Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Dealers Are Looking for an Ordinary Winter Month's Business, but Expect That the Trade Will
Show Greater Activity After the First of the Year—Estey Co. Erecting Handsome Pipe
Organ in Elizabethtown, Pa.—Piano Stores Open Evenings—Bellak's Doing a Great Hard-
man Business—Schomacker Factory Busy—Gimbel Bros. Give Up the Ivers & Pond Agency
—Lester Piano Co. Making Shipments to the West and South—Geo. L. Maitland Lease New
Premises on Fairmount Avenue.
(Special to The Review.)
to Wallace street, giving us a 50-foot frontage
on the latter street. When we get settled we
intend to build a repair shop on Wallace street.
The house is a large one and we intend to utilize
one of the rooms for repair purposes until such
time as we build the shop."
FRENCH & BASSETT EXPANSION.
Addition to Their Building Now Occupied and
thirty years ago she had purchased a piano from
Handsomely Equipped—Acquire the Everett
Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 11, 1907.
the late James Bellak and it always gave entire
and Cable Company Line.
The piano business continues a'bout the same satisfaction. With such a recommendation, natu-
as previously reported. The holiday spurt is rally, a firm have no trouble in keeping their
The addition to the building occupied by
hardly noticeable. In fact, business is only nor- business going. I was wondering how many French & Bassett, who handle the Knabe, Vose,
mal, about as you would expect to find it during of the present firms in Philadelphia will have Everett, Behr Bros., Emerson and the Cable
the months of February, March, October, or any this same experience thirty years from now, put- Company and other lines of pianos in Duluth,
other month when no particular occasion was ting out some of the boxes that are now foisted Minn., has recently been completed and the en-
imminent.
on the public. It is hardly to be expected that tire building redecorated. The quarters are now
I asked one of the leading piano dealers this any of them will be here thirty years from now sarid to "be among the finest in the State, and they
week whether he thought there was going to be to tell the tale, in fact some of them look as if were opened by an elaborate recital in which the
any holiday business, and he said: "Ask me at they could only "be sent up for thirty days."
Victor talking machine took a prominent part.
the end of this week. As yet I see no signs
The Bellaks are exhibiting this week some
French & Bassett have handled the Knabe and
of such business, but it may come in a rush at very attractive pianos which were recently sent Vose pianos very successfully for a number of
almost any time. If it does not come by the here by the Corl Piano Co., of Jackson, Mich.
years, but only recently took on the Everett
end of this week, then there will be no holiday
The Schomacker piano factory is enjoying a piano and the Cable Company line, as they were
business for the piano men."
most prosperous business. They are increasing handled by the Porter Music Co., up to the time
This seems to express the general feeling. The their output right along, but so fast have these that business was dissolved after the death of
present dulness is not confined to any set of pianos been sold on the floors of the Wanamaker A. S. Porter, the proprietor.
houses, 'but it is general with all the retailers. stores that they have not been able to advertise
Very few, if any, of the dealers are looking for them extensively, and at least this year will not
H. G. WILSON A LUCKY MAN.
anything more than a normal winter month's be able to fulfill their promise of giving some
It is better to be born lucky than rich, ac-
business, and they feel thoroughly resigned to of- them to the former houses out of the city
the condition, knowing that on the whole the who have handled the Schomacker, and who have cording to an old-saying, and H. G. Wilson,
manager of the Denver, Col., (branch of D. H.
year has been a satisfactory one.
been writing weekly for them.
With the manufacturers of Philadelphia it is
Justus Gray, a son of the late Colonel Gray, Baldwin & Co., evidently comes under the former
quite a different condition. They had orders writes most encouraging letters from Altoona, heading. Yielding to earnest entreaties of a
on hand before the panic came around, orders where he is conducting the branch store of the friend, Mr. Wilson took up eighty acres of arid
that will carry them well through the year, and W. F. Frederick Music Co., whose headquarters land in Idaho, under the Cary act, at the rate of
fifty cents per acre, and the land is now worth
no relaxation of effort on their part is noticeable are in Pittsburg, Pa.
in any way.
