Welp, it's 2023..and a sad day. Another longtime business closes and with it, a classic, iconic neon falls dark 😥😓

Another iconic Columbus neon falls dark 

Goody Boy diner closes in the Short North after 75 years (msn.com)

Clintonville Tee Jaye's to close this spring. SAVE THE SIGN!

 

 The fate of the iconic sign, which predates Tee Jaye's (was originally Jerry's Drive Thru on the property and sign), remains undecided. I know one thing, it cannot end up in a landfill. I would love to see this preserved and restored, especially if actual neon can be used in the process. If it doesn't stay in Columbus, perhaps the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati would like it?

Tee Jaye's Clintonville to Close

A shoot dedicated to the sign I did back in 2008 can be found here: http://columbusneon.blogspot.com/2008/03/clintonville-iconthe-tee-jays-sign.html

I also took pics and a video of it in early 2017 and can be found on my Instagram: instagram.com/columbusneon

Lucky 13?

 2020. What a year, eh? I had high hopes that this would be a good year for neoning. And it was..until a microscopic semi-life form known as the Covid-19 virus came in and derailed things early in the year. I did manage a few small photo tours all of which can be found my going to my social media pages, where most of my new content goes first. Instagram: @ColumbusNeon, Facebook page: Columbus Neon. 

Things have been quite busy of course, and with everything going on this year, it is easy to forget dates and times. Is it November? Or March? Somewhere in between? It's all kinda running together. All I know is that this fall has been a blur. But I did remind myself that I should commemorate this month. I started this Columbus Neon project THIRTEEN years ago this month! We're officially a teenager. Sometimes, it feels like just yesterday that I decided to take this on. Sometimes it feels like 13 years ago may as well be 50. But in any case, I'm happy to still be doing this 13 years later!

I'll take a dozen

Donuts? Eggs? How about years? Yep! I started this all twelve years ago today with the first picture and subsequently commenced this photo blog project! As the social media and internet landscapes have changed immensely since 2007, the platform for this project has also evolved. It started off strictly as this photo blog of course, then as Facebook and twitter made their mainstream appearances, and of course Instagram, much of the work has shifted to those media. Not that the photo blog has gone away completely yet, but for the latest, Instagram is probably the best option. To all my loyal followers across all platforms, I sincerely thank you for the support over the last 12 years and look forward to many more!

Yes, I still do this..

But most of my new posts are on my instagram account! Check it out: instagram.com/ColumbusNeon

But while I am here, here are a few updates & recent postings..

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0yQZDOgpRh/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B03pYgBAM8Z/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0N1cOzAzNL/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzf94qQgJga/

Also, I have been adding neon leads with a map app on my phone with locations I want to catch and snap when I get a chance and of course, will be posted.

I hope everyone has been having a great summer!

Another auld lang syne. Bye 2018

Another year has come and gone! How does each year pass by faster and faster? It's amazing. Anyway, 2018 may not have been my most prolific in terms of shooting neon, but I did manage to grab some good ones. Hoping for a lot more activity in 2019! Here are my own personal top 5 neons take during the old year.

National Sausage Pizza Day neon!

Just a friendly reminder that today, October 11, 2018, is National Sausage Pizza Day! Best places to celebrate in and around Columbus are: Stadz, Terita's, Katie's, Little Sicily, Rubino's, Vick's, among others.

#NationalSausagePizzaDay

Rapidly approaching is the 11th anniversary of this blog/project's beginning! Planning a big new post to celebrate so watch for updates soon! 



Also, another reminder to check out my latest neon pics across social media platforms.

@ColumnbusNeon

Keep checking back for updates and posts, not just here but the social media accounts listed above. After a warm start some real autumnal neon weather is quickly approaching. Hoping to find some good Halloween related neon out in the wilds of Columbus and beyond!

@ColumbusNeon

I know I don't post as much on here (in 2007, there was no Instagram, barely a Twitter or Facebook..) as I have in the past, but I still do occasionally. If you want to check out my most recent neon shtuff, check me out on various other online media:

Facebook group: Columbus Neon (https://www.facebook.com/ColumbusNeon/)

Twitter: @columbusneon (https://twitter.com/ColumbusNeon)

Instagram: ColumbusNeon (https://www.instagram.com/columbusneon/)

You can also search @columbusneon on the apps for the above sites.

Here are a few of my most recent neon shots taken in and around Columbus, April & May, 2018

Summer is upon us so with warmer weather (but later nights) look for some new material soon!

Ten years come and gone so fast!

Yes, somehow, I have been doing this thing now for TEN years! It all started with this blog as a medium. Social media and smartphone were in their infancies. Many still used dial up. People still used AOL chatrooms. I had a Nokia not-so-smart but still pretty cool (for the time) phone, and a clunky digital camera. My love of neon signs as an art and advertising medium long predates November, 2007. But it was a cool gray late autumn day that year I decided to make something of it. Over the course of this project I have driven hundreds if not thousands of miles, countless snaps and edits, and learned the history of Columbus through it's retail story told through advertising and signage. I have taken some amazing photos, and some not so amazing. Each one though is a learning experience in itself.

