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THE MUSIC TRADE
TRADE NOTES FROM INDIANAPOLIS.
The Leading Stores Showing Some Unusually
Attractive Windows—New Piano House to
be Known as Gray, Gribben & Gray Piano Co.
To Open Up in April—Many Trade Callers
During the Week—Julius M. Root's Success-
ful Southern Trip—Other Items.
(Special to The Review.)
9
REVIEW
Bros., at Joseph Joiners; George P. Bent, of
Crown piano fame, at the Pearson store; L. M.
Ide, of the Laffargue Piano Co., at the Pearson
store; W. I. Mapes, of the Goetmann Piano Co.,
and M. Ells, of the Holtzman Co,, at Fuller &
Currens, and E. H. Holland, of the Playola Co.,
at Fuller & Currens.
Will Carlin, of' the firm of Carlin & Lennox,
left last week for an extended trip through the
South. He will be. away about three weeks.
Germaine Schnitzer will appear here next
week in concert. This will be her first appear-
ance here, and judging from the sale of tickets
she is to have a good audience. She uses a Bald-
win piano.
Julius M. Root stopped for a short visit with
Carlin & Lennox on his way home from Cuba.
He is vice-president of the Haddorf Piano Co.,
at Rockford, 111. He had been in Cuba since
January 10. He sold 720 pianos or contracted
for that many while he was in the South.
Indianapolis, Ind., Feb. 8, 1907.
"How doth the busy piano dealer improve each
shining hour?" Indianapolis piano dealers are
taking advantage of the comparatively dull
period which always makes its appearance at
this time of the year, and are trying to do a few
fancy "stunts" in the way of making attractive
display windows; in fact, the dealers in every
way, by attractive windows, extensive advertis-
ing and by looking out for good salesmen are
sowing the seeds which they hope to reap in
brisk sales later on.
Practically every big store in Indianapolis put
HANDSOME CHASE BROS. PIANO
forth a new display window last week. Most
windows were arranged with attractive pianos Is That Displayed in the Chicago Warerooms
and piano auxiliaries while some displays were
of the Chase-Hackley Co.
unique. In the Aeolian window there was a
new mission style of the combination Weber and
A brand-new Chase Bros, upright, style X, is
Pianola.
now being exhibited at the Chicago warerooms
Joseph Joiner has had two attractive instru- of the Chase-Hackley Co., 311 Wabash avenue.
ments of the Steger & Sons make in his window. The new instrument is finished in Empire, with
One was in mission oak with antique copper fin- panels of original design, beautifully curved
ish, and the other an art piano with hand carved trusses and handsome carving, and has the ap-
embellishments and parts of it solid mahogany. pearance of quiet elegance. The tone is perfect,
At the George C. Pearson store, in one win- and it is altogether the richest creation of the
dow was a Vertegrand Steinway, and in the other Chase-Hackley line. The piano shown in Chi-
a Kurtzmann combination, mission style.
cago is the first to leave the factory, but a num-
The D. H. Baldwin Co. had a unique display. ber will soon be ready to be shipped.
In one window was a large Vocalion pipe organ.
At the side of this was a very small organ, said
WHY ROSENTHAL IS PARTICULAR.
to be 50 years old. This instrument is only three
feet high and three feet wide. It presented a
Rosenthal, the famous pianist, while on tour
strong contrast to the massive pipe organ, and carries with him five massive trunks and a num-
many passersby were attracted to the window. ber of suit cases. It is said that when he reaches
In the other window of the Baldwin store there his hotel, no matter if his stop is only for a'few
was a complete Hamilton piano outfit, including hours, he has all these trunks sent to his room,
a Hamilton mission style in wax finish, fitted and he is also particular to see that they are put
with a cabinet and bench to match.
on the express wagon and started for the station
The great number of mission style pianos used in time.
