Going dark: Winnipeg's Neon Factory closing doors

Winnipeggers will soon no longer be able to feel the glow at the Neon Factory.

Mike Wolchock, owner and storekeeper at the Neon Factory, said Thursday that he and his brother Joe have sold the building where the Main Street business is located.

"We can't afford to be here anymore," Wolchock said of the store's location at 594 Main St. "It's too expensive. And if you're doing this part-time, it's even harder because you're basically working just to pay for it."

Wolchock said the building's new owner, a local businessman, has already been working on the building's second and third floors, converting the space into artist studios.

He said while the building's new owner appreciated the store, it didn't make financial sense for the brothers to keep it going.

The business has had three locations in its 31-year history, but it's unlikely to have a fourth. Wolchock said all of the Neon Factory's signs will be moved to a small, nondescript warehouse he's hoping to purchase, out of public view.

"I could sell it piece by piece. I could sell all this stuff, I could make a bundle of money but then people would never get to enjoy it," he said.

Last hurrah

Although he still has a lease on the space until May, Wolchock said moving all of the signs out will be a process that could take up to six months to complete. So Saturday's Nuit Blanche event will be the last hurrah for the company, with the plan being to close the doors to the public for good the following day.

"We're going to come in here and we're going to blow it out and have a good time," Wolchock said of Saturday's event. "And I just want people to come and take pictures because I think it's really important. 

"Everybody has memories of the Blue Note, they have memories of Shanghai, they have memories of Kelekis," he said, referring to the once-popular café and restaurants.

"I think a lot of those places resonate with people. I think it's really cool that people can come and maybe show their kids, say, 'Yeah, that's the booth I used to sit in at the Shanghai,' or 'Yeah, that's the sign from the Blue Note.'

"I'm actually excited about it."

'Collection intact'

Wolchock said he's actually looking forward to moving on from the business, saying he's prepared to drive his El Camino "off into the sunset" and not look back. Having said that, Wolchock doesn't intend to sell off his collection of neon signs anytime soon.

I'm going to have the most amazing man-cave palace on the planet.- Mike Wolchock

"My goal is to keep the collection intact, keep the glass-bending facility operational and just have a place where I can go do my thing," he said.

"As long as I'm active and doing stuff, I'm going to need a shop anyway. So it will be really nice and decorated.

"I'm going to have the most amazing man-cave palace on the planet."

As for Saturday, Wolchock said it will be Neon Factory's second foray into the nighttime event. He said five local punk rock bands are scheduled to perform at the store, which he said will be a fitting farewell to the business.

"It's going to be a good, old-school, hair-pulling, raunchy night at the Neon Factory," he said.