If you’ve been to a beach on the East Coast over the last few summers, you’ve probably seen a Shibumi Shade — a rounded arch of lightweight poles, a thin blue or teal canopy floating above like a kite. And depending on what beach you’re setting up, it might get you a citation.
The Wall Street Journal called it “the most polarizing topic on America’s beaches this summer.” Some people think the Shibumi is a brilliant design, but others think it’s noisy and takes up too much space. In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, devices of similar ilk have been banned since 2014 — two years before the company’s founding. And even though the city said the rule isn’t changing for 2026, it’s getting a fresh round of attention this year.
Must Read
What the Shibumi is — and how it came to be everywhere
The Shibumi Shade was invented by three University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduates: brothers Dane and Scott Barnes, who grew up in Winston-Salem, and their friend Alex Slater. The three had spent years hauling heavy umbrellas and tents to Emerald Isle on family vacations and grew frustrated when they kept blowing over or breaking.
In 2016, they assembled a prototype from PVC pipe and hand-stitched fabric. The idea was to use the wind for shade instead of fighting it. A frame planted in the sand creates an arch, and the breeze inflates the canopy overhead like a windsock. The carry sack doubles as a sandbag to help anchor the shade once it’s in place.
According to a UNC-Chapel Hill feature story on the company, the founders tested their initial prototype late at night, immediately realizing they had a viable product. “We finished sewing the first prototype around midnight at the beach, and we were so excited we decided we wanted to go straight out to the ocean and try it,” Scott said. “We had our phone lights on to try to see, and when we set it up, we could instantly tell.”
Following this, they sold 32 handmade shades from a Raleigh apartment in 2016. By 2019, the trio left their jobs to run the company full-time, which has since sold over 500,000 units, according to WSJ. Shibumi’s are currently available for purchase online and at select retailers.
The name “Shibumi,” comes from a Japanese idea of simple elegance — and it also doubles as a nod to the founders’ college days in Chapel Hill, where they lived in the Shibumi Apartments off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The shade itself is light (just over four pounds), gives you about 150 square feet of coverage, and sells for around $215 to $295 depending on the model. The canopy is also made from recycled plastic bottles — but the same features that make it work are also what trigger complaints.
Read More: Taxes are going to change under Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ — 4 reasons you can’t afford to waste time
Why Myrtle Beach banned it — and why the ban remains in place
Myrtle Beach’s rule goes back to 2014. The city says: “Tents and shading devices became plentiful at peak times and locations that blocked access and visibility to the water’s edge, affecting public safety and everyone’s enjoyment of our beach.”
During peak season — from Memorial Day through the day after Labor Day — Myrtle Beach only allows circular umbrellas up to 7½ feet wide, and they have to go in line with or behind the umbrella row. The only exception is small infant tents, and wind shades can go back up after Labor Day.
The main concern for public safety officials is visibility. A Shibumi Shade is about 15 feet by 9 feet, so it takes up a lot more room than a standard umbrella, and when several are set up close together, they can block a lifeguard’s view of the water — a big issue on a beach that gets millions of visitors during peak season.
Dane Barnes, Shibumi’s co-founder, has pushed back consistently. “Unlike an umbrella that has to be staked into the sand and risks tumbling out on a windy day, the arch goes into the sand but it can’t tumble down the beach because the wind just passes through like a sheet on a clothesline,” he said. He has also pointed out that traditional umbrellas carry their own hazards — In August 2022, a woman was killed after being impaled by a beach umbrella in nearby Garden City, South Carolina.
Where things stand in 2026 — and where else bans apply
In April 2026, Myrtle Beach City Council signaled it was considering a trial period that would allow wind shades in the residential sections of the beach during peak season. Mayor Mark Kruea said the current ordinance was written before wind-powered shade technology like the Shibumi existed and said he supported a change. Resident Melanie Collins, who owns a Shibumi, told WBTW, “People just go to other beaches.”
In one recent summer season, Myrtle Beach beach patrol handled 1,800 ordinance complaints, and 1,500 of them were about people putting up tents and other shade structures illegally. Master Cpl. Kevin Larke, who leads the unit, said changing the rule only for the devices and not for tents could make things more complicated. It would just mean officers would be “fighting that fight all day long.”
The city ultimately confirmed the policy will remain unchanged for 2026. The umbrella–only rule runs from Memorial Day through the day after Labor Day, and if a trial period happens at all, it still hasn’t been scheduled.
Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach aren’t the only places where Shibumis are off-limits. According to the company’s FAQ, they’re banned year-round in Horry County, several Delaware beaches, and a few towns in New Jersey.
For a lot of beachgoers, whether a beach allows a Shibumi is now part of the planning. The company puts the restricted spots front and center on its site because it knows people check.
You May Also Like
Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first — clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.
This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Shibumi beach shades are banned on some U.S. beaches — why the suddenly ubiquitous umbrella is driving everyone mad
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
