Work on the restoration of the 1950s-era Bill's Take Out sign is underway at Southpaw Signs in Oceano.
The iconic neon sign that has stood for decades over Bill's Take Out in Santa Maria is being given new life thanks to the expertise of neon tube bender Larry Desario, and the dedicated team at Southpaw Sign Co. in Oceano.
The project, which combines history, artistry, and technical skill, is brightening and restoring the piece of Americana that has been weathered by age and neglect.
Desario, with over 40 years of experience, is the lead craftsman on the project and began working in the world of neon restoration when he was 17 years old.
Growing up around his best friend's family, who had been in the neon business for three generations, Desario said he admired the craft but never imagined what is typically a father/son inheritance could be passed down to him.
That changed when his friend's father offered him a chance to learn the craft, with the condition that he would have to work for six months. If he liked it, they could continue.
Desario started by sweeping floors, but it wasn't long before he developed a passion for the work of restoring neon signs to their original historic look.
"I just love getting them back to their original historical value," he said.
Over time, Desario learned the intricate skills of bending glass and pumping neon gas into tubes. Trained in a non-union environment, he went through an apprenticeship that, although informal, was rigorous. He eventually mastered the artistic and scientific aspects of neon tube bending.
Desario's journey has taken him from Glendale, where he honed his craft for 18 years, to the Central Coast, where he has been restoring and crafting neon signs for over two decades.
He said that neon signs, like the one at Bill's Take Out, are not just advertisements but pieces of history.
"Neon signs, it's part of California history," he said. "They light up, they follow artwork to a T. Plastic signs, vinyl signs, internally lit LED signs don't really have the punch that neon does. The exposed neon look is what really makes it special."
When Desario first saw the Bill's Take Out sign, it was clear that the decades had not been kind. But while the paint was flaking, and the neon was dark, Desario saw the potential to restore the sign to its former glory.
"It was in very poor condition. The neon hasn't been lit for, as far as I know, over 25 years ... However, a lot of the neon still works and it wasn't vandalized," he said. "There was a huge dent on one side, where a truck had hit it. We've since repaired that and it looks great."
Desario's work involves a combination of preservation and innovation. While much of the original neon and transformers remain, updates are being made to increase energy efficiency.
"The transformers are all original, they're back from the '50s, but we're updating them. We're putting in electronic transformers, which use a third of the energy to power it," Desario said. "So it's going to be energy efficient now."
One of the key elements in restoring the sign with historical accuracy is the use of vintage housings, a critical piece of the sign's structure.
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"There's two things that are enemies of neon -- vandalism and rainwater shorting it out," said Desario. "With these old-style housings, that's eliminated. The new housings are closed, and they have drip loops in the back, but the water comes into where this connection is, and it doesn't work as well."
The restoration is not only about technical adjustments, but also about returning the sign to its original aesthetic.
Desario and his team are working hard to match the colors and graphics that were lost over the years.
"We're sticking to the same original colors which have been from back then," Desario said. "We took pictures before we took it down and during the process, and then even uncovering ... the character. It's white with black outlines and white neon and some flesh color neon for his hands and his face."
The tangerine color, once a feature of the sign, will be restored to complement the restaurant's orange décor.
The sign's restoration has also become a community project, involving several local businesses. The current owners of Bill's Take Out have updated the inside of the restaurant and the outside structure.
Sean Beauchamp, one of the owners of Southpaw Signs, which has been serving the region since 1997, said the project evolved from a simple repaint to a full-scale restoration.
"It started out where originally Aaron, from AC Signs, had reached out to the Bill's Take Out family to repaint the sign in place. Once that conversation started, it became a conversation about, well, what if we redid the neon? What if we reinforced the structure?" Beauchamp said. "We took the sign down to bring it into the shop so that we could do a better job."
Beauchamp, who has over 40 years of experience in the sign industry, emphasized the importance of keeping historic signage alive, especially in a town like Santa Maria.
"Nothing makes a downtown look better at night than neon," Beauchamp said. "You look at all the old photos of Broadway in Santa Maria, and it's just, every business is neon. It seems like every year, we lose one or two, and it's just like 'oh no!'."
Desario, who plans to continue his work for at least another decade, looks forward to seeing the Bill's Take Out sign lit up once again.
"I think it'll make the people of Santa Maria proud to have this beautiful sign again," he said. "Drive by it at night and look at the neon going ... it's going to look beautiful. It will look like a brand new sign when we put it up, but it's not. It's the original sign from back in the late '50s."
For Desario, the joy of seeing a restored neon sign light up again is a reward in itself.
"I actually get to enjoy it, driving by and just seeing them lit up," he said. "That's part of the fun about it."
Desario said that the restoration could be completed by the end of January, though the timeline is subject to change.