Who are we? Big question :-)
My name is Steven Buxton and I'm the founder of the company now called LumiPop, formerly Neon Flexible. Originally, we only specialized in flexible luminaires, and more specifically in electroluminescent neon, also known as luminous wire or El wire. Hence the company's first name "Néon Flexible".
This is the interior of our store in Saint-Ay, Loiret
At the end of 2008, I launched our first online sales website. At the time, there was no Amazon or ManoMano, and eBay was just beginning to exist. The Internet was truly a new universe where everything had to be created and invented. At the very beginning, I started creating ready-to-install kits and offered them directly for sale online. The first orders soon came in, which enabled me to invest in other products, still in the field of flexible lighting. We were among the very first to offer LED ribbons, both individually and in kits.
The team, you recognize us :-)
Oh yes, another very important point that has enabled us to evolve technically and commercially, a very simple thing: the telephone number. For those who remember, in 2008-2009 it was almost impossible to find an e-merchant's telephone number. Everyone was in hiding. I said to myself, I know my products well and I want my future customers to be able to reach me easily. So I put my personal phone number on the first page of the website to make it as visible as possible. And then, as luck and surprise would have it, I was contacted directly by major artists and companies wanting to know more about the products I was offering at the time.
Examples of neon signs created for our customers
One of the most striking examples was my meeting with David Guetta's team. At the time, he was taking off internationally and offering his "Fuck Me I'm Famous" party at major festive events around the world. Ibiza in particular. The only problem was that he couldn't transport his lighting equipment, especially his signs. In those days, signs were made from neon gas. It was strictly forbidden to fly with this type of product. His teams called me to see if I had a solution. I got my neurons working and came up with the miracle product... LED neon. Same rendering as gas neon, but using LED technology. So no heat, no gas, low voltage (12 or 24V) and no breakage. The ideal product for creating transportable signs. This was the starting point of a collaboration that lasted several years. We created for him LED costumes, LED robots, neon LED signs and electroluminescent wires... In short, we innovated technically and custom-built many light objects.
The interior design of one of our customers, with a neon sign on a Plexiglas background
We had found our DNA. We were going to become suppliers and manufacturers of innovative lighting equipment, but that was only part of what we were. We were researchers and creators of lighting solutions. Light was our raw material, and we would twist and transform it until we got exactly what our customers wanted.
Over time, we launched other websites, each specializing in a specific product range:
- www.neon-flexible.com for electroluminescent technology
- www.led-flexible.com for LED technology
- www.lightpainting-shop.com for LightPainting
Over the years, we have naturally expanded our product range to offer our customers the technology perfectly suited to their needs. LED, electroluminescence, fiber optics... they're all part of our expertise, and each has its own range of use and rendering.
Some friends came to join me, as I could no longer manage all this on my own. They too were passionate about light and creation. And then in 2016 I had an epiphany :-) Or rather, a sudden desire to do better, to go further. The Internet was all very well, but direct contact was missing. For nearly 8 years, I and we had been responding to a wide variety of customer requests, providing technical assistance to individuals, artists and companies to bring their lighting projects to life. It was time to go one step further. And that's where the LumiPop project was born. After months of reflection, research and hard work, we had on paper what LumiPop was going to be.
LumiPop it's not just a name, it's a global concept around light. We created a real physical space accessible to all, covering over 300m2. The design, the zoning of the space, the manufacture of the furniture... we created everything with our own hands. The project was ambitious and unique. No benchmarks. At the end of 2018, after a year of hard work, we finally inaugurated the first Concept Store LumiPop:-)
As you can see, the company has come a long way. We're rooted in France and we've created the 1st Concept Store 100% dedicated to light. We're a team of crazy technicians who can't wait to help you with your project(s). Whether you're an individual, an artist, an institution or a company... we treat all our customers with the same passion and professionalism.
If you have any questions and the word "light" is in them, give us a call :-) See you soon on the phone or in our store LumiPop in Saint-Ay (45130) in the Loiret region of France. And you never know, the next step might be to do small LumiPop all over France... Well, I digress but, but..