The Morris Propp Story
continued
<>By the
time the ad pictured on the right ran in the November 1921 issue of The
Electrical Record, the Propp brothers were in offices at 524-528
Broadway in New York City. Greatly expanded offices and manufacturing
facilities were the fruit of Morris' extensive advertising campaign,
and by now the Company was well on its way to becoming the largest
manufacturer of Christmas lighting outfits the world had ever known. It
was hard to imagine that little more than a decade had passed since
Morris Propp was running his small gas light fixture operation. Here is the classic offering from the Propp brothers, and is circa 1924. Santa Claus himself is pictured prominently on the front cover of the box, proclaiming "FOR SAFETY SAKE, DEMAND PROPP ELECTRICAL DECORATIVE SETS." The safety warnings were more against the use of "unapproved" electrical outfits rather than candles, but it is still interesting to note that even by this time, electrical illumination was far from universal in the United States. Electrical mishaps were almost as common as were accidents caused by open flame illumination, and those manufacturers who really wanted to sell their electrical wares were wise to conform to the Underwriter's standards for manufacturing and safety. Morris proudly employed family members in his business, and, along with his brother, many cousins and other family members immigrating to the United States were given good, solid starts through employment within his Company. One family member, writing of her father's sister and her immigration to the US from Lithuania, described Morris as a "very well to do relative who manufactured electrical devices like Christmas tree lights." The woman was most appreciative of the kind help that Morris extended to family. She went on to say that Morris was "very successful", and "wore black silk suits, and had an almost Chinese cast of features..." The sister's son, Louis Gordon, was quite involved in the day-to-day operation of the Propp company. In the early 1920s, many small companies sought to capitalize on Morris Propp's successes and the public's increasing interest in electric Christmas lights, and there were many offerings of these sets, most of them quite similar to each other. Here are some 1921 advertisements from just a few of the competing companies: As you can see from the ads, most of the companies had their own forms of "interconnecting" devices, which allowed multiple strings of lights to be connected together. And again, the Propp outfits were always "approved by the Underwriters," while some of the sets from the competition were not. Below are a few more advertisements used by the M. Propp Company: In 1925, many of the smaller decorative lighting companies formed a trade association they called NOMA. 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 first
sold stock on the open market. Below is pictured a lighting outfit from
their first year of operation as that new company: 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 now only two years 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. In 1927, NOMA first sold products under their own name. Starting in this same year, Morris again showed his shrewd business savvy by quietly buying large amounts of NOMA stock on the open market. His brother Louis did the same, and they continued to operate their company, increasing their advertising and holding their own against NOMA Electric. But as time progressed, it became obvious that the bigger company would soon be able to sell their light sets at a lower cost than could the Propp brothers. In 1928, Morris and Louis Propp agreed to merge with NOMA Electric, virtually assuring the success of both companies. NOMA Electric had the buying power and advertising resources, and Morris Prop had the uncanny ability for making incredibly smart business decisions. The brothers received a huge block of NOMA stock in the merger, and combined with their previous holdings, now owned controlling interest in the company that was originally competing against them. Morris Propp became the President of NOMA Electric in 1929, and held that position until his death. Morris Propp was not only a most effective businessman, but was a devout Jew and philanthropist as well. Besides helping many of his family members as they immigrated to America for a more promising life, he established the Propp Foundation "to aid and assist charitable and religious corporations, and religious schools and institutions that aid and support the sick and the poor." The foundation also supported scholarships and aid to students and universities. Both Morris and Louis Propp were well respected by their family and by the community. It has been written that Morris "enjoyed the highest reputation for character and integrity" and of his brother, Louis, that "he spent a lifetime showing concern for and making unselfish contributions to his fellow man..."
End of Section |
TABLE OF CONTENTS HISTORY THE TIMELINE MANUFACTURER'S HISTORIES THE PATENT PAGES THE PRE-ELECTRIC ERA VINTAGE ADVERTISING THE LIGHT SET GALLERIES RELATED LINKS |
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