The Sun | 0324 | June 11, 2003

June 11, 2003 Sunnyvale, California Since 1994

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Mitch Neufeld (left) and Steve Topol 'battle it out' with lighting tubes that they sell at the Batteries n Bulbs store in Sunnyvale. Neufeld holds a sox lamp, which is used to keep the reflection of city light on the sky at a minimum so the stars can be seen from the Lick Observatory. Topol holds a red fluorescent tube used in nightclubs and restaurants.

Batteries n Bulbs keeps on going despite bad economy

By Pallavi Somusetty

Though the idea for a batteries and light bulbs store didn't come to Steve Topol in a flash of bright light, he and his wife, Regi, now know anything and everything about their products as the owners of Batteries n Bulbs.

Topol bought the specialty store five years ago from Leonard Greenberg, who opened up shop on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale in 1992 with Mitch Neufeld, who now works at the store as a sales associate. Back then the store was called Bulb Store Inc. and only sold light bulbs.

A year and a half ago, Topol decided to bring batteries into the picture and changed the store's name to Batteries n Bulbs.

The store has customers all over the world, says Topol. Seventy-five percent of their business is with companies, though local customers visit the store on a regular basis.

Topol says customers will usually visit the shop carrying small appliances, like phones or lamps, that need a bulb or a battery and they don't know what product they need.

"There are thousands of bulbs and batteries, but the customer doesn't care about that. We try to 'uncomplicate' it for them," says Neufeld.

Topol says the shop gets many customers from Orchard Supply Hardware and other local stores. "We don't compete with their business because we don't sell their products," says Topol.

For instance, Batteries n Bulbs sells holiday lights year-round, and, according to Topol, the store sells more during the summer than during the winter, for graduations and weddings.

The specialty store has seen a downturn in sales because of the economy, Topol says. "Business is not as robust as it was because so much of our business is done with other businesses." Many companies have closed shop in the past couple of years, forcing the store to find other ways to market their products.

Their online store has helped the shop through the rough economy, Topol says. "The Internet is a marvelous commerce tool. It's a win-win situation. People in small towns have access to products all over the world," he says.

And Batteries n Bulbs sells products that many other places just can't compete with, like European light bulbs or energy saver bulbs that can rescue PG&E customers from high-energy bills. "People are starting to realize they can get the same amount of light from a bulb that uses less energy," Topol says.

Thomas Edison would be proud.

Batteries n Bulbs is located at 1111 W. El Camino Real in Sunnyvale. For more information, call 408.739.5067 or visit www.batteriesnbulbs.com.