I had been wanting to stop in at a place named Skyline Neon , it is located at 451 Taft Street , Northeast Minneapolis . So , I made a call to the owner Matt Thompson . I told him Teri , Charles and myself wanted to visit and explained who we were . He said he was happy to have us come and take a look , so a Saturday afternoon was set . I brought a small cooler of beer with me , as I found out he liked to partake .
When we got to the building , we needed to text message him , as he would need to let us in . The building is secure , and cameras are in place . There are also different businesses in the building . Well , Matt lets us in , we introduce ourselves and follow him to his corner of the building . The first thing we see is a HUGE Grain Belt tin sign outside the door in the hallway . Holy Spit !! Next , we entered through the door to his place . Words cannot express what we see . I start to jump up and down , saliva flows down my chin , I can ’ t form words . I do this when excited . Teri says , “ take it easy ” and gives me a Kleenex for my mouth . My gawd , the signs , the neon , the place is bathed in a kaleidoscope of neon light , beyond belief . Far too much to comprehend . I ’ m delirious . Charles and Teri both laugh at me . Matt says , “ I ’ m glad you like it .” Are you kidding ? I ’ m out of my flippen mind .
After taking many deep breaths and counting to ten several times , I start to come down off my natural high . Matt gives us a tour of the place and starts to explain the process of neon making . He ’ s supposed to be working today , and we are just visiting , so he needs to get some work done and we watch the process and ask questions as he goes along . He takes a glass tube , then puts his lips around a plastic tube , draped over his shoulder . As the glass is heated by the torches he has going , he blows into the glass tube , warping and twisting it to what he wants . He tells us he apprenticed 4 years in Honolulu , Hawaii then spent some time in Amsterdam , Holland and worked in Italy and Germany before finding his way back here .
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