We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kira Oglesby. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kira below.
Hi Kira, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Our mission at Adept Neon is to manufacture quality wholesale neon to the sign industry with affordable prices. This goes along with my own personal mission, to continue the legacy of neon, to preserve the craft, and to enlighten folks on what neon is and how it is made. Neon is a dying art and dwindled in the sign industry. Most people don’t even know that neon is made by hand, by someone who has spent countless hours practicing on the torch. Materials become increasingly difficult to source and the craftsmen that have been bending neon for decades have only a handful of apprentices to carry the art into the next generation. I was lucky enough to meet a neon master who took me in as an apprentice for the last 3 years. Now I am part owner of the business and continuing my mission to keep neon alive.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a lifetime local to St Petersburg, FL. I studied under Charlie Parker, a local master potter, before attending the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in Alfred, NY. While learning ceramics there, I also took a neon class and the rest was history. Graduated, moved back home, called up the first neon shop in the book, Adept Neon, and started a 3 year neon apprenticeship. Now I am part owner of the business. Every day our fires are on and we’re bending neon. Most of the work is repairs, custom logos and selfie stations, old beer signs. But occasionally the rare historic projects roll through the shop. This week we are restoring the neon to the historic Tampa Theatre. It’s these giant 5 foot tall units that accent the architecture of the building, which has been open since 1926. Seriously cool and a sight worth seeing.
Put simply, I love Neon. It combines science, chemistry, art, high voltage, fabrication, and skill. There’s a lot of learning involved and creative problem solving. It has a history and purpose. One of my favorite parts about neon is that you’re making something that will help someone else’s business that will last for decades. Nothing compares to that.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
More of a mindset than a lesson… Failure is not the end, but the start of growth. And when you learn a new skill there’s a lot of failure before the first big success. Like making your first neon “OPEN” sign. When I first started bending neon, I spent countless hours in the fire practicing my bends, throwing away most of it before I finally made one that would pass. It felt like I was never going to get the hang of it, bending neon seemed like a insurmountable task. But I kept with it and with the guidance of my mentor, that pile in the trash got smaller each month. My mentor taught me to analyze those failures and to think of them as insight for the next try, to adapt and overcome. Adopt that mindset and your failures will improve your craft.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I met my mentor/business partner, Eric Roeske, through a cold call. I had just moved back home from college and looked up the closest neon shop near me in the phonebook. “Adept Neon” popped up first and I liked the name of the business. Called the number and asked, “What’s the neon scene like around here?”. Eric replies, “There isn’t one, come make it.”. And then I started training as his neon apprentice, now partner.
Contact Info:
- Website: adeptneonmfg.com
- Instagram: NobleGlassAndNeon
- Facebook: Adept Neon
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adeptneon2480
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/adept-neon-seminole-2
- EMAIL: [email protected]