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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
tKe Music SHow Held Sept. 18-26
BSMMuiES
JACOT MUSIC BOX CO.'S ATTRACTIVE BOOTH.
PEASE PIANO CO.'S BOOTH AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN.
ESTEY CO.'S DISPLAY OF PIANOS AND ORGANS.
GOOD REPORTS JFROM DES MOINES.
Dealers Pleased That Crops Have Not Suffered
from Bad Weather—Piano Houses Redecor-
ate—Schiller Piano for Colleges—Jonesi to
Europe—Risser Co.'s Handsome Quarters.
(Special to The Review.)
Des Moines, la., Sept. 30, 1907.
The piano business in this city at the present
time is in a very satisfactory condition, although
not as heavy as it has been recently. It was
feared that the corn crop was damaged by the
early frosts and prolonged cool wave, but with
the report that the crop did not suffer, however,
dealers still have hopes of a record breaking fall.
Two prominent piano houses are busily en-
gaged in rearranging and improving their piano
warerooms. Edward H. Jones & Son have just
had their entire establishment redecorated and
refurnished and new floors laid through the
building. This firm did a very heavy summer
business placing a number of pianos in colleges.
Twenty-eight Schiller pianos were placed in
Drake University, of Des Moines, to take the
place of an equal number of old instruments
which Jones & Son disposed of at a special sale.
They also placed seven pianos of the same make
in the Leander Clarke College at Toledo, 0.
E. H. Jones, of the firm, accompanied by his
wife and daughter, Mrs. Grace Green Jackson,
sailed for Europe this week. Mr. and Mrs.
Jones will return in three months, while Mrs.
Jackson will study in Berlin for two years.
The other concern to make extensive altera-
tions were the Risser Music Co., who handle the
Aeolian Co., Everett and other lines, and who
have installed three handsome parlors for art
pianos on the third floor of their building.
Their quarters have been considerably enlarged
and it is said by many that they have the
handsomest piano warerooms in the middle west.
At the local Kimball branch, in charge of
S. S. Randall, business was reported to be very
satisfactory, a number of good sales being made.
MANAGER KITT DINES HIS STAFF.
H. L. Kitt, who has recently been appointed
manager
for the Starr Piano Co., in Toledo, O.,
WITH McPHAILJPOR 50 YEARS.
gave a banquet last week to the salesmen con-
he Splendid Record of E. G. Blackwell Who Is
nected withat branch as well as several friends.
Now 84 Years Old.
Among the guests were: W. M. Robinson, J. C.
Meares, A. L. Vernon, B. J. Sharp, B. N. Athel-
In the front ranks of veteran piano workers stau, W. F. Teatsorth, F. N. Mark, H. B. Maxwell,
may be found Elbridge G. Blackwell, who has R. C. Starr, L. E. Pengeo, E. D. Fox and J, W.
been in the factory of the A. M. McPhail Piano Wheeler.
:
Co. for over fifty years. Although 84 years old,
Mr. Blackwell still retains all his faculties and
EXHIBIT AT Y0NKERS BUSINESS SHOW.
is at his bench regularly turning out as much
Among the exhibitors at the Yonkers Business
or more work than many of the younger men.
Mr. Blackwell is also a veteran of the Civil Men's Show, held in Yonkers, N. Y., this week,
War, being employed in the McPhail factory was the Hubener Piano Co., of that city, who
when the call came for volunteers, and he joined exhibited their new player piano. It was the
first public appearance of the player piano and
the Forty-fifth Massachusetts Regiment.
Mr. Blackwell has been privileged to witness it elicited much favorable comment from all who
many changes in the manner of constructing saw it and heard it in concert.
pianos. In the early days all the work was
TO RESUME QUARTERLY MEETINGS.
done by hand, while at the present time ma-
chinery re'gns supreme. He also remembers
The Hampden County Music Trades Associa-
distinctly the introduction of uprights and the tion, with headquarters in Springfield, Mass., will
ill-favor with which they were met. He is, of resume their regular monthly meetings early this
course, a great admirer of the McPhail piano, month. There are a number of interesting mat-
with which he has been so long associated.
ters to come up before the association. The im-
portance of close attention to credits and large
J. H. TROUP PIANO HOUSE REMODELED.
instalments will be impressed upon the dealers,
The J. H. Troup Piano House, Harrisburg, and various reforms attempted. The campaign
Pa., have recently remodeled their quarters and against house salesmen will be continued.
now occupy the entire building, comprising
THE TRADE OUTLOOK IN GEORGIA.
9,460 feet of floor space. The upper floors of the
C. C. Cocroft & Co., of Thomasville, Ga., who
building have been divided into handsome draw-
ing rooms and parlors in order to better demon- handle the McPhail piano as their leader, and
strate the pianos in a home environment. Sev- also sell a large number of Laffargue pianos, pre-
eral rooms have been set aside for grands, while dict a heavy business for fall, and in anticipation
have just ordered two carloads of the latter in-
others have been reserved for player pianos.
This firm are doing a very heavy business, struments for early delivery.
especially in Poole pianos, twenty-five of which
A new music store has been opened in Mount
were sold in one week by the club plan, in addi-
Vernon, N. Y., by Nicola Turturro.
tion to several pianos of other makes.