Nova Lighting Resource For Contemporary Lamps Celebrates 80th Anniversary

Furniture World Magazine

NOVA Lighting, a leading resource of contemporary, medium-priced portable lighting for the residential furniture and lighting markets, is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. This announcement was made by Daniel Edelist, President of the firm. Founded 1923 in Brooklyn, NY, the firm was originally established as NOVA Manufacturing Company by Murray Langbaum, his brother-in-law David Moskowitz, and Murray's brother Israel Langbaum. The three young men started with very little money in their pockets, but they were loaded with ambition and drive. Originally established as a supplier of velvet paintings and custom-made tablepads, the firm sold their product line to furniture stores. To meet customers' needs and expand their line, the three gentlemen entered into the lighting business by supplying lamps to their extensive furniture store customer base throughout the 1920s. Izzy Leviton, founder of Leviton Manufacturing, helped the family get into the lamp business by supplying them with lamp sockets and other components, but most importantly, he offered them credit. Mr. Leviton, a very generous man, had a great reputation for helping many people get started in the lighting business. The business did well through the depression years and NOVA's wholesale showrooms were opened in all major furniture markets including High Point, NC, the NY Furniture Exchange (200 Lexington Ave, NYC), and America's Furniture Mart in Chicago. Israel Langbaum and David Moscowitz spent much of their time selling the line on the road, while Murray ran the factory, which was located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. After the firm saturated the New York metropolitan market, David traveled throughout upstate New York selling lamps while Israel focused on the mid-Atlantic region, from New Jersey to Washington D.C. The line featured inexpensive ceramic lamps, retail priced from $3.95 to $6.95 each, and was expanded to include floor lamps and torchieres, with retail prices from $4.95 to $29.95. After World War II, the Brooklyn plant was expanded into a vertically integrated operation, adding electroplating, painting, shade production and assembly. The firm's in-house designers developed a lamp line in metal, ceramic and wood, specifically designed for furniture stores, including JC Penney, Sears, and Polk Bros. Driven by an aggressive national sales force, NOVA became a major player in the industry. After the Korean War, Murray Langbaum's son, Larry, joined the firm which was preparing for further expansion. In the mid-1950s, the firm continued expansion and purchased Kirkwood Industries, a California-based maker of lamps with molded fiberglass shades. Mel Moskowitz, son of David Moskowitz, relocated to the west coast to run Kirkwood, which began operating under a new name, NOVA of California. In 1957, tragedy struck and the facility burned down, but they were able to overcome this setback through sheer determination. They built a new facility in a matter of months and kept the business operating through the transition. Mel was joined by his father, David, in the early 1960s, and the West coast business continued operation-- producing lamps crafted of fiberglass, plexiglass and acrylic. It was among the first to introduce pole lamps and tree lamps-- many offered with unique mixed media and innovative designs. Years later, the company also developed a successful line of room dividers. Meanwhile the eastern company expanded its customer base throughout the 1960s and the 1970s, and became a supplier to national chains, such as WalMart, Target, and Woolco. One of the early importers of desk lamps and lamp parts from Japan and Taiwan, the firm also manufactured chair valets for Montgomery Ward, Sears, and J.C. Penney. In 1983, Larry Langbaum closed the New York operation and established a successful manufacturer's sales agency for the New York metropolitan market. In the late 1970s, Mel Moskowitz began experimenting with Arc lamps, importing arms and shades from Italy, and eventually, producing most of its components, including bases, in its Los Angeles factory. Although it experienced ups and downs throughout the 1970s, the West coast company soon became a major supplier of arc lamps to national chains such as Levitz, Wicks, and J.C. Penney. With the success of the arc lamp category and its widening distribution, the company grew dramatically in the 1980s, under the Moscowitz ownership. At the height of its success, the company was sold to a buyout group in 1989. For the next four years, it experienced a steep decline until 1993 when Daniel Edelist, an MBA graduate of UCLA, acquired the company after serving with larger international firms