I Saw The Light

I’m a lighting fixture kook. I think a cool fixture can make a room. I even make some of my own lamps and fixtures. One of my favorites is a lamp I made from a large stack of AOL CDs.

I know that for energy savings I should buy fixtures that use only energy efficient light bulbs, but sometimes they don’t provide the light I want so many of my fixtures require strange, non-standard bulbs that you can’t find at the hardware store.

My wife uses a light box for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and it is suggested the fluorescent lamps be changed every two years. We found replacements on the Internet for $15 each but when you figure in the shipping the whole deal would have cost over $50.

We went to Portland last Thursday and before we went I looked up lighting shops and I found the mother of all light bulb stores. This place is called Sunlan Lighting and is located at 3901 N. Mississippi in North Portland and is run by a woman known as the Light Bulb Lady and her very knowledgeable staff.

This shop is about the size of Godfather’s Books, but it seemingly has every light bulb known to man contained under its roof. They demonstrate and give you the scientific scoop on each item you are looking for. All colors, sizes and connection types are present.

This shop is worth a visit even if you aren’t in the market for weird bulbs. It’s worth a visit just to see the amazing variety and learn about the functions and benefits between each model.