His beautiful neon shop on West Cary Street is an Aladdin's cave for any devotee of neon, with thousands of pieces of old and reclaimed neon sections hanging from the ceiling, numerous neon signs and a collection of neon clocks, the envy of any museum.
Doug got started back in the early 1980's and taught himself glass bending with the help of his friend and mentor, Mr Rudd at Talley Neon. He is now responsible for the vast majority of the neon signs scattered liberally across the diners, shops and restaurants of Richmond.
Doug's obsession with neon isn't confined to the work place and the front of his house, in the Fan District, is always decorated with a couple of pieces of seasonal neon, hung in the windows of the porch, for the delight of the local residents and passers by. While I was there for three weeks, it went from neon pumpkins to neon maple leaves to neon turkeys.
Click here for a link to a beautiful, short film made about Doug back in 2015
Doug, now 74 years old, has no plans for retiring and enjoys every day that he's in the neon shop. Thank you so much for your time Doug, you are an inspiration to many. I hope to be back soon.
Doug Solyan +1 804 358 6243
