is that right too? Mm-hmm. I saw, I saw one that was, uh, ECU purple and gold.

[00:16:15] Dane Barnes: Yeah, we tried purple and gold.

Okay. And, and so we, we kinda do these things in like limited edition just to learn what people like and, uh, and that kinda thing. So we tried a couple of school colors, um, but mostly just kind of beachy, beachy colors.

[00:16:29] Melissa: I mentioned that your, your warehouse is here.

[00:16:31] Dane Barnes: Mm-hmm.

[00:16:32] Melissa: Why was it important for you guys to kind of keep your central operations in Raleigh, in this area?

[00:16:39] Dane Barnes: I think two things. I think, uh, one is for convenience. You know, we all three, Scott, Alex, and I, we live in, in Raleigh. Um, so it was convenient for us, and, and most of our employees, I'd say about half, live in the Triangle, so it's a good central hub. But I think also strategically it just ... It, we didn't plan it this way, but now we realize that, you know, North Carolina is kind of right in the middle of the, of the Eastern Seaboard, so it's a great location to ship from because you can ship, you know, to a lot of places and have a very short shipping time, which is great for the customer experience, um, as well.

But Raleigh is a wonderful thriving place that's always in, you know, the lists of, of best places to live and work, and so we just, I think, got lucky there as well.

[00:17:21] Melissa: And Raleighites certainly love our beach. Mm-hmm. So a, a lot of us definitely spend as much time as possible at the beach.

[00:17:29] Dane Barnes: Right.

[00:17:30] Melissa: 10 years is a big deal for anything.

What is something that you wish you could go back and tell your year one self?

[00:17:40] Dane Barnes: If I knew how it would turn out, I would tell myself to, you know, continue to work just as hard, but try to be a little, uh, less stressed, uh, along the way. Because like with any startup, there's a lot of, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of stress.

Um, but it's, it's been, you know, it's really been so worth it and so meaningful to see so many families use a Shibumi Shade. And now we have the Shibumi Chair and the shade for the park. They're called the Park Vista. So it's been really cool to see how Shibumi has grown, both with families that, that use them, but also with our employees who, who do such a great job.

[00:18:14] Melissa: What is one thing that has surprised you the most about being an entrepreneur?

[00:18:19] Dane Barnes: Ah. I think just how much stuff that you don't know that you have to figure out. I mean, I studied business at UNC Chapel Hill and had a great education. Um, but no matter what you learn in the classroom, like we didn't know how to do anything.

Didn't know how to sew. We didn't know how to ship a Shibumi Shade. We didn't know how to set up a warehouse. We didn't know how to build a website. Like, we just... There, there's so many things that you can only really learn by doing. Um, that has been a, a really, a really cool thing.

[00:18:47] Melissa: Has there been one moment that has stood out to you, a, a, a wild or unexpected surprise through this journey?

[00:18:55] Dane Barnes: Ah. I would say, um, I think, I think when we developed the beach chair. You know, that was outside of our kind of engineering scope. We're not engineers, like product engineers, so we didn't know how to do it. But again, we just kind of figured it out piece by piece and, and the chair is something that I'm, that I and we are, are really, really proud about.

[00:19:17] Melissa: Yeah. So the chair is my next question, actually. You guys introduced a beach chair- Mm-hmm ... in your product line last year. That's

[00:19:23] Dane Barnes: right.

[00:19:24] Melissa: You also just released your first non-beach product this year. Mm-hmm. You mentioned called the Shibumi Park Vista- Right ... which is a shade for grass. Mm-hmm. essentially the same type of product as the Shibumi Shade but for grass?

Can you describe that for us?

[00:19:41] Dane Barnes: It's different, yeah. So focusing on the Park Vista, um, it's not wind powered, so, um- I

[00:19:46] Melissa: was wondering that because we don't have nearly as much wind here- That's right ... as we do at the beach.

[00:19:49] Dane Barnes: That's right. At the beach, there's alway- almost always a few miles per hour- Mm-hmm ... of, of wind at the beach, and so the Shibumi Shade is perfectly suited for that environment.

