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If you want to see your name (or anything else) in lights, take note of these names: Lacey Haskell and Brett Kostka. They are the illuminating duo behind the newly launched HK Lux Co., a custom marquee signage company based in the East Village that is inspired by a love of vintage signage.
Haskell, 31, and Kostka, 28, bring complementary skill sets to the enterprise. After finishing high school, Kostka, inspired by the popular show American Chopper, wanted to build hot rods and motorcycles but couldn’t find a way into the industry. After a stint in petroleum engineering, he enrolled in the mechanical design technology program at SAIT and found his calling. Using 3D modelling programs like SolidWorks, he drafts conceptual and working blueprints for the company’s projects.
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Meanwhile, Haskell, who has a bachelor of fine arts degree from Memorial University, made the trek from Newfoundland to Calgary in 2009 with her fiancé, Chris, and found work in a fabrication shop. “I met Brett while working in the shop,” she recalls. “We worked on a lot of cool projects together.”
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Both have day jobs—Haskell at Telus Spark, Kostka at Reggin Industries, a metal fabricator—and HK Lux Co. serves mostly as a creative outlet at this point. “The nice thing about the marquee lights being a side project is that we aren’t focused on numbers or profits right now,” Haskell says. “We are just letting it grow organically and we’re still able to enjoy all of the amazing things about it.”
The idea for the company—the point at which the light bulb went off, you might say—came out of a brainstorming session and their mutual love of marquees. “I took the idea to my 3D modelling software to draw up some renderings,” Kostka says. “I ended up rendering an illuminated sign of Lacey’s name. Of course, she loved it and immediately said we had to do this as our business idea.”
The duo now has five prototypes available, including symbols like ampersands, arrows and hashtags. But they are open to any ideas clients might have, from a sign that reads “Legit” to arrows, anchors and letters powder-coated in any colour. New prototypes can be seen on the company’s Instagram account and Twitter feed (@HKLuxCo).
Social media might be the best way to keep up with the pair, who are keen to move fast. “We are so excited to see where people take this concept,” Kostka says. “We want to light up living rooms and wedding receptions and fun events all over Calgary.”