David Whitby, previous owner of Yellow Umbrella Provisions, knew his seafood. His mom, Jean, grew up in the Northern Neck where her family crabbed and oystered. David’s dad, George, sold freshly caught crab and oysters out of a cooler in the back of his car every Saturday after working a regular 9 to 5 job. George made a hit with his fresh seafood. A year later, he quit his day job, put his coolers into a pull-behind Scotty trailer and parked it in various locations around Richmond’s West End. He set out a yellow umbrella to let customers know that he was open and naturally folks began to refer to George’s fresh seafood stand as “the yellow umbrella.”

As a boy, David rode around with his dad, buying seafood and running over to his grandmother’s house to pick up crab cakes, deviled eggs and shrimp. George’s following soon grew and he would arrive to find people lined up. Finally, in 1986, George opened his first brick-and-mortar store at our current location, 5603 Patterson Avenue. In 1994, he moved the shop across the street from the post office, where it remained for 20 years.

David purchased his father’s business in 2008 and moved the shop back to its original location in 2013. He renamed the shop Yellow Umbrella Provisions to reflect the wider variety of foods offered, including up to 20 varieties of fish, a butcher department, wine, cheese, gourmet grocery items, local produce, and ready-to-go meals prepared daily in the kitchen. David introduced the quirky “Fishcow” to symbolize the integration of our butcher department and enhanced product offering.

Yellow Umbrella is a long-standing community of food lovers, made up of regular customers and longtime employees who know the products they carry and how they should be prepared. On a wall near the kitchen hangs a photograph of his George’s seafood trailer and its yellow umbrella. In 2020, The Brown family took over the reigns Although much has changed over the years, George’s commitment to quality and exceptional customer service remains. But don’t just take our word for it – come on in and see what’s under the yellow umbrella!