neon bender, business partner wanted

[oldneon]

Hi, I own a great building with a store front on Central Av. in Minneapolis Minnesota.Approx. 10k cars per day drive buy & my place is lit up like a Christmas tree.....I have bought, sold, and restored porcelain neons for over 20 years and have a great coast to coast network, however i have always farmed out my neon work & have spent hundreds of 1000's doing so...I also have several local sign companies who have given me the ok to start bending their neon however i need a partner (bender) who wants to partner up...There will be no bills until the business is up, running & profitable..This is a great opportunity for a bender who want to be his own boss & is willing to work as much as he or she wants to make......so if you know of a good person bender who wants a great opportunity bending please call 612-723-1999...please call with any questions.Thanks DT



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[HulkSmash]

Sorry to say.. but..Neon is a dying brand of signage.... in my opinion.

 

[oldneon]

let me worry about that..i have been selling old neon for over 20 years and have done very well...

 

[gabagoo]

huge demand for that old stuff according to american pickers.

 

[oldneon]

yes there is a big demand for the right stuff

 

[Locals Find!]

I think your on to something. Neon is still strong. Every bar I have ever walked into is full of neon along with every tattoo parlor. Neon just has a feel that LED rope light just can't replicate.

 

[www.esigns.com]

There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between 'beverage' work and more traditional neon. Those that can do Beverage Quality (and size) work are few and far between. I know quite a few neon guys, most are on the west coast but I will put the word out and forward your phone number, sounds like a great opportunity for all involved.

 

[oldneon]

Thanks for the support..you should see some of the rich car collectors garages...I have been selling these signs for over 20 years & I'm tired of paying retail prices for the neon work.I do all the sheetmetal & assembly work...most of these signs are from the 1930's 40's & 50's


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[www.esigns.com]

WHOOOOOO----IEEEEEE! THere is SOME SERIOUS eye candy there....makes the wheels in my head start turning and thinking about dusting the cobwebs off my old neon-plant.

I've never been capable of beverage work but have done more than my fair share of neon units for channel letters and have nothing but respect for those capable of doing beverage quality work...they are getting to be few and far between...sadly.

I will say that everyone I know that does neon work makes a good wage and has NO shortage of work, when I see statements about it being dying art I have to wonder if people understand all of the applications and benefits.

Looks like you have a great thing going.

 

[ddarlak]

Sorry to say.. but..Neon is a dying brand of signage.... in my opinion.

lol....

not really, LED are cool, but nothing beats neon.

 

[FS-Keith]

Sorry to say.. but..Neon is a dying brand of signage.... in my opinion.

its sunday morning and since friday I have 2 neon service calls for this week, so there is still lots of money in the neon business

 

[HulkSmash]

I guess it's more of an nitch now a days. rarely get a request.. and when we do.. we refer them to another company. But, i do love the art of it.. just seemed to us like it's dying.. at least in Denver.

 

[ProWraps]

benders will always be in demand. my buddy that owns a neon shop here in cali cant keep one in stock. but alas, it seems that trade follows the traditional sign trade.


go to work. smoke something. work for 10 mins. bill for 8 hours. smoke some more, bill for some more. this is why those of us that WORK are sucessful in the sign biz.

i hope you find a great bender, you have some great nostalgia work. again NOTHING beats neon. i dont care what anyone says. but to find a bender is a bidge.

why dont you put on another hat???? eliminate the problem?

 

[Bly]

I worked a lot with neon 20 years ago. Installation, production.
As Prowraps says the problem was always getting benders.
They tended to be emotional primdonnas.
Good glass benders must be thin on the ground these days.
In the end the company I worked for trained up a couple of Chinese illegal immigrants and had a dream run till the business folded.

 

[willypete]

Sorry to say.. but..Neon is a dying brand of signage.... in my opinion.

more like LED is taking over .. we are replacing what used to be neon channels and sign cabinets as large as 12' by 12' building and pole lights are getting retro fit LED systems .. ......
when 10 years ago channel letters were neon and now they are LED. neon will always be around for the arty kool look but in another 10 years i bet they have a better LED product for them beer signs and you can drop it a few times during the install and still be ok ... i hate neon give me LED any day .

 

[skyhigh]

Sorry to say.. but..Neon is a dying brand of signage.... in my opinion.

Whats "dying" is true craftsman in the sign industry. Nothing compares with neon.

 

[oldneon]

Thanks for the input guys......I also believe neon will never be replaced, led may come close, but won't replace glass with gas.....

Prowraps, i would love to put on another hat however i wear to many already & that would be a large hat to fill.....I have dealt with many benders all over & have learned much about doing things the right way the first time..
now for the hater "willypete".....its guys like you who WILL keep this art alive & well so Thanks in advance for your support......

 

[willypete]

im sorry really didnt mean to come off like an *** . neon is a pain for my service side of things it cost more money and time than it should LED gives me the ability to repair and not have to get the neon to a shop and a return trip .. once again sorry and i will think more before posting my stupid thoughts ...

 

[HulkSmash]

im sorry really didnt mean to come off like an *** . neon is a pain for my service side of things it cost more money and time than it should LED gives me the ability to repair and not have to get the neon to a shop and a return trip .. once again sorry and i will think more before posting my stupid thoughts ...

not stupid. it's true. Got tired of repairing neon, and stopped offering it.
I personally love neon, but it seems many larger corporate companies are wanting LED... neon is an art that takes talent.. i agree LED is the easy way out, and seems like it;s taking over in the region i'm in.

 

[John L]

No doubt, neon is labor intensive, takes a dedicated and licensed staff to offer the service. If you've done a proper job, the customer doesnt need your service that often so the sticker shock of the repair costs are not met with as much resistance. We've never got tired of making money around here.

LED is taking over for internal channel letter illumination and some of the reasons are really good ones. However, for skeletal work, border work, anything to be viewed at an angle, anything where you need it to last a particularly long time, where you don't want the signage to dim during periods of cold weather, and a plethora of other applications (and especially OldNeon's restored product) there is still no substitute. And if you want to make money... look for a business where their isnt a substitute, like 20 shops in your same zipcode offering the exact same thing you do.

OldNeon, I don't know anyone willing to relocate right now but if I come across someone I will forward your number along.