Devon Trading Company Blog
Introducing our Lumen Mundi 2022 Fall Catalog
Dear Friends,
We are so excited to share our 2022 Fall Catalog with you. We have been very busy here at Lumen Mundi with our acquisition of Devon Trading Company and the expansion of our product lines.
We are excited to introduce many new products in this digital catalog, with even more new items coming soon. You can expect us to deliver the same great quality with even more products. Today we offer more than 10,000 items across the Holyland Treasures family of companies: Tuscan Hills, Lumen Mundi and now Devon Trading.
While we do appreciate your patience as we continue to integrate these new products into our line, our fall 2022 catalog is our first opportunity to feature some of the Devon products that we have access to, and have recently added; but please know, all the Devon products you know and love are currently in production and we hope to have them in our warehouse and ready for shipment shortly.
We encourage you to reach out to your sales representative or our customer service team if you have any questions, and, as always, our websites are available to you 24 hours a day.
Click here: https://7b1e0775.flowpaper.com/2022LMFallcatalog/
Yours in Christ,
Gabrielle and the Lumen Mundi/Devon teams
A History of Devon, originally published 8/29/2006
From an article, originally published in Church Supply magazine 8/29/2006
“In America, there a chance for everyone” was David Orzech’s motto when he founded Devon Trading Corporation in 1951. A Holocaust survivor for Poland, David came to America in 1948 and began working for is uncle and aunt who owned a Catholic goods business. After a few years, David decided to go out on his own with twin partner, Sol Gorki and Joseph Speisman.
Their business was originally located in Manhattan and specialized in importing rosary beads, and rosaries and selling them to stores across the country. David and Joseph worked as salesmen, covering the Eastern Seaboard/Midwest and Western states, respectively, while Sol took care of the warehouse and shipping. David’s wife Sophie sometimes worked for the company was well, assembling rosaries at home while she cared for their daughters Fran and Susan.
In character with David’s eagerness to change and develop, Devon was the first company to being importing Italian pewter in the 1960’s and eventually expanded to include items such as nativities and statues. David was also a pioneer in the development of rosary styles and variety. Being the first to import rosaries from Czechoslovakia, a glass capital of the world, David greatly expanded the selection of rosary styles available to the public. This remains a hallmark of the company.
In the early 1970’s Devon encountered a series of changes when Joseph Speisman suddenly passed away. It was around this time that Devon hired it’s first salesmen. Dr. Stephen Felegy joined the company and began covering the Southeast and Western states. He was an extraordinary salesman who was on the road for about ten months each year. David also cut back on his travels because he needed to spend more time in the office and Dick McAllister was hired to cover the mid-west. David busied himself with traveling to Europe to look for more suppliers often spending over a month abroad each year. In 1979 Devon published its first catalogue.
During the 1980’s, Fran, Susan, and Sol’s son Martin began to work in the business, benefitting from the experience they had gathered working at Devon during the summers as teenagers. They were soon joined by Susan’s husband, Andy Leichter. In 1985, Sol Gorki retired and his son left to pursue other interests.
The 1990’s brought many changes and a large expansion of the Communion line. Recognizing a void in the market, Devon contracted an artist and undertook the task of developing a brand new Communion book with original artwork and text. In 1996, Devon published a unique Communion book, which was the first new book to come out on the market in many years.
The booming business had expanded and found larger quarters in New Jersey. Devon bought its own building in North Caldwell, New Jersey in 1995. The beautiful building’s exterior has even been shown on the popular television show, The Sopranos. Devon developed an innovative line of statues depicting Jesus playing various sports with children. These statues were featured on the Today Show with Jay Leno, several afternoon TV Talk shows and appeared as a recurrent theme on the Conan O’Brien show. Devon was also honored to be chosen to provide religious souvenirs for all of the recent Papal visits to New York. When John Paul II las visited the New York area, Devon was selected to provide over 150,000 special commemorative rosaries. The promoters of the event noted that all the various official souvenirs offered for sale at that time, the rosaries were the only items that were successful.
David continued to work hard at Devon for years until he passed away in in early 2000, leaving the business to Fran and Susan. The women along with Andy continue to run the business in keeping with David’s hard-working qualities. As they look ahead to the future, they will strive to continue David’s guiding principles of always providing their customers with excellent products and outstanding service at the best prices.
Lumen Mundi Announces the Acquisition of Devon Trading Company Assets
May 23rd, 2022
Lumen Mundi, the industry leader in Catholic religious gifts is excited to announce that they have completed the purchase of the assets of Devon Trading Company.
For over 70 years, Devon has represented both quality and customer service. Devon has always been there to provide unique items for those special moments for your customers, and, with this asset purchase, will continue to do so into the future.
Lumen Mundi is proud to add the Devon product lines to their family of products and ensure the same quality, selection, and customer service you have come to expect. We are excited to continue the Devon tradition.
Gabrielle Smith, President & Chief Happiness Officer, Lumen Mundi said: “Lumen Mundi is committed to continue the tradition Devon has built over the past 70+ years. We will continue providing and supporting Devon’s current products and policies, and want to ensure that the relationships built over the past 70 years continue to flourish with the addition of Devon to the Lumen Mundi family of brands.”
About Lumen Mundi
Lumen Mundi is an industry leading importer and wholesaler of Catholic gifts, and has been serving the industry for over 25 years. As a leader in custom and specialty gifts, Lumen Mundi has led with quality and innovation, with exceptional products from Italy and around the world.
About Devon Trading Company
Devon has been at the forefront of developing fine inspirational gifts for the Catholic Christian market. Leading in-house designers and product experts develop customized designs for specific needs. Devon is known for the most extensive line of rosaries and fine wood crucifixes in the US today.
Contact Information:
Tiffani Taylor
info@lumenmundi.com