Of course, this is no longer the golden age of neon. In fact, I started this during what has turned out to be a long decline in neon signage as an art and/or advertising medium. Late 2007 is when the economic downturn known as the "Great Recession" started. Businesses were closing up shop. Entire industries were dying or dead. Neon signs went dark en masse. Those entities that could weather and stay open from this time forward, looked for ANY cost cutting measures they could. Often, this extended to their physical presence on the street. Neon signs came down either while still 100% operational or as they started to lose their functional life. Up came the less expensive and lower power draining LED signs. While those seem like a good idea (who doesn't want to save a few bucks, even in good times?), the quality and craftsmanship are not even remotely close. Another industry and job block, that of sign manufacturers and glass blowers, was shrinking rapidly. And while companies may save a few dollars per month in electric bills by using LED, they don't realize the fact that they need more frequent replacement, usually piecemeal in fashion. The appearance, while somewhat resembling a neon, doesn't come close to the visual pop that a true neon sign can deliver. The LEDs just don't catch the eye the way neon does. While I don't have concrete evidence, I have anecdotally seen an uptick in neon usage over the last couple years. While they may cost a few more in power bills, they undoubtedly bring in more business, which means of course, more revenue and profit. Also, as far as environmental  effects, one could easily single out heating and cooling as MUCH more significant in terms of usage and effect on climate change. It's give and take. Buy an LED..save a few bucks on electric bill, but use more heat/cooling and less eyeballs on the street. Neon is an investment that pays off. That is why it was so effectively used in times of economic growth (1950s and 1980s come to mind, when neon was king).

While I lead a busy life with work, children, and many other obligations, I intend to keep this project going on. Showcasing the history and presence of this beautiful use of chemistry in the greatest city in Ohio, as well as efforts to retain and preserve our past. Onto another ten years! Now, of course, most of my posts and thoughts are on social media (though I still occasionally do post to this blog, 10 years on). Find me on Twitter: @ColumbusNeon Instagram: @columbusneon, and my Facebook page, Columbus Neon. Also check out my other photographic interests on instagram at @paulied1977. I shoot other stuff sometimes too!

Cheers!

Hey guys!

Hey all..don't forget to follow/add/view me all over social media:

Facebook: Columbus Neon (page)
Instagram: @columbusneon
Twitter: @Columbusneon

Hoping to do a nice big tour here soon now that the weather has dried up some. And of course fall is around the corner which is my favorite time for neoning.

Here is a bit of what I have snapped this summer:

Come see more on my social media sites!

614 day celebrated

I took time last week on June 14, aka 614 Day to celebrate the best neon signs in Columbus. In the 10 years I have been doing this project, I have had the opportunity to snap some classic neon signage. Unfortunately, many of the greats I never got to know, as much has been lost to time, as the National Road (Route 40) was bypassed by Interstate 70 decades ago, and more recently with the troublesome rise of cheaper yet much less aesthetically pleasing LED sign. We do still have many greats still in existence, and thankfully, many I have snapped over the last decade are still in existence and shine as bright as ever.

Some of the best neons Columbus has to offer, as shot by me 2007-2017.

Winter neon roundup

The unusually warm winter of 2016-17 has been good for many things, including photo shoots. The period between early December and late February was likely the busiest I had been with this project in at least 5 years. For the latest updates, please visit the following social media platforms, since this is where I post closest to real time: Instagram (@Columbusneon), Twitter (@ColumbusNeon), and my Facebook page Columbus Neon. Instagram is home to my most recent posts, as I have posted in real time after shooting, and the posts are linked to my Twitter & Facebook. Here I will post most of the highlights of winter since my last post which was the Grandview tour in early December.

Another Bexley Beauty. Taken the evening of Sun. 02/19

I really like how this shot came out, Café Istanbul, Bexley, taken the evening of Sun. 02/19

Palle by Moretti, in Grandview, taken evening of 03/08

Bun's Restaurant, Delaware, OH, View 1

Bun's Restaurant, Delaware, OH, View 2

Some Encouraging Neon News

http://www.trtworld.com/business/neon-signs-making-a-comeback-in-us-274670


Look for an update on here shortly with pic posts. Also check my Twitter, Instagram, and ColumbusNeon facebook group page for updates!

10 Bright Spots of 2016

2016 overall, was a down year for me, and that is putting it lightly. However, one bright spot was my increase in neoning (pun intended). While I caught many great pieces of neon this year, I did come up with a list of the top 10 in my opinion that I grabbed this year.

It was tough to narrow it down to 10, but this is it.

Don't let the door hit ya 2016.

Good riddance 2016.

Short North & Grandview AGAIN and more..

I have done more neoning this year probably than the last 2 combined. While not quite my 2007-09 heyday, I am glad to be keeping my mind off of things by shooting the gas and glass. The few short north pics (Out on High, at 5th and N. High)and Grandview revisit were taken the late afternoon/early evening of Fri. 12/2

Dogwood Crossing, Carroll, Ohio

Though it was a bright, warm November afternoon, I was able to watch these cool neons at a Travel Center (read Truck Stop) in Carroll, Ohio, near Lancaster in Fairfield County, east of Columbus. Some edited versions of these can be found on my Instagram page and on facebook. All pics taken the afternoon of Fri. 11/11.

Happy 9th anniversary Columbus Neon!

Nine years ago today, I published my first post as part of this project. Though it has had its ups and downs and has lately expanded to other media (namely, social media, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook), nonetheless my love of this has never wavered and am still as dedicated to the documentation of the history and presence of neon art and advertising in the Columbus area and beyond. I look forward to continuing this project across all platforms and hope for some free time to get some good tours in soon.

Lincoln

A few quick pics of the Lincoln Theater in the King-Lincoln district NW of downtown Columbus. Taken the afternoon of Mon. 11/07.

Look for more updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

FB: Columbus Neon
T: @Columbus_Neon
IG: Columbusneon

Forgotten

Oops, I did a short shoot back in March with a few cool pieces, but as I was looking at some of the documents saved on my work laptop, I noticed a picture that I had neglected to upload and post on here. So here it is, from March, 2016.