THE FANTASTIC UMBRELLA FACTORY

The Fantastic Umbrella Factory was established in 1968 by Robert Bankel on an old farm homestead in Charlestown, RI.

He started in one small building, built in early 1800's as a Temperance Hall, selling penny candy and unusual gifts. He soon expanded his operation into the old barn, increasing his volume and adding a Cafe in the rear. He also brought in local craftsman to work and sell their wares on site.

All the while he was beautifying the landscape of the complex. He retired from this project in 2008 and opened The House of 1833 Bed and Breakfast in Old Mystic, Ct. Robert passed away in 2019. His partner Evan Nichols still runs the B and B.
Today the complex looks like this:

First of all we have SMALL AXE PRODUCTIONS which has become the anchor store of the complex. David M. Turano, Jack Wright, and Peter Esak started the shop back in 1974. Jack does stained glass work, Peter blows glass and David make pottery. Peter retired in 2021.

Little by little we added other merchandise to the shop and now it's almost like a department store with out departments. We sell our hand crafted wares and also jewelry, clothing, hand crafted stuff from all over the world, musical instruments (lots of drums), Tapestries , and much more.

We have, 3 Emu's, George, Penelope, and Lily (who happens to be a male) and lots of chickens roaming the grounds. Pet at your own risk but don't chase the birds around. Visitors can purchase chicken feed at Small Axe for a small fee.

The Umbrella Factory Gardens had been there almost as long as Small Axe but the founder Patrick Shellman had to retire after the 2022 season. The business has been replaced by Bob Trainor and is now called RUSTIC GARDEN offering lush tropical and seasonal plants and a large array of unique garden containers, accessories and décor.