I'm Mireille, founder of Leabrig. Around 2009, I started holding weekend garage sales in front of my house. I began by clearing out my own things, but I was having such a good time that I started heading to downtown Los Angeles to pick up additional stuff to resell— and that's where I came across a few pretty umbrellas.
One weekend, I set up outside a closed tire shop with my usual garage-sale mix alongside those umbrellas I had bought. To my complete surprise, the umbrellas caught everyone's attention and by noon I had sold every one of them.
Excited, I went straight back downtown to buy more. I found the umbrellas so captivating that I started experimenting with different ways to showcase them in my front yard— I was completely fascinated by how magical they looked once opened and grouped together.
By the next weekend, the display had grown huge— enough to catch the eye of the local police, who very politely asked to see my resale permit. I did not have one, so the display came right down, and that was the end of selling for the day! But while it was up, people would stop and buy.
My youngest son Gabriel passed away in 2012. The umbrellas became something that kept me moving through this unimaginable tragedy for our family. They gave me somewhere to channel my energy, a reason to keep going, and the strength to stay present for my oldest son. Leabrig is an anagram of Gabriel, chosen in his memory.
Over the years, something unexpected started happening in emails and messages: even when i signed my name "Mireille", people would sometimes reply, "Hi Lea". I loved it instantly. I used to call Gabriel "Gab", so being called "Lea" feels like a small echo of that—and it always make me smile.
I remembered visiting the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, one of the largest outdoor markets on the West Coast, with thousands of vendors selling everything from antiques and vintage finds to new merchandise. I thought, “Why not give it a shot?”
I was so excited for my first event. I showed up with no canopy and no real display setup— just a few shaky wire grids holding up the umbrellas. Looking back, I was so lucky it didn't wind up being a windy day!
After that, I was hooked—I wanted to set up everywhere, every single weekend. I started approaching gas stations to see if i could set up out front. Talk about high visibility!
The owners usually thought it was hilarious at first. Umbrellas? In Southern California? Who was actually going to buy those?
The setups were brutal hard work—lugging around 30-pound cement blocks just to anchor the wire grids, piecing together massive displays, and constantly fearing a sudden gust of wind would take everything down despite all that weight. On top of that, setting up right in busy gas stations lots meant always watching out for distracted drivers! But those umbrellas weren't just showstoppers—people were actually taking them home.
Next came outdoor street fairs. Starting with small ones, as many as I could find. Fairgoers loved the concept, and event organizers did too.
I began decorating umbrellas myself, adding little touches to give each one extra character. Soon, my free time was completely consumed by trade shows, sourcing new products, and constantly perfecting my displays..
Over time, I learned exactly what separated a well-crafted umbrella from a flimsy one—and what to look for before adding anything new to my collection.
Alongside the street fairs, I started applying to juried events. By then, I had mastered the art of fitting an impossible number of umbrellas into a tiny footprint—and I began introducing luxury lines to the mix.
At indoor shows, neighboring vendors would sometimes give me the look when they saw all those open umbrellas indoors. That old “bad luck” superstition is alive and well, and a few vendors made it very clear they'd rather not be anywhere near my booth! But by the end of the event, many would wander over, curious and impressed. They'd never considered umbrellas as a real business, and they'd certainly never seen such an incredible variety of shapes, colors and styles.
Indoor events taught me the power of lighting. I learned where to place lights, what details to highlight, and eventually incorporated music into the setup. As it turns out, music and umbrellas work wonderfully together.
As people waked by, I constantly overheard, “I want to see what’s in there!” and “That’s beautiful!”—along with, inevitably, endless Mary Poppins references.
Something became obvious quickly: people always left my booth with a smile, whether they bought something or not. Umbrellas simply made people happy.
More than fifteen years later, the passion has not faded. It has only evolved.
I am always searching for pieces that resonate with a wide range of customers, but what truly thrills me is hunting down the rare finds—the one-of-a-kind designs, hard-to-find gems, and umbrellas that are simply unforgettable.
My absolute favorite part is watching people explore the collection, flitting from one umbrella to the next like bees in a flower garden, with no idea what discovery awaits. For many, it opens up a whole new world they never knew existed. Watching one umbrella catch someone's eye and then another, and another never gets old. That moment of wonder is still the heart of Leabrig.