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14:
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
this club: Class 1—High-grade new pianos at $5
down and $2 weekly; class 2, good new pianos of
several well-known makes at $2 down and $1.50
weekly; class 3, little used pianos of many
Piano Business Shows Great Improvement Since March—Speculation Regarding New Location
makes, at $1.50 and $2 weekly, and class 4, good
of Steger Piano Co.—Eastern Talking Machine Jobbers' Convention—Wm. Dalliba Dutton
square pianos at $1 and 75 cents weekly.
in Town—Big Contracts for Estey Co.—Strawbridge & Clothier Making Great Preparations
The Wanamaker store began on Monday the
For Exploiting the H. C. Schomacker & Co. Piano—C. J. Heppe & Son Celebrate Forty-
celebration of their eighth anniversary. As re-
Second Anniversary—Wanamaker Celebrates Eighth Anniversary—Gimbel Piano Depart-
cently they celebrated their general anniver-
ment Eight Years Old—Special Features in Honor of the Event.
sary, they are not devoting so much attention to
(Special to The Review.)
the meetings and discussed prices, terms of pay- this piano department anniversary, although they
Philadelphia, Pa., April 17, 1907.
ment and the matter of listing records. There are having hourly concerts on the Auxetophone
The piano business in Philadelphia is bright- was an informal banquet on Thursday evening. and the Vocalion organ.
The Wanamaker store announces its eighth an-
ening up somewhat, and there is every indication On Friday morning all the delegates were taken
that the month is going to be slightly above the for a visit to the plant of the Victor Talking niversary as follows:
"Eight years ago we opened to the piano buy-
average; in fact, the dealers generally feel that Machine Co., in Camden. After a luncheon at
the first four months of the year are going to one of the downtown clubs, the party took an ing'public a piano store founded upon principles
pull up very well, in spite of the fall-off during automobile trip to points of interest in the city, that old-line dealers predicted meant failure.
March. The other three months are likely to and in the evening was entertained to a theater They insisted that the American people preferred
overbalance this fall-off. All of the houses have party. The officers of the association are: Presi- darkness to light; that the American buyer liked
had their usual spring cleaning and brushing up, dent, W. D. Andrews, Syracuse; vice-president, J. to be fooled into the belief that he was getting
and are in a splendid condition, as far as stock Newcomb Blackman, New York City; secretary, his piano for less money than the amount paid
is concerned. After several months' delay the A. H. Jacot, New York City; treasurer, S. B. by his neighbor for the same instrument. Years
Ludwig Piano Co. have finally gotten in their Davega, New York City. The local members of and years had the general trade harbored the de-
new home, although they are not entirely "fixed the association are: Louis and Edward Buehn, lusion that the piano buyer liked to haggle for a
up" yet. They certainly have handsome and Herbert T. Lewis, Harry E. Marschalk, John B. lower price. It never occurred to people that
commodious quarters, better than they have ever and H. F. Miller, T. W. Barnhill, Adolph Weiss the piano buyer haggled not for choice, because
had before. Their first floor is as fine as any and Albert C, Harry W. and William C. Wey- he had been taught that to haggle was his only
chance for salvation—a poor chance at that!
in the city, and they have had built, near the mann.
"Such a situation had not then presented itself
entrance, commodious offices. Their room is
Mr. William Dalliba Dutton visited Philadel-
light and their instruments show off to splendid phia last week, and was very well pleased with to the minds of the regular trade, which even
advantage. They have not divided the room up the business the Bellak firm are doing on the to-day holds aloof and harbors the belief that
into a lot of small rooms that darken the place, Hardman and Harrington pianos. Mr. Maxson, the success of the Wanamaker piano store is
and place piano selling at a disadvantage. Their representing the Rochester house of Foster-Arm- attributable to the influences that surround it,
instead of attributing these influences to right
upper floors are all well adapted for the busi- strong Co., was also a Philadelphia visitor.
ness, and have been arranged to order. One of
The Estey Co. have taken contracts for pipe or- methods.
"So this piano store announced its advent. It
these rooms has been set aside for the Ludwig gans to be placed in the St. John's P. E. Church,
grands, which are very popular here, and an- Palmerton, Pa.; the First Presbyterian Church outlined a policy understandable by any one; a
other, and quite a pretentious room, has been at Hackettstown, N. J., and the Bethlehem Evan- policy the very nature of which was a protection
fitted up for the inside player, of which the Lud- gelical Lutheran Church at West Reading, Pa., to the buyer because it contained not one ele-
wigs feel they have a winner. This is also the and they are at present setting up organs in the ment of mystery. The prices of its pianos were
view of the experts who have examined the in- Church of the Transfiguration, of this city, and no secret—no secret because they were right and
strument, and John J. Ryan, the local manager, the First Welsh Presbyterian Church, of Wilkes- unalterable. It extended to its customers all the
is a great believer in the future of this instru- barre, Pa. This week they open a large double- advantages of a monthly payment plan, but it
ment, and is going to push it as much as possi- manual reed organ in the Epiphany Lutheran made no discrimination as regards price between
the cash buyer and the buyer who purchased on
ble. The Ludwig stock had dwindled down Church, of Roxboro, Pa.
