Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
READER of The Review writes: "I am thinking of starting
in business in this town; have you any suggestions as toi
methods to offer?"
The establishment of a new business, particularly in a town as
conservative as that indicated in our correspondent's communication,
is not an easy proposition. It is, indeed, a task from which a great
many merchants would shrink, fearing failure. That a piano store,
conducted on live and up-to-date principles can achieve success has
been proven time and time again. And for the information of our
subscriber and other young men who are contemplating embarking
in business, we would cut a leaf out of the experience of another
subscriber of The Review who started a few months ago.
A
E said in a recent letter: "I selected S
, Ohio; it had a popu-
lation of about twenty-three thousand. It struck me as a
good town, because there were plenty of well-paid mechanics there.
I could not count too much on outside trade, being so close to Wheel-
ing and Pittsburg, but the people in my vicinity numbered something
like eight thousand, which gave us a total of over thirty thousand.
I determined to make our opening somewhat of a splurge. I had
an ad. in the local papers four weeks before we were ready for busi-
ness, announcing the fact that we were going to open up, and named
the line of pianos which I decided upon. The day before the opening
we had a street parade, headed with a band; the boys carried ban-
ners and distributed circulars, and created a lot of excitement and
talk. You fellows in New York might consider this spectacular, but
down our way it won, and there were only two men in town who
didn't know we were on earth, one was in jail and the other was
very busy getting buried. We put in a neat stock, and we have
hustled, and we have made money; advertised all we could afford
to, and have worked every kind o f publicity."
H
OW, there is a good, healthful ring about that kind of a com-
munication. It shows energy, and it shows confidence and
originality, and it may be that our young friend will catch every day
some inspiration. There is plenty of room in the piano business for
the right man, but a piano man cannot hide his business light under
a bushel and expect to rake in the dollars. There may be no chinks
in the bushel through which the light can be seen.
Here is another letter that came in from another subscriber to
The Review: "I have been interested in reading some of the sug-
gestions made from time to time in The Review, and rather
got stuck on fixing up a harvest room as you suggested, and having
a harvest sale. I decorated the windows and a part of the store in-
terior in harvest fashion, with ears of corn and sheaves of wheat,
while the price cards that were put on the pianos, marked in plain
figures, had a sheaf of wheat attached to each one, keeping up the
scheme throughout the store. The corn and wheat was the real
stuff, and my competitors said, 'what in thunder is B
doing,
making a feed shop out of his piano store ?' Well, I showed them.
People came in to see what the row was all about, and I advertised
it in good shape, and we got busy right away, although my com-
petitors were complaining of dull times and no business."
N
O here is another instance of how a man succeeded on rather an
original line by making his store one talked about. Store
attractions that are out of the ordinary not only interest the people,
but impress the public with the idea that such an establishment is
alive and up to date.
This is a very good impression to make, particularly in the new
store. Our young friend should remember not to omit one thing
when starting out—nail the quality flag to the masthead. Have!
one price, the right price, and stick to it. He will find that work
of that character pays. It inspires a confidence that can be created
by no other means. That is the business policy, and will be produc-
tive of much better results than a vacillating, any old price policy,
which obtains in some sections.
S
T
HE business of the country continues to be of good volume,
and our special representatives in the principal cities of the
union inform this office that piano merchants on the whole are active
filling local orders.
There will probably be a still further increase in piano buying
as Christmas draws near, and it must be conceded that houses which
have been up to date in their methods and liberal in their advertising
policy, will be rewarded by an excellent special holiday trade.
There is an unusually heavy demand for pianos of the higher
A GOLD MEDAL AND DIPLOMA
WAS AWARDED
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
AT THE
ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION
grade; in fact, some of the high-grade manufacturers are finding
great difficulty in taking care of their orders. Many of the dealers
delayed until the latest getting in their holiday stock, and as a conse-
quence they are wiring rush orders, which they have to have filled
in time to take care of their local trade.
HERE was every reason why trade should be good this fall, for
we enjoyed that public confidence which could not be count-
eracted by groans and direful prophecies of business disaster. Most
of the business men felt optimistic, and business cheerfulness is
half the battle when it is backed up by the most bountiful agricul-
tural and mineral yields which this country has ever seen. The
men who are optimistic and have the courage to go ahead and stock
up in good form are the ones that will win this year, and those who
are left on stock will have learned a lesson which, it is to be hoped,
will be useful to them. They will eliminate hereafter the graveyard
sign and almshouse line of talk.
T
T
HERE are some men who begin to lose courage just as soon as
trade drops off a bit. They think that business is going to
the bow-wows, and people in general do not like to disappoint a sad
man. Suppose trade is dull at times; let us be thankful it is no worse.
That's the proper time to go hunting around for some method of
injecting a little life into things, and do it with a smile. If a business
man must look sour once in a while, let him go down to the base-
ment and have it out with the nail keg, and come up with the smile
that won't come off, and then if he feels sour and disconsolate try
and have another round with the nails. Let us look pleasant, be
thankful and hustle.
T
HE high honors which this publication won by being awarded a
gold medal and diploma at St. Louis cfeates an exposition
record not approached by any other journal on the globe.
The Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition of 1900, a diploma at
the Pan-American of 1901, a silver medal at the Charleston Exposi-
tion of 1902, and a gold medal at the St. Louis Exposition of 1904
is a pretty good all round exposition record.
The honors which we have received at the great expositions, of
course, have been of some advantage to this publication, but they
have also been of advantage to trade newspapers generally, for they
have brought trade journalism into greater prominence—into such
prominence that it has received high honors at the world's greatest
expositions. It has helped to create for it a position and a respect
which cannot, by any power of argument, be belittled. When a pro-
fession has reached a position where it carries off the honors at na-
tional and international expositions, it is at least worthy of comment.
REPREHENSIBLE practice has sprung up in certain parts
of the country on the part of catalogue houses and some
piano dealers who are photographing certain attractive piano styles
from catalogues of leading makers, and substituting on the fall board
names of some of the cheapest makes, or principally stenciled titles,
simulating prominent names.
These are being used in advertisements and other literature sent
out, the purpose obviously being to use these designs to attract pros-
pective purchasers, and then endeavor to satisfy their disappoint-
ment by holding out the "bait" of price to close a sale.
The entire matter is fraudulent and despicable, and should be
stopped at once. Several manufacturers who have sold dealers a
few pianos and whose designs have been stolen are complaining, but
we notice some are still selling the same dealers who have treated
them in this unbusinesslike way. Why?
What is needed is more backbone, more principle in conducting
business, so that when a dealer endeavors to be dishonest—for this
is the grossest type of it—he should be not only shunned by that
manufacturer, but he should be blackballed by the entire trade.
A