Kansas City
NOVELTY TABLES IN STRONG COME-
BACK . . . ST. JOE OPS GET ASSOCI-
ATED ... WAR-STRAIN NO WORRY ...
BABIES ARE GIRLS . . . MO-KAN HAS
MERCHANDISING IDEAS.
- - -- -B y B. K. ANDERSON- - - -
60
C OIN
M ACHINE
REVIEW
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (RC)-The big
question is now answered. For the past
three months about every operator in the
Missouri-Kansas area has been asking:
"What are .we going to operate this winter
beside automatic music?" And now that
the weather has tak-
en on a cooler tinge
and operators have
adjusted their
routes to the fall-
winter season, the
answer is NOVEL-
TY TABLES.
Few operators in
early sping believed
that the tables could
possibly hold their
great surge of pop-
ularity. "In the first
place," these oper-
8. K. Anderson
a tors said, "No free-
play tables unless,
they at least paid out merchandising
awards, ever lasted for more than a few
.months."
But now this belief is where it belongs
- in the waste paper basket. And operators
are convinced that the tables will not only
give them the most profitable season in late
years but will continue to build on their
popularity and stretch it out indefinitely.
There are several very good reasons for
this, they say: The tables are the most
trouble-free machines the manufacturers
·have ever designed. Through the use of
light, color and multiple appeal, they offer
the customer more for his money; and
since there is absolutely no objection to
them· anywhere, their appeal reaches a
much vaster field than was ever possible
before.
Perhaps the biggest news of the month
is the newly-formed Coin Machine Oper-
ators' Association of St. Joseph, Missouri.
For some time these operators in Mis-
souri's third largest city have eyed the
Kansas City unit, the new organization
of envy. Then they decided it w_as time to
-act. So; they asked K. C.'s president, Carl
Hoelzel, to assist them in setting up the
frame-work, and the new unit became fact.
Planned much after the fashion of the
Kansas City unit, the new organization
officers are: Harry Jones, president; D.
Liggett, vice-president; and E. Harris,
secretary and treasurer. Membership in
the St. Joe association is composed of
100% of the major operating firms in that
city; twelve of them, in all, are repre-
sented.
With the announcement of the new or-
ganization in St. Joseph, a half dozen other
communities in this section have begun
making fuller inquiries, and it is expected
that before the end of the year a dozen
such units will be operating in this vicinity.
In every case Carl Hoelzel has offered full-
est cooperation from the Kansas City asso-
ciation, and in most instances this he! p is
being accepted gladly and the groups are
being patterned after the initial organiza•
tion here.
Hobbies, Inc., the name of the K. C.
Association, held two board of directors'
meetings and one general session during
the Lucky Strike Hit Parade. Not only do
the past month. These meetings which are
music lovers like this information in ad-
held at the Hotel President, are now given
vance but also it increases the sales of
over mostly to discussions of such local
new records as well as that of the used
problems as the adjustment of commis•
discs.
sions.
Inside the building, Mo-Kan also does a
The United Amusement Company has
bit of clever merchandising. The walls
more than doubled its space allotted to
above the records are plastered with pic-
tures of the popular recording bands and
display of novelty tables. In the first place
their vocalists, and an automatic phono-
this is the initial check on popularity of
graph is arranged fo the display with its
the tables with the operators, who in this
case ·represent the customers, and in the
price marked. "Just the thing for a club or
recreation room, Price $000.000," reads the
second place operators are showing a strong
card offering it for sale.
preference for a wide variety of equipment.
T. J. Johnson, who until recently oper-
According to Messrs. Mason and Crum-
ated in -Tulsa, Okla., and is now operating
mitt, co-owners of Central Distributing
for the United Amusement Company in
Company, automatic music is still faF short
Kansas City, is still a little mystified by
of its saturation point in this vicinity. They
the way the novelty tables have taken hold.
say that sales are as strong as ever, even
He says, "We tried them in Tulsa without
. ahead of this time last year, and all indi-
pay-outs and they simply wouldn't go.
cations point to an increasing rather than
When they wrote and asked me to come up
a decreasing market.
to Kansas City and help operate them, I
In the past year this firm has more or
thought a long time before coming, and
less curbed its operating, formerly carried
now that I'm here I still don't believe it."
on over a large part of western Missouri,
In a new move at the Peerless Manufac-
to give more time to distributing the
turing Company and the Calder Sales Com-
phonos in this area.
