Tales from the Shark Tank

If you watch the popular TV show Shark Tank on December 12th, you may see a familiar face. Scarsdale's Howard Adler will appear on the show with investor Daymond John and inventor Morri Chowalki who stopped by Adler's office for an update on a product that made its debut on Shark Tank in December, 2013.

At the time, Morri Chowalki was selected from hundreds of candidates to pitch his idea for a "Hanukkah Tree Topper" on the show. He was successful in getting funding from entrepreneur Daymond John to launch the product which is a Star of David that sits on top of a Christmas tree. The product is targeted at interfaith families where one spouse celebrates Christmas, and the other Hannukah.

With funds in hand, Morri met Howard Adler who couldn't have been a more perfect partner to produce the interfaith tree topper. Adler and his brother Cliff, also of Scarsdale, run Kurt S. Adler, a leading producer of Christmas ornaments, lights and collectibles. Though these two are Jewish they could easily be called the Kings of Christmas as they dominate the market for Christmas goods. Their products are sold throughout the U.S. and the world.

The Hanukkah Tree Topper is now produced in two varieties – the original silver star of David and a stained glass star that lights up and is powered by batteries. Adler reports that though the market for the product is limited to families of mixed faiths, it is selling nicely and will continue to be sold in upcoming years.

Adler told us that the Shark Tank crew came to his showroom a few weeks ago and filmed him speaking to Morri and Daymond for hours – but assumes it will be edited down to a short clip to be aired on the December 12th show.

In the meantime, if you're looking for a Hanukkah Tree Topper for your Christmas tree, they are in stock at Bed and Bath in Elmsford and available on Amazon.