News from the
Hearl of America
By B. K. ANDERSON
14
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
KANSAS CITY. (RC)-Thanksgiving-
the big turkey, cranberry sauce, and
all the trimmings - trimmings that in-
clude not only the hot platter and as-
sorted dishes that make over-indulg-
ence practically compulsory, but trim-
mings that give every indication of
making themselves felt long after this
season of feasting and hot gridiron
rivalries is past. In short, several of the
biggest developments in coin machine
history in these parts are under-way.
There has, for the past two months,
been an undercurrent of excitement
around operators' and jobbers' head-
quarters. It began shortly after local
authorities cast unfriendly eyes in the
direction of payout equipment. Every
operator knew that there was to be a
mild revolution in coin machine opera-
tion hereabouts. The immediate result
was the surge of new bulk vendors that
found thousands of new locations over-
night.
Practically every operator in this
vicinity now has a strong holding in
these merchandise vending machines.
And few, indeed, are the operators, who
have just recently taken to this equip-
ment, who are not now saying: "Why
the heck didn't I have some of these
all along?"
Manufacturers throughout this sec-
tion, always alert to operator needs
and anxious to anticipate future trends,
not only have shifted all the units of
their plants into production of this type
of equipment but are running at capa-
city. There is at the present no acute
shortage in this immediate vicinity, but
several rural sections in Kansas,
Nebraska, and Missouri have reported
that delivery is not what it was early
this year.
John Niedecken, Falls City (Nebraska)
operator, in Kansas City on a recent
business trip reported that there is an
actual scarcity of new equipment in his
territory. And says that this doesn't
add up because there is actually more
money in, and being spent, throughout
his section of the farm-belt than at any
time in the past eight years.
A further proof of what this added
billions of dollars in farm receipts this
year is doing for operators was brought
out by the November opening of Sport-
land in Richmond, Missouri.
Sportland, owned and operated by
Charles Brown, Richmond operator, is
a recreation center devoted entirely to
coin machines. It literally sparkled into
existence November 12, with a grand
opening attended not only by local
coin machine men, but by several
thousand of the local citizenry. At the
much-publicized opening the ladies
were decidedly in the majority. Each
was presented with a rose. But the
crowd was so much greater than antici-
pated that, in less than two hours after
the opening the 600 roses were gone,
and a mad rush to local florists prac-
tically depleted their entire stock of car-
nations.
Joe Winton, of United Amusement Co.,
who passed out the flowers to the
guests at Sportland's opening, says he
is still just a little groggy to find that
there are over a thousand ladies in the
town of Richmond alone that are in-
terested in coin machines. And taking
the very conservative estimate that
there are two men to every w oman in-
terested in coin machine entertainment,
Brown's Richmond ::jportland should
have a very prosperous outlook for the
future.
There was a young operator from Bombay
Who came to America to stay,
Said he, aLet me know
Just where at the show
Is $100.00 in prizes given away?"
".
See Page 22·
Through Carl Hoelzel's United Amuse-
ment Co. passed the equipment that is
now in Sportland, and not least among
the official greeters at the grand open-
ing was Carl.
The COIN MACHINE REVIEW and all
coin machine interests throughout the
Missouri Valley join in wishing Brown
and his Sportland the very best of suc-
cess. And if that grand opening and
million dollar display of equipment is
any criterion, they'll certainly have it
Announcement of another develop-
ment along this line has been made by
Messrs. Mason and Crummett for their
Central Distributing Co. They announce
that agreements have been reached
whereby they will take over the store-
room formerly occupied by Midwest
Novelty Co. at 1322 Main Street, Kan-
sas City, Missouri. This location is in
the heart of Kansas City's business and
theatre district.
This venture, also to be known as
Sportland, will be a recreational center
devoted entirely to coin machines of a
merchandising and entertainment na-
ture. It will feature large and expensive
equipment such a s bowling games, pop
corn machines, photograph machines,
weighing and fortune-telling machines,
ray guns, music boxes, baseball games,
etc.
There will be no direct payouts, but
awards for skill will be made in a man-
ner to stimulate play. All are nickel
play machines.
This Kansas City Sportland is ex-
pected by its owners to prove an ideal
trying ground for machines that come
on the market in the future. It will not
only allow them to stand the test of
competition alongside of older proven
machines, but will also give them a
chance to observe first-hand the prob-
lems that will be encountered in op-
erating the equipment.
Central Distributing Co. offices, stock
and display rooms will remain at the
same West Linwood address. This ad-
dress will also continue to be the com-
pany's operating headquarters.
Central also reports music machine
receipts continue to be strong and that
there is a very favorable outlook for
music operators for the winter season.
Bowling games also give every promise
of coming into ' their own now that the
space they occupy is well paid for both
from the coin boxes and the extra cus-
tomers they attract. Central gives as
proof of this popularity the fact that
three carloads of Skee-Ball have passed
through their storerooms in the past
three months. Some are being operated
by Central and others have been sold
to local operators. Taverns are the
(See KANSAS CITY, Page 22)