You’ve probably seen them, even if you have no idea what they’re called.

A sheet of deep and light blue fabric, attached to a pole, flapping in the breeze. On any summer day along the North Carolina coast, you’ll see dozens of these sun shades blowing in the wind.

The Shibumi may seem to be everywhere now, but it’s been around for less than a decade. Brothers Dane and Scott Barnes, along with their best friend Alex Slater, rigged a prototype for it in 2015, after they got tired of lugging clunky equipment on their annual family vacations to Emerald Isle.

Beachgoers took to it almost immediately. The trio put together 32 orders the next summer, and another 178 the year after that. In 2018, they sold 2,000.

While exact sales numbers thereafter aren’t clear, Shibumi recently disclosed it has sold more than 300,000 total units. Assuming a $250 retail price, that’s roughly $75 million in sales.

As Johanna Still reports, the company isn’t shy about its plans to conquer not just the North Carolina coast, but beaches all over the world.

Shibumi Has Taken Over N.C. Beaches. Next, The World.

The ubiquitous sun shade is on a quest for coastal domination—and isn’t afraid to fight other companies for it.

Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.

Programming Notes

We’ll be taking our annual summer publishing pause over the next two weeks. While you won’t see any new stories for a few days, we’ll be recirculating some of our best work so far this year.

We’ll be back and raring to go on July 15.

On an entirely different note, The Assembly is hiring a chief operating officer to lead our business strategy and internal operations. This person will focus on growing our revenue and building our team culture as we continue to expand.

If you are interested in applying or know someone who might be a great fit, find out more about the job and how to apply here.

Rays of the Sun

Late afternoon light poured into a back room of the Greensboro History Museum as staffers gathered to examine the artifacts displayed before them. Included were two silk Japanese pennants known as a yosegaki hinomaru, or a “good luck flag,” which were traditional send-off gift for soldiers during the second World War.

The white banners, marked with the bright red circle representing the sun in the center, include signatures and messages from family and friends that radiate outward from the center, like rays of the sun.

As curator Ayla Amon explained, American soldiers would find these personal belongings on the dead bodies of Japanese soldiers and bring them home as souvenirs. “It was kind of a free-for-all,” Amon said.

Decades later, places like the Greensboro History Museum are working to return those flags to their rightful owners. Sayaka Matsuoka reports on that effort.

Objects Can’t Lie

A Greensboro museum has been working to return artifacts taken from Japan during World War II, part of a broader movement to repatriate items taken from foreign countries.

What We’re Reading

Flag On The Play: The controversial flag that drew attention to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was also flying outside the home of N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby, the N&O reports.

Gives Me The Willies: What exactly IS that giant, suggestive building in Winston-Salem supposed to look like? N.C. Rabbit Hole investigates.

Puff Puff Pass: The General Assembly may finally approve medical marijuana, but as WRAL reports, a provision inserted in the Senate bill would forever ban recreational pot.

Our Recent Stories

Thin Blue Line

A police shooting in Cherokee County raises questions about who decides whether a legal boundary has been crossed.

After a Tragedy, A Fight Over Video Footage

After four law-enforcement officers were shot dead in Charlotte and questions persisted about what went wrong, media outlets sought body-camera footage. A judge turned them down, even as new details emerged about the case.

How Jewish Democrats Are Navigating a Difficult Year

As the war in Gaza continues, gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein and other Jewish politicians are subtly maneuvering to hold their traditional coalition together.

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