Brimley Brothers
“Basically, it’s like lightning in a bottle”
David Brimley, of Brimley Bros. Neon in Salt Lake City will concede very few people truly understand neon. “It’s a mysterious light.” chuckles Brimley. “They see it every day, but they have no idea what it is.” As someone who has been making neon signs his entire life, Brimley is an ideal candidate to comment on the craft.
History is important to Brimley and his family. His grandfather started Brimley Bros as a sign shop in 1930 and shortly after, started making neon. “He traveled to Chicago and bought some Neon equipment and drove it back on a trailer” says Brimley. “He just taught himself how to bend glass.” In true family business fashion, his grandfather passed both the business and his skill as a neon artisan on to his father, and his father passed it on to Brimley.
“When I was 6 years old I was down at the shop during the summer. I learned how to play with the glass, and learned what it does in the fire.”
Brimley learned the art of design from his father and also how to paint hand lettering. ”You have to be an artist to design these neon signs, because otherwise they don’t look right.” Brimley says the most important element in any sign is “good design first. It’s got to look good. It’s got to be attractive.”
This commitment to form as well as function has kept the Brimley family in business for over 80 years. The quality of their signs, along with the quick pace of small business makes Brimley Bros. one of only a handful of neon shops in Salt Lake City.
Today, Brimley’s daughter Emily Eastlyn takes care of the business side of Brimley Bros., while her husband Ryan Eastlyn does a big share of the design and glass bending.
“I’d love to pass this on some day, whether it’s my son or someone else”
With creativity running deep in his family, Brimley is happy his daughter and son-in-law are carrying on the neon tradition for a fourth generation. Both Ryan and Emily Eastlyn are quick to state their goal is to continue making Brimley Bros. a success.
Emily Eastlyn is equally committed, saying confidently, “I won’t be doing anything else.”