How Harry Novak Grew a Business

Harry Novak, ready to open his new business in the year 1939, hired a young, inexperienced sign maker to create a banner for the storefront. Upon completion, Harry noted that the letter ‘c’ had mistakenly been included.

Others might have engaged in wild tantrums and angry outbursts, but not with this gentle and kind soul. Harry paid for the sign with a smile. He accepted the error without complaint. He may even have viewed the bungle as destiny, or divine intervention.

Could Harry have known how bright his business future was going to be?

Perhaps the “c” was the key, and this is how Novack's came to be. The rest, as you will see, is...

...History & Melodic Beginnings

Harry’s store opened as a combination music/luggage enterprise. Harry in truth was an accomplished violinist longing to express his talents; however, an existence as ‘starving artist’ did not appeal. Having watched his parents operate a successful music/luggage business in Toronto in the early 1900s, young Harry chose London for a similar calling.

Harry Meets Surplus

World War II broke out not long after Novack's opened in 1939. Harry cleverly elected to sell musical instruments to the military for use by its musical bands.   After the war ended, he bought back the instruments as 'surplus' merchandise. This relationship enabled him to purchase other army surplus products for farmers to buy at splendid savings.

The ingenious union of Novack's and "army surplus" hence began.

When the Levi Breaks: Novack's Gets Hip(pie)

With apologies to Led Zeppelin intact, in the new and psychedelic 1960s, a younger generation suddenly scrambled into the store in a crazed search for funky "surplus" offerings and Levi’s jeans. Once again, Novack's met the needs of its changing public, with a whole host of groovy goods, dig?

By the late 1960s, the fashion rage evolved to military clothing. This time Novack's offered a newly politically aware youth a wide range of military items with which to express “non-combat’ declarations of peace and love.

Ah, the Life of Leisure

Once the Vietnam War ended and anti-war protests faded away, a huge cultural shift took place, with the rise of recreational and travel interests.

Was Novack's caught with its military pants down? Not on your tent pegs. The store had a full and growing line of recreational and travel products at the ready, to greet a now leisure-oriented and travel-hungry public.

And the Selections, They Go Round and Round...

Today, Novack's features a huge variety of merchandise, complimented by its travel and outdoor bookstore, travel outfitting department, touring and trip program, and traditional functional seasonal apparel products... a veritable mecca for the travel and recreation enthusiast. Novack's continues to reflect the contemporary culture of our time…as always.

"C" how we’ve grown?

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