pretty well, but Mr. Ryan was able to get a
An interesting story is circulating regarding the partly payment plan. Its charge for this
large stock for the opening, and is showing some a member of the local piano trade, whose busi- latter accommodation was legitimate—4 per cent,
very fine case designs.
ness methods were questionable in many ways, annually on unpaid balances only—it did not ask
Since the Steger Piano Co. have announced but who, nevertheless, always came to the store further tribute by concealing an additional
that they will remain in Philadelphia, and that in the morning with his Bible under his arm. amount in a flexible price nor by exacting a
they will leave the present location, every one Another person interested in the firm, knowing higher price than would have been quoted in an
has been wondering where they would locate. the methods of this piano dealer, and thinking all-cash transaction.
"This piano store's success proves that it has
They have a real estate man looking around for his carrying and reading of the Bible sacreligeous
suitable warerooms, and more than likely they under the circumstances, pasted the following given the piano buying public what it wanted—
will be located somewhere on Market street, be- note on the desk, engraved in large letters: what it needed. It proves that the American
tween 11th and 13th. There is no building "Some people get results after kindly encour- buyer is not naturally a haggler. Its growing
available on Chestnut street east of Broad and agement, but give me the man who can do things success proves that it is giving to its public
west of 10th, and Mr. Fisher, who is in charge of
in spite of hell!" It is needless to say the just what it promised it would give, a piano store
the Steger interests here, says that he don't be- Bible was left at home on the shelf, where in which price and quality bear the proper rela-
tion, and which possesses a public confidence un-
lieve it would be a good thing to go east of
"moth and dust do not corrupt," after that.
10th, or, in fact, east of 11th.
The Strawbridge & Clothier firm are making heard of before in the annals of the piano in-
If ever any one had a task to accomplish, it is extensive preparations for the exploiting of the dustry."
The Gimbels also began their celebration of
the Steger people in trying to settle up the Schomacker piano, or, more properly, the H. C.
Fischer business. From what little can be Schomacker & Co. piano. It was a wise move the eighth birthday of their piano department on
learned, it was left in a deplorable condition, on the part of this house to secure the Scho- Monday, and are having a series of fine concerts
Instruments that had been left at the house for macker name, and it was an equally wise move all the week. The artists who are appearing are
storage had been sold, other instruments con- on the part of H. C. Schomacker Co. to get so Miss Rosa Weidhorn, the Austrian violinist; Mr.
signed had been disposed of at a very unprofit- substantial a firm to handle their output. It Himmelreich, the pianist; Miss Florence Hinkle,
able basis merely to get in some available cash, took the Philadelphia dealers some time to get soprano; Mrs. Katheryn McGuckin Leigo, con-
and pianos are being called in at a record break- on to the scheme that was being manipulated to tralto; Howell S. Zulick, tenor; Harry Saylor,
ing rate and redisposed of at least with an hon- secure the Schomacker name, and although it baritone, and Miss Edith Mahon, accompanist.
The Gimbel brothers a t the present time are
est profit. It is not a question of getting rid of was generally felt that one of the representative
running
a club on the Clinton Piano, which has
the stock on hand to get the money out of it, firms of the city were materially assisting in
that is the greatest proposition that the Steger this manipulation, yet until the announcement been exceptionally successful.
people have to contend with, but to answer ques- came last week that the Schomacker output
GROWING IN THE PUBLIC'S FAVOR.
tions, give explanations and try to appease the would go to the Strawbridge & Clothier house, it
large number of former customers of the Fischer was not exactly clear as to how this manipula-
The name of Mathushek on a piano has since
house who daily call with complaints as to tion was being worked. Undoubtedly under the the first inception of these instruments been a
pianos, stock and a hundred and one other present condition, the firm will have sufficient guarantee of excellence, and from the orders be-
ing received for them at the present time both
things due to very bad previous business man- money for all requirements.
agement.
This is anniversary month at a number of the the second and third generations have found
It is reported by a prominent real estate man Philadelphia houses. C. J. Heppe & Son are them as acceptable as did their progenitors. The
of this city that Charles H. Fischer, recently celebrating their 42d anniversary by opening a designs that they are offering for this year are
head of the Charles H. Fischer Co., is looking piano club for the month of April only. The fully up to those for which this house has been
for a location to open a piano store in the West Heppes were the first house in Philadelphia to noted in the past, and cannot fail to meet with
Philadelphia district now building up rapidly.
offer pianos through a club, and state, "Since the requirements of their customers. Their
The quarterly convention of the Eastern Talk- our idea was copied by general merchandising grand trade has shown a considerable growth of
ing Machine Jobbers' Association was held in houses to sell cheap pianos, we abandoned the late, and has kept that department of their fac-
Philadelphia last week. Forty members attended club idea," They offer four classes of pianos in tory more than busy.