What Makes Us Work: Karen
Karen Chaka
It’s obvious to see the recent proliferation of neon in our city. Ask Karen Chaka, Signworks’ neon signage expert and a neon glass bender for 27 years. The first thing someone notices when driving from Eppley Airfield into Omaha, she points out, is the NoDo Entertainment district and its electric bouquet of neon—much of which Signworks designed and installed.
“It looks like a city of its own,” she points out.
But it’s not just Omaha’s downtown hotspots that are sporting neon over their doors. In a further testament of neon’s staying power—and classic signs in general—Karen is drawing attention from the local media as she leads the charge to revive Omaha’s iconic Westgate Plaza signage on 84th Street.
Signworks' installation crew preparing the open face channel letters on Westgate Plaza's pylon sign for new skeleton neon.
Why neon is cool
So, why does neon continue to stay popular since its pre-WWI inception? In a modern age where LED lighting now shares the stage with neon—and continues to prove its value a thousand times over—there will always be something about neon that keeps its cool. Some compare it to pop art, some LA Choppers, and some the electric version of stained glass. In other words, like those comparisons, neon is the undisputed king of its style niche.
But Karen is the Queen behind it who truly makes it all happen.
“Nothing can look like neon except neon,” Karen says. “It’s definitely coming back.”
Not that it ever left. Which is why Karen has never taken a hiatus when it comes to perfecting her craft and enjoying every new challenge—whether it’s designing ornate, impossibly intricate neon flower pedals on the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center or refurbishing signs across Omaha that are listed on the National Historic Register.
But on the practical side, and unbeknownst to many, Karen’s outstanding, longstanding work reminds us that neon lasts just as long as LED while being just as cost-effective. (Although veteran sign shops don’t compare apples to oranges; they simply offer both products and recognize the true strengths of each.)
So, while Signworks is proud of an impeccable spread of clean, ultra-modern LED signs across Omaha, we’re equally proud that Karen boldly serves an undying art within a full-strength neon division that’s busier than ever.
Neon is alive and kicking—and then some. And storeowners can rejoice in the fact that our own Karen Chaka can repair, refurbish or manufacture neon signs that, like this unique and timeless art, will always burn bright.
POSTED IN: What Makes Us Work, Neon, Exterior
