Carytown’s neon sign experiences issues for third time since 2024 installation
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The neon, light-up "CARYTOWN" sign that welcomes people driving on Richmond's Cary Street is experiencing a partial blackout again. Issues with the sign have persisted since its official lighting in October 2024, but the manufacturer says a more permanent fix is currently in the works.
As of Saturday, Sept. 20, the sign has experienced technical issues that cause the sign to read "RYTOWN" when illuminated.
The first two letters of Carytown neon sign are unlit (Photo: Sahara Sriraman, 8News)
8News reached out to the Carytown Merchants Association about the sign, which passed the inquiry along to Jesse Isenberg, owner of Wellcraft MFG and constructor of the sign.
Isenberg provided the following update:
"We’re actively troubleshooting the repeated illumination failures. The transformers have been sent to the manufacturer for testing, and we expect their analysis soon as to what is causing the failure.
Given the multiple outages, we’re also developing a Plan B: a full retrofit from traditional glass neon to LED components that match the neon look while offering substantially greater reliability and lower maintenance.
We’re taking full responsibility for the illumination issue at no cost to the City of Richmond or the Carytown Merchants Association. To date, Wellcraft MFG has covered all mobilizations, components, and labor, and we remain fully committed to standing behind this project.
Thank you for your patience while we finalize the best long-term solution. I’ll keep you posted as soon as the test results come in and our schedule is confirmed."
Back in May of this year, the sign experienced a partial blackout that caused the "TOWN" portion of the sign to be unlit, only illuminating the "CARY" portion.
Additionally, in November 2024, the sign read "RYTOWN" when illuminated after an apparent vandalism, with Carytown Merchants Association saying that something was thrown at the sign, causing the lights to go out in the first two letters.
The first technical issue came around a month after the sign's official lighting ceremony in October 2024.
