Let it glow

In a small but neatly organized workroom in Kalihi, Von Monroe, owner of Strictly Neon, works his magic on signs of all colors, shapes and sizes.

He runs one of just a handful of companies on the island that specializes in neon-bending, which requires knowledge of glasswork and basic electricity, along with a bit of artistry and chemistry.

Monroe’s largest project in more than 20 years is restoring the 11-foot-tall sign that once lighted the way to the Club Hubba Hubba strip joint at 25 N. Hotel St.

Building owners Alan and Lee Stack hired Monroe to bring the sign back to its former glory.

"It’s one of the few signs that tell a story of that time in Chinatown," said Lee Stack, who declined to disclose the cost of the project.

The sign was taken down about seven months ago and brought to Strictly Neon’s shop for work. Reinstallation of the sign was scheduled for this weekend, but it’s been delayed to allow Monroe to finish his work.

The show goes on, however: On Friday, a "Take a Chance on Chinatown" party and benefit for the Chinatown Improvement District, a nonprofit group of landowners and business owners, will be held at the former Club Hubba Hubba. Attendees are invited to wear period costumes, participate in games of chance and fortunetelling and enjoy live music, heavy pupu and wine tastings.

CAFE HUBBA opened in 1947 on the site, hosting jazz and burlesque acts. The venue became a strip club during World War II. It was shuttered in 1997.

The two-story brick building was boarded up for many years before it was renovated in 2011. The Stacks hired Mason Architects to restore the 1900s-era building.

Stack said she hopes to rent the ground-floor space to a restaurant. A yoga studio now leases the upstairs space.

The Club Hubba Hubba sign is larger than city ordinances allow, and city rules prohibit use of a sign that doesn’t correlate to the business inside, but Stack was able to get a variance.

"It’s a historical landmark," said architect Glenn Mason. "Nobody refers to this building as anything but the Club Hubba Hubba building, and it’s in a national, historic-registered district."

While there are similar signs around Chinatown, they have been painted over to comply with ordinances, leaving little flavor of the district’s colorful past, he said.

Only a handful of signs have been preserved in place, Mason said — among them the McCully Chop Sui sign at the corner of South King and McCully streets, repaired in 2008 by Carolyn and Mark Blackburn, owner of Mauna Kea Galleries, after a yearlong effort to get a variance.

THE CLUB Hubba Hubba sign was made by 1920s neon-bender Robert "Bozo" Shi­ge­mura and is believed to have been installed in 1953.

Shigemura also made the original Hawaii Theatre marquee and Wo Fat restaurant sign a few blocks away.

Those who remember Club Hubba Hubba from earlier decades may recall a neon sign with a dancer whose leg used to move back and forth. Such animated street signs are no longer permitted by the city.

But Monroe is restoring everything else on the sign — from the multicolored letters that spell out "Club Hubba Hubba Live Nude Shows" in yellow, red and green, to the pink curvaceous dancer in high heels, posed with one hand on her hip and the other in the air.

He had to restore an arm, leg and shoes for the dancer.

While some letters were still intact, the "Club" in cursive had to be completely redone and is more complicated, requiring a "ribbon burn" with a 16-inch-long flame. The "H" in Hubba also needed to be repaired.

It’s a double-sided sign, so the same letters and image need to be on both sides.

The galvanized sheet metal backing went to a body-and-fender shop for rust repair, priming and painting.

"My goal is to leave it as original as possible," he said.

In starting a project, Monroe, following a template, gently bends a clear, glass tube into letters or shapes using a special "crossfire" burner. After shaping, electrodes are fused to the tubes. After several other steps, inert gas is pumped into the tube. When an electric current hits the electrodes in the tubes, electrons flow through the gas, making it glow.

Argon produces blue light, while neon makes red. Additional colors are made by coating the tubes in fluorescent powders. So, for example, blue glowing argon gas in a yellow tube emits a green light.

Classic neon signs are Monroe’s specialty.

He has made neon signs for Jean’s Warehouse, Duc’s Bistro on Mau­na­kea Street and Blu­Water Grill in Hawaii Kai. He also renovated the Fisherman’s Wharf pole sign and maintains neon lighting at Waterfront Plaza.

Monroe first learned the trade as an apprentice at the LeBrun Neon shop in Antioch, Calif., before moving to Hawaii.

"Neon is very effective lighting if it’s processed and installed correctly," said Monroe. "Neon will last over 20 years if processed correctly."

When the Club Hubba Hubba sign is remounted, Monroe said seeing its glow again will be a satisfying reward for the work that he does.