Countywide : No Glimmer of Hope for Neon Signs

As darkness blankets the shops that line Seal Beach’s Main Street, the Nip N’ Stuff Liquor Store stands out, illuminated brightly by an assortment of colorful and flashing neon lights.

For more than a decade, the arrangement of neon signs advertising such beers as Budweiser and Miller served as a beacon for patrons. But this week, the City Council ordered that the signs be turned off, for good.

A similar fate awaits other establishments in the city--from liquor stores to mini-marts and restaurants--which will be told this year to remove from outdoor view any neon signs that advertise brand-name alcoholic beverages.

Seal Beach is one of several Orange County cities that restrict or altogether ban the lights, which some view as flamboyant eyesores that cheapen the look of an area.

But some merchants aren’t switching off the power without a fight.

“I hate to say it but this is almost communistic,” said the Nip N’ Stuff’s owner, John Baker. “With (the economy) the way it is today, I feel it is only fair to allow me to run my business the way I have been.”

Baker and others contend that the signs attract customers. They fear a drop-off in business when the familiar beer brand names don’t shine brightly from their windows.

In Seal Beach, the neon sign rules were approved by the City Council in 1984 as a policy statement. Up until now, relatively few businesses removed the lights because the rules were only enforced after a merchant requested new city permits. This usually occurred when a business was sold or expanded.

Everything changed last year, when the City Council required all merchants to comply with all city ordinances and regulations regardless of how long they had been in business. As a result, some officials predict that by next year, neon beer lights will disappear from public view in Seal Beach.

That prospect excites sign foes, who believe the lights are unattractive and detract from the “family atmosphere” of a community.

“An uncluttered look is what we are striving for,” said Seal Beach Planning Commissioner Anton Dahlman. “One of the principle offenders is the liquor store with all its beer and wine signs. . . . It’s almost as bad as graffiti.”

Seal Beach isn’t alone in its stand on the neon signs. Villa Park bans all such lights, though some business leaders are hoping to get the rules softened. Laguna Beach also prohibits many types of neon lights in windows. Other cities prohibit flashing signs and limit where neon lights can be placed.

Abe Dahdoul, owner of Wayne’s Liquor in Villa Park, was asked by the city to remove his neon signs nine years ago after a resident trying to sell his nearby house complained that lights might be unattractive to prospective buyers.

“I could see that (the lights) can look a little tacky,” said Dahdoul, noting that the removal didn’t hurt sales. “If I was coming home at a certain time and saw a big Bud sign, it might irritate me--especially if I paid to live in the neighborhood.”

The controversy comes at a time when neon lights are back in style. A decade ago, some people associated neon with “sleaze, bars, hotels . . . and the bad part of town,” said Mission Viejo artist Vicki Elkan, who works with neon.

From Baker’s perspective, many of his beer signs have real artistic value. Nonetheless, he is resigned to removing them by year’s end.

But his favorite neon light will stay: a classic 7-Up sign that includes a neon rainbow. Under the Seal Beach policy, neon that advertises soft drinks can stay in the window.