Uh, but away from the beach, you don't have the same consistent wind and speed and direction. So we wanted to come up with a different product, but still met the Shibumi brand, uh, ethos, if you will, of being really easy to use and really simple, um, and very portable, things like that. And so the Park Vista is a really small pack size, but it's great for going to the park or going to a kid's soccer game or baseball game, like for the sideline or for the backyard.

You know, we have lots of families that use it if they have little kids with, say, like a splash pad or something in the backyard to- Oh, good

[00:20:30] Melissa: point,

[00:20:30] Dane Barnes: yeah ... to, you know, just to kind of keep the beating sun off of you so that you can stay outside longer.

[00:20:35] Melissa: Mm-hmm.

[00:20:35] Dane Barnes: Um, so that's something that we re- that, that product we released two weeks ago or three weeks ago that, uh, we're excited about.

Uh, and then, yeah, happy to talk about the chair if you want to as well.

[00:20:44] Melissa: I definitely wanna know about the chair because I consider myself a beach chair aficionado. I wanna know what makes this chair different- Mm-hmm ... than the, the normal average beach chair.

[00:20:55] Dane Barnes: So the two things that we think about with beach chairs of their flaws are, number one, they're not that comfortable.

Typically, when you sit in a beach chair, you're, you're sitting on the bar under your knees or at the back of the seat or on, you know, it, it's, it's hitting your neck or head. Uh, and the second thing is that beach chairs rust, um, especially in North Carolina, and I would imagine all beaches are very similar.

Salt water,

[00:21:16] Melissa: salt air.

[00:21:16] Dane Barnes: That's right. And they just get hard to open and close. They're kind of unsightly. So we wanted to make the most comfortable beach chair, uh, in the world, and we also wanted to make a beach chair that won't rust or at least won't rust for, you know, a decade or more, like a really long time.

So that's what we were, were focused on, and then we were able to accomplish that. Um, the Shibumi Chair is extremely comfortable, um, and we also kept it submerged in ocean water for 12 months. Pull it out, no rust. Um, so we're excited about those two things. And Forbes, um, uh, rated our beach chair last year as the best beach chair in America, and we sold out of beach chairs, so we're excited for that to, you know, keep going.

[00:21:56] Melissa: I am definitely gonna have to try that one. I'm, and I'm excited about it, and I'll let you know. Good. Because again, I'm a, I, I drive a hard bargain with my beach chairs.

[00:22:05] Dane Barnes: And, and we-- One other thing about the beach chair, we also have two heights, like seat heights. So there's like a, a more traditional beach chair height that's, that's a little lower, but we also have a, what, what we call the tall chair, uh, which sits up about 17 inches off of the sand.

And it's great for, you know, maybe older adults who can't get down- Yes ... or don't wanna get down quite as low, or for people who are really tall. Um, both chairs are really, really wonderful.

[00:22:29] Melissa: What's next for Shibumi? Do you have any ideas that are coming down the line?

[00:22:33] Dane Barnes: We do. I think we'll continue to try to innovate products to help people spend more time outdoors more comfortably, um, both at the beach and away from the beach as well.

So we're excited to see what we can come up with. We come up with a lot of things, but then actually figuring out how to make them is, is, you know, often, often a different story. But we do have a great, a great team who's working on that every day.

[00:22:55] Melissa: Yeah. So do you, do you just wake up in the m- in the middle of the night with an idea and have to write it down and, and excited to, to present it to the team the next day, or?

[00:23:03] Dane Barnes: I, I think we all do. Yeah. I think good i- good ideas come from everywhere. Mm-hmm. Um, and so, and so then, yeah, working on, on those ideas, um, is, is a team effort.

[00:23:13] Melissa: When you overhear people at the beach talking about Shibumi products, what do you hope they are saying?

[00:23:20] Dane Barnes: I hope that they feel a sort of magic when they sit under a Shibumi shade.

Uh, I think there's something really neat about the canopy actually being wind-powered. Sitting under it, and it's fluttering above you, and every... You know, all of your family or friends are kind of all sitting there under the shade together, that I think that's a really special time. So I hope that, um, it's inspiring for people to know that if they have an idea, that they can give it a shot.