in Asia. A year later, Larry Langbaum was reunited with the firm when he joined the NOVA sales team as a rep in the NY metro area. Mr. Edelist purchased the firm as a turnaround venture and managed to maintain the firm's good name and stellar reputation. Under Mr. Edelist's outstanding leadership, the firm continued to use the NOVA Lighting name and built a solid organizational foundation and infrastructure required to compete in the changing business environment. By hiring a well-trained and dedicated staff, forming a crack design team, revamping its marketing program and shifting dependence from domestic manufacturing to off-shore production, the company gradually came back to life. NOVA increased sales sixfold over the past ten years by focusing on building its brand of original designs and large scale contemporary portables at affordable pricing. In August 2000, NOVA Lighting acquired CBC Classic Brass, a leading contemporary, medium priced lamp manufacturer and supplier of table, floor and arc lamps. CBC Classics had long been NOVA's arch rival in the arc lamp category. By integrating CBC Classics under the NOVA Lighting umbrella, NOVA solidified its position as the leading manufacturer in the arc lamp category and expanded its distribution channels to include nearly 70 of the top 100 furniture retailers. Over the past several years, NOVA has been involved in joint ventures with two overseas lamp manufacturers, both ISO 9002-certified (International Organization for Standardization/Quality Assurance). These manufacturers have a tremendous breadth of production capabilities (die casting, sand casting, tube bending, sheet metalwork, woodworking, finishing, glass fabrication and resin casting), a commitment to “original design”, and the ability to prototype creatively and quickly. Whereas most competitors choose existing products off the shelves at various Chinese factories, NOVA designs, engineers and develops its own proprietary, copyrighted lamp styles, and continues to be vigilant and aggressive in protecting its intellectual properties. Today NOVA has evolved into a leading resource for exclusive contemporary and transitional portable lighting-- medium-priced coordinated collections that include accent and desk lamps, table and floor lamps, torchieres, arc lamps, and wall sconces. The firm strives to distinguish itself from both ends of the spectrum by offering high quality craftsmanship and larger scale, at affordable prices. All lamps are originals created by the prolific NOVA Lighting Design Team. The firm also offers in-house prototyping capabilities, including tube bending, hydrostone casting/sculpting, shade making, woodworking, finishing, and sheet metal fabrication. In that NOVA was a manufacturer for so many years, its production employees, many of whom have been with the company over 20 years, are highly skilled craftsmen and can prototype efficiently. With clean, well-crafted designs geared to medium-priced, contemporary retail stores, NOVA is one of the few contemporary lines integrating wood with other mediums and large scale metal urns mixed with glass and other mediums. With more than 300 unique styles, its vast line includes everything from mid-century modern forms, to functional floor and torchiere lamps, to lamps inspired by abacuses and schooners. Lamp bases are offered in Merlot and Natural woods, as well as a variety of handsome metal finishes-- Brushed Nickel, Antique Brass, Satin Brass, Wrought Iron, Polished Brass, Black Gloss, Bronze and more. Shades are offered in frosted and opal glass, colorful linen, printed paper and satin silver fabrics. However it's not just the wide range of metal and wood bases, or the fine fabric and glass shades, that distinguish this line-- it's the cleverly crafted combinations of mixed media and forms and their intriguing look, that spell fashion and style. NOVA has created table and floor lamps to match its best-selling arc lamps and these are offered in a broad range of options-- designed with two- or three-lights with metal, glass or acrylic shades in shapes ranging from mushrooms and saucers, to saturn rings. Arc lamps, which also include today's popular Mission and Mica designs, are defined as lamps featuring shades suspended from curved stems attached to their bases. The firm has also developed NOVA Kids, a strong line of juvenile-oriented table and floor lamps featuring American-made designs and contemporary styling. For more information, contact NOVA Lighting by phone at 323.277.6266, or by fax at 323.277.6270. Visit the website at www.novalamps.com Headquartered at 6323 Maywood Avenue, Huntington Park, CA 90255, NOVA Lighting retains showrooms in the International Home Furnishings Center, Showroom #H431, and in the San Francisco Design Center, Concourse, Showroom #514.