For Louise Chabros, Victoriana has always held a special appeal. “I’ve always loved the romance of the era,” says Chabros. “The Victorians celebrated love with grace and formality.”

Chabros has recaptured some of the sweet sentiment of yesteryear in her successful start-up business, Umbrella Creations, Inc. Launched three years ago, Chabros’ company sells gift cards made with vintage hankies, parasols and other items through gift shops and online in the U.S. and Canada.

Umbrella Creations is a world removed from her former career. Chabros had been in the banking industry since the 1980s, but she left after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Eager to continue work, she started her own company in part because she wanted the flexibility of working from home and in part because she saw strong demand for exquisitely crafted gift items.

Her first product was a baby bonnet made from a vintage hanky. While visiting family in Victoria in 2005, Chabros had watched her sister transform a tiny square of cotton and lace into a delicate bonnet. In Victorian times, such bonnets were given as baby gifts, then tucked away in a hope chest after being outgrown by the baby. Years later – with a few snips of the sewing scissors –the bonnet would become a handkerchief to be carried by a bride down the aisle on her wedding day.

“It was a beautiful tradition,” Chabros says. “I was sure I could revive it.” That led her to create the Swanky Hanky Bonnet, which has proven highly popular at local gift shops. Umbrella Creations’ first year in operation was “a crash course in Business 101,” Chabros recalls. “I learned a lot in a very short time.”

Eager to broaden her product line after the success of the Swanky Hanky, Chabros next introduced a line of greeting cards that incorporate vintage hankies into the design. (Lacy silk and cotton hankies were commonly given to women by men during their courtship in the early 1900s.) Her greeting cards and bonnets are carried in more than a dozen gift shops in the U.S. and Canada. Also among her most loyal customers are a number of non-profit organizations, which purchase the cards to give to donors. (United Way in Victoria is among her customers.)

Finding enough vintage hankies to meet the demand has been a challenge for Chabros. She has found several suppliers online at auction sites like eBay, and now has managed to build an inventory of more than 2000. “I’ve dedicated my company to the art of needlework,” says Chabros. “I think it is important to preserve not only the traditions but also the handicrafts of yesterday.”

More recently, Chabros has brought out a line of lace parasols in three colors: ecru, black and white. Soon, she says, she intends to introduce a special line of parasols for brides. “With all the concern about protecting our skin from the sun,” she says, “I think it is a perfect time to bring back the fashionable sun parasol.” For more information about Louise Chabros and Umbrella Creations, visit her website at www.umbrellacreations.com.