Mark Holland, one of the few remaining glass benders in the region, is helping Folsom-based Urban Neon capitalize on the nostalgic return of neon, writes Anna Orso for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Holland has been bending glass tubes to create neon signs for quarter-century. This historic part of our nation’s culture has been pushed out for years by cheaper LED signs, but it’s now making a comeback among big-name companies looking to take advantage of its nostalgic look.

Designers like Coach and Tiffany & Co. have recently returned to glowing neon signs, and Urban Neon has worked on a project for Kate Spade.

Many people believe, however, that this is not enough to sustain the region’s neon business over the long term, especially with so few glass benders remaining in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Even Urban Neon owner Domenic Urbani often recommends that his clients consider converting to LED, to save both money and time.

But this is not Urbani’s first choice. As a trained glass bender, he was very anti-LED in the beginning. But eventually “came around because clients insisted on it.”

Read more about Urban Neon in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.