so you want to buy a neon sign
Hello there and Happy Holidays!! In case you want to take a break from all the festivities, here is a little blog to distract you. And what a blog post it is!
My neon sign story
I have somehow become the neon sign aficionado, and I did not set out to be. Really, what I wanted was a HUGE piece of art to go in my dining room but was looking for something other than a painting. That could have been a rug, a tapestry, anything. All I really needed was something bigger than 76" and colorful.
My favorite thing to do is look through Chairish for artwork. I set the parameters to my particular size that I need, any colors that I think might work best (after I've gotten other pieces of art for the room) and WHOOSH watch it go. And to my surprise, there were some great choices there! But they were all paintings and I wanted something different - something unique. I finally got to the end of the search, when we get into the big ticket items. Here are where the neon signs live.
These things are HUGE and EXPENSIVE. Many of them range from 10K and up -- way too rich for my blood. But my interest was piqued and I needed more. So then I went to Google and started searching. The problem with that is that there are no search parameters there other than price and some other irrelevant things. The next stop is usually Etsy -- and there, too, the search parameters are a little weak. However, if you search by most expensive to least expensive and set a price range, you can usually find something of interest.
That is how I found Ms. Popular. Interestingly enough, the company that sold it to me was a Las Vegas magic show production company that just happened to have a neon sign for sale on Etsy for $2500. The sign itself did not work, it had been on the side of a building for the last 20 years and the neon was kaput. They offered to get the neon repaired for another $1000 and we opted for red. Next, it needed to be shipped and that was surprisingly only $300!!! They loaded up on a truck and made the journey to my house.
Now came the hard part: getting it up on the wall. You're thinking -- Mel, you've already spent $3800 on this light. How much more are you going to spend to get it up on the wall? Well, I'm in it to win it and if you have a 96" 500lb neon sign in your possession, you should get it up on a wall or do something with it. The wall had to be reinforced with steel and wood and the whole thing cost another $2500. So now we are in it for $6300. This sounds like a lot. Fuck. It is a lot. But I was looking at a 8 foot vintage REAL neon sign.
After the guys reinforced the wall (try calling your local construction company asking if they reinforce walls for 500lb neon signs and see what reaction you get), we had to get it up there. 500lbs. 20 foot wall. It took only afternoon, but it was harrowing at that. We had five guys use a pully system to hoist it up onto scaffolding.
We are all lucky to be alive.
I can't imagine what you're thinking right now. But I think it's fair to be completely honest with the kind of nut I am and what it takes to do some of the things I do. I wanted a neon sign in my house. This is my favorite thing in the house and some people have expensive cars, some people have expensive purses, and some even travel a lot. I have a neon sign.
The other part of why I wanted this neon sign:
It says POPULAR.
When I saw it I couldn't stop thinking about it. It sent me back to when I was 11, walking into my new sixth grade after I had attended the same elementary school from kindergarten on up. I was pretty popular at my old school -- I had friends, I was never alone or left out or scared of recess like some others. But this new school... this new school was full of kids who had known each other since kindergarten.
There was a hierarchy already in place, and I was my odd little self that didn't fit in. They played entirely different games, their strengths were my weaknesses. They liked playing soccer and boy sports. At my old school, I had mastered hand ball and the jungle gym. These new kids treated me like an outcast and I feel like I never recovered from it. I was relegated to the side lines, and hung out with the other outcasts. Sorry if you're reading this "other outcasts". But you know what I'm saying.
And that's where I found my freedom. You see, when I was popular, I had to ALWAYS follow along with my friends. If everyone was wearing turquoise, I wore turquoise. If everyone liked Child's Play, I had to like Child's Play even though my mom wouldn't rent it for me (so I just made it up that I had seen it and fudged the details). I was in constant fear of falling out of favor with my "friends" lest I suffer the same fate as the hapless outcasts. And now I could do what I wanted.
Another thing about popularity: popularity made me mean. I was so used to this invisible power, I had no idea that I used it for cruelty vs. positivity. I ostracized, I judged, I desperately pushed others out of the way just to remain in the inner circle. Being on the other side of this lens, I could see the impact of the desperation of belonging.
Nowhere does this play out more than in American grade school. As an adult, I feel this tinge of FOMO every time I'm a part of a group. But my experience taught me this: I find myself wanting to wander off on my own, to dance to some song by myself without fear of judgment and have an adventure a la me. And that's when I have the MOST fun.
The fact that I just wrote and thought of all of that the MOMENT I saw this sign meant that it was meant FOR ME. I had a psychological - nay - spiritual bond with this simple and yet poignant sign. It was a beacon of nostalgia, a reminder of a pivotal moment, a symbol of my essence. That is what art is meant to be. So, yes, this is art and in the words of Wayne Campbell, "It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine."
Fun fact: I went to school and was a grade below Meghan Markle. She was popular. I was not. And that's ok. I think. Check back in with me in 50 years.
My other neon sign
Besides Ms. Popular, I have another neon sign.
At this point, I think it's important to point out the difference. Ms. Popular is a real neon sign with real neon particles bouncing around in glass tubes, carefully sculpted into letters. This "Fucking Magic" sign is an LED sign and significantly cheaper but so, so much fun! I got this one custom from Yellowpop but they have so many options other than custom signs.
I also have ANOTHER neon sign not pictured here that is in my husband's office/studio that will probably never be pictured. But my obsession for neon runs deep. Real deep.
WHERE TO BUY
I've already mentioned Chairish, Etsy and Yellowpop, but there are other ways to go about buying that special neon of your dreams. There are tons of LED neon shops online but I would recommend Neon Marvels. My IG buddy, @katepearcevintage collaborated with them and made some of the coolest designs. Check em out!
There are local antique stores that carry some of these items. If you are in Los Angeles, Big Daddy's Antiques has some gigantic neon signs plus some other really, really cool shit.
Okay. Drool. I would spend every penny I have in this store. In fact, this is where I got my champagne glass fiberglass planter in the kitchen... They are so so cool. And $$$
The other option would be to wait for a business with a neon sign that you like to close up shop and offer to buy it. This is far more risky -- but it makes for a great story!
You can also have REAL neon made, like I did for my husband for Christmas. He is obsessed with Prince and especially his album Dream Factory, so I had a sign made for him in Prince Purple, in Purple Rain font, that says "Dream Factory" that hangs in his studio. He is a musician and an artist and savant, just like his idol, so best Christmas present ever. I've never seen him so happy :)
REAL neon is hard to come by these days because of the cheaper LED alternative, hence the reason there aren't a ton in the world. And finding ones that aren't beer or car logos is even harder. But when you find one that speaks to you, that is the epitome of cool, or just makes you laugh, buy it so it doesn't end up in a landfill.
NEON SIGN ROUND UP
In case you really want something special, here are some $2500 and up options!
I hope this posts inspires you to go out and get your very own neon sign or, at the very least, encourages you to choose your own adventure when it comes to your life and style.
