55 West 13th Street - © Vincenzo Aiosa
In 1925, many of the smaller decorative lighting companies formed a trade association they called the N.O.M.A. (See The NOMA Story for more information). The name stood for the National Outfit Manufacturer’s Association, and the association members were hopeful that in joining together, they could pool advertising resources and purchasing power, thereby proving to be an effective competitor to Morris and his company, as well as other Christmas lighting manufacturers.
The years 1925 and 1926 were quite successful ones for the NOMA consortium. In 1926, the members voted to form a single operating concern: The NOMA Electric Corporation. In 1927, the corporation sold stock on the open market for the first time. Although NOMA Electric was now technically a bigger operation than was the M. Propp Company, the Propp name was still forefront in the public’s mind when it came to quality electric Christmas lighting outfits. The NOMA brand was only a year old, and during their first years of operation the company was selling out of the stock of the smaller businesses that were involved in its formation….
A war-weary public, tired of having to make-do with their old Christmas lights, eagerly snapped up almost every lighting set NOMA could make in 1946 and 1947, and the company enjoyed two sellout years before they could finally begin to catch up with demand in 1948. NOMA was now ordering more than 85 million lamps a year from General Electric alone. Although NOMA had 41 competitors by 1950, they were still able to hold on to more than 35% of the electric Christmas lighting market, an astounding market share that any company in business today would be thrilled to be able to accomplish.
In 1953, Business Week magazine interviewed Henri Sadacca, Chairman of the Board of NOMA Electric Corporation, and Joseph A. Ward, President of NOMA LITES Incorporated. NOMA Electric had created their new Christmas light division, NOMA Lites, in order to keep that business separate from their many other divisions in operation at the time.
During the War years, Sadacca had been buying up different companies, running them all under the NOMA Electric Corporation umbrella. Some of these companies included the Ansonia Electrical Company (electric wire and cable), the previously mentioned Triumph Industries (bombs, munitions and fireworks), the Estate Stove Company (electric and gas ranges), the Refrigeration Corporation of America (home freezers), Effanbee Incorporated (among their products was Noma, the talking doll), and the Ward Heater Company (home heating equipment). NOMA Lites Incorporated carried on NOMA Electric Corporation’s Christmas lighting and decoration business under the direction of Ward, who was personally selected for the task by Sadacca.
Also during this time, Sadacca started an independent plastics molding plant, which supplied the plastic light shades, decorations and novelty item components to NOMA Lites. It was called TICO Plastics, was named after Henri Sadacca’s nephew Tico, and was owned by Leon Sadacca, Henri’s brother. The factory did quite well. In the mid 50s, Saul Blitz took over the company in a leveraged buy out, and it became financially independent of NOMA Electric Corporation and NOMA Lites Incorporated. The factory continued in operation at 55 West 13th Street in New York City until 1971. – Old Christmas Lights – NOMA Story
Vintage NOMA Christmas Candolier mini window Candelabra 10 candles - Ebay
Google Books © Life Magazine
Life Magazine - May 2, 1955
Popular Mechanics - September 1945
Popular Mechanics - September 1945 - Google Books
Popular Mechanics - March 1945
Saul Blitz was an American businessman and manufacturer in the plastics industry. In the mid-1950s, Saul Blitz took over TICO Plastics, a division of NOMA (a plastics molding plant that made plastic light shades, decorations and novelty item components to NOMA Lites) in a leveraged buy out. TICO Plastics became financially independent of NOMA Electric Corporation and NOMA Lites Incorporated. The factory continued in operation at 55 West 13th Street in New York City until 1971. – Saul Blitz Collection of Plastic Patents – Syracuse University Library
Best viewed during or just after it rains © Vincenzo Aiosa
