The Neon Struggle
The Gradual Extinction of the Neon Sign
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Rio Score is the third generation tube bender in his family. Tube benders create neon signs for commercial businesses of all kinds; car dealers, restaurants, bowling alleys, dry cleaners, car washes, shoe repair shops, as well as bars and tattoo parlors.
THE NEON STRUGGLE looks at the history of neon and how it evolved into mom and pop shops, like Rio's, all across the country. Noted author and architectural historian Alan Hess talks about neon being the light that guided a generation of Americans west to California, the promised land. Rio himself discusses how he and his grandfather built neon effects for films like Star Wars and Back to the Future.
With the advent of LED technologies, family shops like Rio's are suffering as clients are moving to this new technology that promises cheaper, longer life but often fails to deliver. Rio and his sons know that the shop needs to move into a new direction of creating art and collectibles, but can they make the transition and will Rio be the last tube bender in the family?