From the Wichita, Kansas, branch of . pany a new unit has been formed and the
other two will no longer function as dis-
. Central, comes word that music profits out
tributors. The new unit is the General
there are again showing a 12-months' gain.
Vendor Manufacturing Company and is
Ralph Mason, brother of R. F., who has
located at the old address of 410 Archibald,
been - in charge of the office since it was
Kafisas • c;ity; Mo. R. W. Webb who for-
opened, is holding the firm to a straight
merly headed the Calder unit will occupy
distributing operation.
the same post with the new firm as Presi-
The war-strain which was viewed with
dent and Treasurer. R. Carter Tucker is
some worry by local ops and distributors
Secretary.
.
duririg the past month, seems no longer
According to Webb, "The Calder Corp.
to frighten them. True, in some cases,
has purchased the assets of Peerless and
they say, operators are buying in smaller
Mr.· Merg·en and Mr. Calder are no longer
quantity lots, but volume on the whole has
with the company. The new General Ven-
increased and no one seems greatly wor-
dgr Co. will manufacture an expanded line
ried about the future.
Another bright spot is the increase in • of single and multiple-flavored beverage
vendors as well as its milk vendor. It will
penny-confection-nuts vendors. Most lead-
sliortly go on the market with its new
ing local distributors report a good gain in
♦
the sales of large groups of these units and •Jine."
point out that these can largely be credited
Gilmore Announ ces
to the new stability the industry has
1941 Sho w Comm it t ees
achieved in this sector.
Some heavier equipment, as is usual at
CHICAGO-Jim Gilmore, secretary-inan-
this ti'me of the year, is again making its
ager of Coin Machine Industries, Inc., has
appearance on location, although ,most op-
announced the appointment of the follow -
erators indicate that they are going to do
ing committees for the handling of the 1941
little along this line in the coming months.
Coin Machine Show Convention to be held
They cast their nod in the direction of
at Hotel Sherman, here, January 13 to 16,
music and ' tables because of the profit
inclusive.
angle, the much larger number of avail-
Heading the Show Committee as ·chair-
able locations, and the obviously greater
man is Richard Groetchen. He will be
public popularity.
aided by W. E. Bolen, Homer E. Capehart,
Baby girls seemed to be having all the
John Chrest, David C. Rockola, Walter
best of it in ops' additions to families
Tratsch, and Sam Wolberg.
during the past month. John Corse, Wel-
R. W. Hood is chairman of the entertain-
lington, Missouri, operator is passing out
ment committee, whose other members are
cigars in celebration of his 6econd addition
C. R. Adelberg, Harold Baker, and Meyer
to the family. He was a little red faced,
Gensburg.
and came in for a bit of ribbing, due to
Chairman of the publicity committee is
the fact that he was willing to bet 10-to-l .Herb Jones. His aides are AI S. Douglis,
that it would be a boy. His first was also
A: E. Gebert, Jimmy Johnson, ·and Jack
a girl.
Nelson.
♦
.
Not long after the announcement of the
• Frenchman: "Ah, you climb the Matter-
Corse heir, came word from another popu-
horn! That is a foot to be proud of."
lar local operator, Nick Fasci, head of
Englishman: "Pardon me, sir; you mean
Mo-Kan. This is the first child to be born
'feat'."
to any of the families represented in this
firm and of course a holiday was declared.
Frenchman: "So you climb it more than
Angela is the name chosen for the new
once, eh?"
Miss Fasci and there is some talk of re-
•
naming the firm after her.
This story concerns a farmer delivering
a
load
of
vegetables
to an insane asylum.
AI McCall, who was formerly connected
As the farmer drove through the entrance
with the coin machine business locally, has
an .inmate greeted him.
been added to the Mo-Kan staff as contact
"I used to be a farmer once."
man. The firm is showing local music
"Did you "
firms what an operator can do in the way
"Yes. Say, stranger, did you ever try be-
of making a little side change out of a
ing crazy?"
retail new arid used record shop. In the
windows of the firm is a large bulletin
"No .. "
board with the week's hit tunes arranged
."Well, you ought to try it. It sure beats
in the order in which they will appear on .fa~ming all to heck!."
. .
•
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