Bridgid's

It's Where We Drink

by Will Dean

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Published: Apr 3, 2007

Who, other than Gene Kelly, likes getting caught in the rain?

Based on the bicycle-sharing system in Holland, Bridgid's Dutch Umbrella program places a series of "RainDrops" — aka receptacles for free umbrellas — inside area bars, restaurants and shops. Patrons can jump inside a participating business at the first smell of rain, snag a good-size brolly and continue on their merry (dry) way. Funding for the umbrellas comes from ads the businesses place on them.

Of course, you have to bring the umbrella back to one of the RainDrops so someone else can use it — a concept that might seem unfamiliar to Philadelphians. "We're trying to sell [a practice] that doesn't exist yet," says Bridgid's night bartender Joseph Carlson. "You have a social obligation to bring it back."

Bridgid's was the first to sign up for the independent endeavor. They'll receive umbrellas to match the quaint furnishings and homey feel of the beer bar and restaurant. Other local participants include Fairmount Framing, The Bishop's Collar and Sulimay's Hair Design.

Eventually, Carlson hopes to expand Dutch Umbrella into the rest of the city, starting with Northern Liberties. But until then, the residents of Fairmount hold the key to playing nice, sharing and proving to the world that Philadelphians are just like Amsterdamians — you know, in more than one way.

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