You don't have to know how to do anything, just kinda take it step by step, piece by piece. But we definitely hope it makes people's, uh, outdoor time, uh, better.

[00:23:54] Melissa: That's, that's really my favorite part about your whole story, is the fact that your brother and your friend, you guys just worked together to come up with something, and actually saw it through, and got out the sewing machine and, and just got to work.

[00:24:09] Dane Barnes: It was really cool. I'm proud of those guys. Yeah. I'm proud of our whole team.

[00:24:12] Melissa: Yeah. Good. Okay, we're gonna end with a lightning round series of questions- Sure ... called What's Up Roundup before we leave. I'm gonna put you on the spot a little bit, because my first question, which I think you've already answered, is, is Emerald Isle your favorite beach?

Do you ever go outside of Emerald Isle?

[00:24:28] Dane Barnes: Yeah, I would say Emerald Isle is my favorite beach. And if I have to give another one, there's so many great beaches, but I also love Bald Head, uh, in North Carolina as well. Yeah, Bald Head

[00:24:35] Melissa: is so unique. Yeah. It's

[00:24:36] Dane Barnes: a very special thing. Yeah.

[00:24:37] Melissa: It's, it's hard to beat Bald Head.

Sunrise or sunset beach walk?

[00:24:42] Dane Barnes: Sunset.

[00:24:43] Melissa: I'm with you. I do not get up in time for the sunrise.

[00:24:46] Dane Barnes: Neither do I.

[00:24:48] Melissa: One beach item that you always pack when you head out for a day at the beach, not Shibumi related.

[00:24:54] Dane Barnes: Sunscreen.

[00:24:55] Melissa: Oh, yeah. That's a good one. Yeah, you gotta have that. Can't live without that. What is your favorite beach activity?

[00:25:01] Dane Barnes: Uh, swimming. I love to get in the ocean, and just dive through the waves, and just get out there and, and talk, uh, with friends. Mm-hmm. And, and it's also cool to then look back at the shore and see all the Shibumis as well.

[00:25:12] Melissa: Oh, I bet. I bet. What is your biggest beach pet peeve?

[00:25:17] Dane Barnes: Beach pet peeve. I think it's, um, maybe it's just like a lot of beach gear.

You know? Like I, I, I guess I'm a minimalist of sorts, and so I just want going to the beach to be simpler and less stuff. Um, so people that, you know, have a big tailgate tent and-

[00:25:34] Melissa: Oh, yeah ...

[00:25:34] Dane Barnes: all lots of stuff, I just feel bad for them. It's like, ugh. Mm-hmm. It could be so much easier and better, but-

[00:25:39] Melissa: I've gotta say that my biggest beach pet peeve, and maybe my only one, is someone playing loud music next to me.

Ugh. I am at the beach. I want to listen to the waves. I wanna listen to the wind. I wanna hear the Shibumi Shades. I don't wanna hear- Right ... music being blared next to me, so just had to put that out there. And finally, if you had one word that you could use to sum up year 10 of being a Shibumi Shade founder- Wow

what, what word would you use?

[00:26:08] Dane Barnes: Um, I would say grateful. You know, we're so grateful for 10 years of every, you know, family who has, uh, taken a chance on Shibumi in the early years and, and supported us all along the way. We're, we're really grateful.

[00:26:22] Melissa: Where can everybody find Shibumi Shade? Do you recommend buying it online or going to the local mom and pop places?

[00:26:28] Dane Barnes: Anywhere, yeah. Certainly our website, shibumishade.com. Um, we have 350 or 400, you know, retail stores and counting that carry Shibumi Shades. So wherever you go to the beach, um, we try to pick the single best one or two stores there. So, um, th- those are, are great places to find us and, and certainly Amazon as well.

[00:26:48] Melissa: And I, I heard you say when you were coming in that you're leaving right after this interview to head back to Emerald Isle. That's right. So thank you for taking the time to come here today and, and for chatting about Shibumi Shade.

[00:26:58] Dane Barnes: Thank you so much for having me. This was great.