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THE NOMA
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On October 29, 1929 the American stock market dramatically crashed. Within the first few hours of the Market's opening, it fell so far as to wipe out all the gains that had been made in the previous year. Since the Stock Market was viewed as the chief indicator of the health of the American economy, public confidence was understandably shattered. Between October 29 and November 13 (when stock prices hit their lowest point) over 30 billion dollars had disappeared from the American economy. It was to take nearly twenty-five years for many stocks to recover. Every American company had their work cut out for them, but especially NOMA. Realistically speaking, the Company did not make goods considered essential for day to day living. To make matters worse, the Company's business was largely seasonal, consisting of many months of pure manufacturing, all for a mere two months worth of selling. Suddenly, far fewer families could afford luxuries like electric Christmas lights, let alone find the money to pay the electric bill. Food, clothing and shelter became the priority, and Christmas celebrations were soon to become mere ghosts of what they once were for many families. With the Crash beginning just two days before NOMA's third selling season began, the outlook was bleak. Company President Morris Propp directed that NOMA Electric immediately increase the Company's advertising efforts, emphasizing the importance of a properly celebrated Christmas in trying times such as these. Ad copies were filled with warm and cozy family scenes, with children happily gathered around a well lit tree.
The advertisements worked. NOMA enjoyed surprisingly strong sales in 1929, and continued to do well through the Depression years. The company management showed excellent flexibility, responding to changing market conditions and consumer trends with aplomb. NOMA catalogs during this time were colorful, well laid out, and each year brought new products and innovations. It seemed that NOMA alone was keeping the Christmas lighting industry vitalized, and other, smaller companies scrambled to keep up with them. It was actually during these years that NOMA firmly established itself as the leading Christmas light manufacturer in the world. With the advent of World War II in 1941, all American companies, NOMA included, turned their attentions to the War effort. Due to wartime materials restrictions, NOMA was unable to make Christmas lights. Advertisements from the company in Life magazine declared that "With Peace, NOMA Christmas lighting products would be back..." The company was able to manufacture a line of wooden toys during the War years, and also, surprisingly, manufactured bombs and fireworks under their newly-formed Triumph Industries division.
It is ironic to note that NOMA-manufactured bombs were used in the War to heavily damage many Japanese factories, figural Christmas light factories included. Those same factories would later rebuild, and their products, imported quite cheaply in the 1950s and 60s, were to become one of the major factors in the eventual bankruptcy of NOMA Lites, Incorporated.
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Note: OldChristmasTreeLights? and FamilyChristmasOnline? are trademarks of Breakthrough Communications? (www.btcomm.com).
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