EJS Lighting Glow-Bal Sphere

There are a few houses in the neighborhood that are getting some work done and in the Austin tradition, they're putting out the old stuff out on the curb with a "free" sign next to it. Usually it's stuff that only contractors or serious DIYers would want. But this weekend my wife walked in the door saying, "Look what the neighbors were giving away."


How could we not take it? It's perfect. Well, OK, it's not perfect in the "doesn't need a good scrubbing with some gentle dish soap" sense, but it's perfect in the "authentic mid-century globe light" sense.

This mid-century globe light used to hang in front of a house it had no business being on – a colonial that was probably built in the 1930s and probably had this light added in the 1950s – but it's perfect for our mid-century ranch.


I went looking for a maker's mark and a first I didn't think I found anything. There's this really cool "Union Made" sticker that too small to actually read.


And this Underwriters Laboratories Inc. sticker, but they're a product safety facility, not a manufacturer. 


On a whim I thought, "I wonder what EJS means?" So a little google magic later and I know that this is an EJS Lighting globe light. And then something in the back of my brain said, "You know the name EJS Lighting." That's when it clicked, EJS Lighting made the Stockholm lights:


Which were it inspiration for some Rejuvenation lighting, including the Corona lights (which were my backup lights in case I was never able to find a pair of Moe honeycomb lights). In Rejuvenation's description of the Corona lights they said, "The EJS line included hip hourglass chandeliers, classic pull-downs, elegant Swedish-glass shades, and the iconic 'Glow-Bal' sphere pendants."

I can't find anything additional about EJS Lighting Glow-Bal globe lights, but if I had to guess, I'd say I'm the proud owner of one.

17 comments:

  1. Nice score!!!! And most excellent Google skills.

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  2. Just found this while googling mid century lighting. I can tell you what EJS stood for because it was my dad's company. It stood for Electrical Jobber Supply. Originally started on East Pico Blvd in downtown LA in the 1950's and then moved to Compton. The company was a true American manufacturer and made their products from raw material through finishing. At one time they were one of the largest residential decorative lighting companies in the US. Ultimately the company closed down in the very early 90's when most of the lighting industry moved to the Far East.

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    1. Hi. By any chance do you know if the 1959 Stockholm series manufactured by EJS ever came in white? Or, was it always brass? Thanks!

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    2. I've only ever seen the originals in brass. That doesn't mean white wasn't an option though. The modern-day remakes come in white and my Glow-Bal Sphere has white metal on it. So there's a chance they came in white too; I just haven't seen it before. If you've seen a Stockholm fixture with the EJS stamp above, there's a good chance it's the real thing.

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  3. I thought that "EJS" stood for Edward J Spicer? Wasn't he the company founder? Just something I remember for some time ago.

    By the way;

    "Curtis-Electro Lighting" produced many retro-lighting fixtures in the early 1960s. At one time I believe they were one of the largest lighting manufactures in the US.

    However they went bankrupt some time ago. I would love to see more related to this company, as they had a very artistic logo in particular.

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  4. I also bought two ejs lighting fixtures at a estate sale.Trying to price them for resale now.I bought them 1 block from President's Obama residence in Chicago.






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  5. I worked at EJS Lighting in the 1970's when it was on Pico and then moved to Compton. Edward Spicer was the vice president of the company. EJS stood for electrical jobbers supply. Mr. Cohen was the founder.

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    1. That's great info. I was wondering what the EJS stood for. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. how do I get a replacement clear glass globe (6in) for the chandelier?

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    1. Your best bet is a local lighting store if you're looking to replace it with a new globe or someplace like ebay if you want a vintage replacement.

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  7. Hi, just perusing the internet, as I have a 1960's EJS Lighting Catalog, and have a picture of the Glo-Ball Globe Lights in the magazine if you would be interested in seeing it.

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    1. I would love to see that. Would you mind sending it to: MadForMidCentury@gmail.com

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    2. Hello. Would your catalog happen to have any of their adjustable cylinder head lights in them? The mono points. If so I’d love to see a picture!!

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  8. Hello. I would love to see if your catalog from Ejs has any images of their cylinder adjustable spotlight. If so, please email me! Theneveryears@gmail.com

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  9. Hi all, just came across this blog today and wanted to comment. EJS Lighting stood for Electrical Jobber Supply and was started by Nathan Cohan and my dad Edward Spicer in the late 1940's. Nathan was a road rep for lighting company from Brooklyn and my dad was the head of the machine shop after arriving from Europe (and surviving the holocaust). Nathan convinced my dad to move to CA and work for him. Within a few years my dad became a partner and they grew the company. I purchased the company from them with a partner in the early 1990's. Sadly the company didn't last too long as our unwillingness to move to China and devotion to manufacturing in our CA facility along with a bad banking relationship finished us off. Throughout the 1940's, 50's, 60's, 70's and into the mid 1980's EJS was a leading decorative lighting manufacturer with a large national following.
    Thanks all for bringing back those memories.

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    1. What a great family story. Your company made some fantastic lights. Thanks for sharing.

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