The Light Bulb Shop

Tom Linehan

The Light Bulb Shop is right here in Allandale and they can supply you with a bulb for just about anything you have that needs one – lamps, recessed lights, microscopes, or simple energy saving bulbs for your entire house. It’s probably the latter they sell most. Energy saver compact fluorescent have gone from taking up 2 shelves space in the store 2 years ago to a occupying an entire wall today. The Light Bulb shop also sells bulbs for stage and studio lighting, photo lamps for projectors, and bulbs for medical and scientific equipment purchased by places like Seton Hospital and the J.J. Pickle Research Center. Needless to say it’s the place to go to find bulbs that you’re not able to find anywhere else.

Owner Edwin McGary moved his shop to Allandale at the corner of Burnet and White Horse Trail six years ago. Prior to that the store was on Lamar Blvd at the corner of Lamar and St. Johns for a number of years, and before that at Lamar and Rundberg going back to when they opened shop as Lamar Wholesale Supply twenty-six years ago.

Edwin grew up in the area. His grandfather bought a house on Adams Avenue in 1929, right behind the Nighthawk restaurant. Edwin tells me it wasn’t until 1962 that they paved

Anderson Lane. He remembers when Lamar Jr. High opened up 50 years ago and playing against them in football the first year they fielded a team. He promised to look through his photo albums for some old photos of the area.

I stopped in the shop on a Saturday afternoon because I wanted to find out about energy-efficient bulbs. I visited with store manager, Tino Carrejo. He was very friendly. The entire staff is quite helpful. This is a good reason to stop by the Light Bulb Shop; the folks there will talk to you about your options. Tino recommended 130 volt compact fluorescent bulbs because “it will keep you off the ladder.” A 130 volt bulb lasts 8,000 hours compared to 800 hours for a regular bulb. Over the life of the bulb you end up saving $62.

The new compact fluorescent bulbs not only use less energy but give off substantially less heat. In a living room like mine that has 6 recessed lights in the ceiling, the heat reduction can make a big difference. Be sure to let them know if the lights you need the bulbs for are connected to a dimmer switch. They require a different bulb.

The Light Bulb Shop moved to Allandale because they outgrew their former location on Lamar and St. Johns. Next door to it is the Fixture Shop. Although the Fixture Shop rents their building from the Light Bulb Shop, it’s under a separate owner. Behind it is the Light Bulb Shop’s warehouse. Tino tells me the move to Allandale has worked out very well for them. They not only gained additional space and parking at the new location but the move has been good for their business. Stop by and get enlightened about energy-efficient bulbs. They’re open 6 days a week.

Light Bulb Shop, 6318 Burnet Rd, 453-2852  www.lightbulbshop.net