Lee Nemeth & Partners Launch Arabela Lighting to Debut at Lightovation

You know how it is in the decorative lighting industry — no one ever really retires, or at least it takes a few tries first.

As lighting veteran Lee Nemeth told Lighting News Now, “I was comfortably retired after almost 20 years with ELK Home. I was busy traveling and playing golf and enjoying retirement. Then one day, I was speaking with a good friend of mine who thought the lighting business needed a source with a higher-end transitional to contemporary exciting product line that was in stock and ready to ship.”

 That’s all it took to get Nemeth’s attention. “Having lighting in my veins, first as a senior lighting buyer for Home Depot’s Expo Design Center and then as a senior vice president with ELK, I thought it made sense, too,” he explained. “We continued our discussions and after a few months, we decided to move [the idea] forward and took the name Arabela Lighting.”

The name interested Nemeth – who serves as executive vice president of the new company – on several levels. “Arabela has a couple of different meanings, but the one like best is ‘loveable.’ I have taken this to be a labor of love in developing the product and setting up this company, in an industry I love with product that is at the forefront of today’s design. So here we are, prepared to launch this exciting and sophisticated collection of decorative lighting that is made and designed with higher quality standards and top-tier materials for today’s interiors — whether residential or commercial,” he said.

As a long-time exhibitor (with Elk) at Dallas Market Center, Nemeth wanted to make the Arabela’s debut at Lightovation — and he will do so in a permanent showroom space on the fourth floor of the Trade Mart (TM 4311) starting with the June market.  

Nemeth and his business partners are excited to unveil a lighting brand that they believe will “redefine how lighting retailers and homeowners illuminate their spaces. Our vision was to create lighting that feels both elevated and timeless.” He added, “We know we bring a wealth of knowledge to Arabela Lighting and we believe the product line fills a void at the  higher-end of the lighting market with products that are unique in design and constructed in standards above what is currently in the marketplace.”

At a time when everyone in the industry is focused on tariffs, Lighting News Now had to bring the topic up. “Because of the current tariff situation, we need to be nimble in where our products are made, and at the same time bring a product to market that meet the high standards we demand,” Nemeth stated. “We believe that the tariff situation – while being very disruptive to our business right now, and to all other lighting companies which are feeling the same pressures – is not sustainable for the USA and the rest of the world, including China, as it negatively impacts production, delivery, and hurts the pocketbooks of the consumer.  We are looking for the tariff situation to ease off in the coming months,” Nemeth said.

June Lightovation attendees will be able to view the line in person at the Arabela Lighting showroom, and Nemeth noted that the company is prepared to ship quickly.

For more information, visit www.ArabelaLighting.com or email Sales@arabelalighting.com