in these displays shows the trend of the piano-
Rosenthal also sees to it that his drinking
buying public in Inuianapolis. Mission pianos water is distilled. He takes with him from city
are in vogue as never before, and those who do to city a jug of this distilled water. This jug
not wish mission styles select semi-missions or he carries himself, and will not trust it in the
walnut cases made after the style of mission hands of his assistant. When they ask the priv-
pianos.
ilege of carrying the water for him his reply is:
Trade in the piano line has been quiet for the "Never mind. It will not hurt my technique to
last week, but collections, the dealers say, are carry the jug." It is also related that the bell
good, and this speaks well for the future. It sig- boys at the hotels play an occasional joke on
nifies that there is money in the hands of the Rosenthal, and when he sends his jug from the
public, and that when the season opens up some room to be filled with distilled water the boys
of it will likely come the way of the piano dealer. fill it with common hydrant water.
A new piano house will be started in the city,
to*be known as the Gray, Gribben & Gray Piana
ADMIRE BUSH & LANE PIANOS.
Co., and the business will be devoted principally
to the city trade. This firm has an old estab-
What dealers think of the Bush & Lane pianos
lished jewelry store, and the piano department is well illustrated in the recent advertisement of
will be run in connection with this. The store Mankee's Music House, Oconto, Wis., regarding
will be opened some time -in April. The com- the interior construction of those instruments:
pany have not closed any deals yet as to the
"Among the many improvements found in this
makes of pianos which they will handle.
make, each of which has been proven a great
Piano dealers here are bemoaning the fact that advance over the old forms of construction, in
they are to lose one of their best-liked com- adding volume and power of tone, life of wearing
petitors. Paul Stroupe, manager of the Aeolian parts and accessibility, may be mentioned the
Co., has accepted the position of general manager new curved sounding board (violin principle)
of the perforated music roll department of the giving wonderful sustaining power, the acoustic
Aeolian Co. in New York. He has made many rim of seven layers of rock maple giving
friends among the piano men since he has been strength and power under all conditions, a new
in Indianapolis, and without exception they are double repeating action with patent regulating
sorry to see him leave.
device, the Billing's metal flange, greatest inven-
J. W. Kline, of the Blasius Co., was a caller tion in piano construction in recent years, mak-
at the George C. Pearson store last week. He ing every note in the scale independent of others
has just returned from San Francisco, and he and easily accessible. The back is veneered in the
says prospects in the West are good. Money is choicest bird's-eye maple, making in all the hand-
plentiful and there is an excellent'outlook for somest and most desirable piano ever exhibited
trade at San Francisco.
in this territory."
. Indianapolis has been besieged by trade call-
ers during the last week. Among those who vis-
Thomas Totten, proprietor of Totten's Music
ited were: R. 0. Burgess, of the Wegman Piano
House, Rock Island, 111., has built a 40-foot ad-
Co., at Carlin & Lennox; W. W. Radcliff, of the dition to the rear of his store, where he has fitted
Kimball Co., at the Starr store; C. H. Devine, of
up an office, leaving the entire store proper for
the Farrand Co.,, and Edwin Link, of the Schaff
~wareroom purposes.
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
When things
slacken in the
piano business
That's the time p i a n o -
dealers are more than glad
that they handle the Victor.
It's a great proposition for
them all the time, but par-
ticularly so when the piano
business grows dull.
Store rent and other ex-
penses have to be met and
they eat up part of the profits
made during the busy season,
unless they are provided for
in another way.
What better way for any
piano-dealer to do it than by
selling
Victor Talking
Machines and Records
Good business all year
around and it helps the sale
of pianos. It turns your money
over quickly and gives you
liberal and assured profits. It
brings a steady stream of
customers to your store for
new records; and best of all,
it doesn't require anywhere
near the amount of capital as
pianos.
56,000,000 p e o p l e are
reached every month by our
m a g a z i n e advertising—one-
half the population of the
United States—every other
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That's an easy field for you
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money-making possibilities.
Victor Talking Machine
Company,
Camden, N. J.