The Old Umbrella Shop attracts locals and tourists alike with its quirky umbrella collection and fascinating history.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The shop was established and run by the Shott family.
The family initially set up R Shott and Son in 1907 on George Street at the Old Umbrella Shop's neighbour.
They moved next door in 1920 and set up at the current premises.
The new site had been built in 1860 and was a grocery shop before the Shotts moved in.
The Old Umbrella Shop is one of the last predominantly intact early 20th century shops in Tasmania.
The family patriarch and business founder, Robert Shott, was a renowned handyman and he even presented a hand crafted walking stick to the Prince of Wales when he visited Tasmania in 1920.
Prior to embarking on a career in Tasmania, Mr Shott had an umbrella shop in Melbourne from the late 1880s.
Three generations of the family worked at the Old Umbrella Shop.
The last Shott to inherit the business was John William Robert Shott, who lived from 1925 until 1978.
In 1978, the shop closed until it was taken over by the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) later in the year.
After the takeover, the first shop manager was Jocelyn Newman.
Mrs Newman went on to represent Tasmania in the Senate for 15 years from 1992.
These days, the Old Umbrella Shop is run by a group of about 85 volunteers.
The volunteers have a committee and hold various positions to help run the shop smoothly.
The front of the building remains the shop front, as it always has been.
Stock is held out the back, alongside a small kitchen.
The Shott family lived above their shop during their time there, but these days there are legal offices above the Old Umbrella Shop.
Most of the original fittings from the site's 1920 opening are still intact.
An original volunteer from the shop's 1978 reinvigoration, Margot Smart, continues to volunteer to this day.
Old Umbrella Shop roster coordinator Libby Donnelly said the shop attracts tourists from around the world.
"We get alot of tourists, and we've had even more in the last year or two," Mrs Donnelly said.
"[People are impressed that] it's unique, it's a step back in time," she said.
The volunteers have a wall of brochures in the shop, as well as their own local knowledge, to share with visitors.
"We focus mainly on the North and the Tamar Valley."
Mrs Donnelly said the shop had umbrellas in a diverse range of colours and styles, all of which sold particularly well in winter.
They are sold alongside eclectic souvenirs.