Gimbel Brothers have released the Ivers & fully $100 per acre, owing to the fact that the
That the trade generally look to present condi- Pond agency, and they are trying to get a good section has been thoroughly irrigated. Mr. Wil-
tions as being only temporary, is evident in the location in Philadelphia. The Bellak firm were son has one of the choice parcels in the entire
fact that in a very few instances have piano approached to take the agency, as well as sev- section and even with the assessment of $35 per
shipment orders been countermanded. The only e.al other representative houses. There is no acre for the irrigation, which is to be permanent,
difficulty the piano manufacturers seem to have doubt the Ivers & Pond is entitled to a good he will realize an enormous profit.
is in getting in their money which is due. The home in the Quaker City, and it is to be hoped
OPEN IN BOISE, IDAHO.
retailers also believe that the present dulness they will get it before long. There are other
will have disappeared nearly in the new year manufacturers as badly off. The Gabler is a t
The Bowen-Wakefield Co. have opened a piano
and that business is going to become brisk as Lit Brothers, but there is very much dissatisfac-
soon as the New Year sets in.
tion in the way it is handled. The same is true firm at Boise, Idaho. The A. B. Chase, Estey,
Tne Estey Co. are at present erecting one of of the Mason & Hamlin, now at the Blasius Haines & Co., Price & Teeple and other makes
their fine pipe organs in the Christ Reformed store. The McPhail and the Wissner are two will be carried, including a number of Estey
Church a t Elizabethtown, Pa., and on the 16th more instruments that have no representation organs and Edison phonographs.
they will open an organ just finished in the whatever in Philadelphia. The Stieff piano is in
Presbyterian Church at Woodbury, N. J. The a much better competitive position in Philadel-
"DISTINCTIVELY HIGH GRADE"
Estey Co. are getting out their organs on good phia this holiday season than ever before, and
time, and thus iar have been able to keep all the Trew windows at 12th and Walnut streets
promises. They have been doing some holiday look very well, with their display of Stieff pianos.
business on the new Circassian walnuts that the
Henry Miller's Sons have been getting in a lot
firm have made a feature this fall, and which of pianos since the first of the month, and James
are particularly handsome. On Monday evening C. Miller says it does him good to see a re-
of this week they had the last of their evening spectable showing on their floor. All fall they
organ recitals, until after the holidays. They nave had to work with such a scarcity of stock
will only keep their warerooms open evenings a that it was discouraging. They expect to keep
few days before Christmas.
them coming right along, and are going to try
Already the "open evenings" sign is displayed and see that never again do they get sold up
on several of the piano windows, notably the Cun- so close as they were at all times during the
ningham Piano Co., the Ludwig Co., F. A. North fall and summer.
& Co., but most of the houses will follow the
The Lester Piano Co. are about winding up
Estey plan and only be open for a few evenings. their last shipments to the West and South, and
There is no doubt that this is a custom that they do not expect to close at all, if possible,
could easily be done away with. It is merely while taking account of stock, for their factory
a matter of past precedence that the piano buildings and machinery need no overhauling,
houses keep open at all, and in former years and they are going to go right ahead hoping
quite a few of the firms have assured me that that when the holiday rush is over they will be
it did not pay for the lights burned, and if there able to get some pianos ahead. They are bet-
would be a general closing, no one would miss ter off now, however, than they were last year
is the greatest success of the day.
it; at least only during the time the depart- at this time, but this is due to the fact that
It possesses a scale of rare even
ment stores are open evenings where pianos are they have much larger and better facilities than
ness, a tone of remarkable sonority
sold.
they had a year ago.
and richness, with a quality that
Geo. L. Maitland, of Geo. L. Maitland & Son,
is highly orchestral. Our latest
William Dalliba Dutton was here this week,
styles of Grands and Uprights
and brought with him most encouraging news the well-known piano tuners and repairers of
mark a decided advance in the art
from the Hardman factory. The Bellaks have Philadelphia, has just purchased the property at
of piano-making. We court inves-
been doing a good Hardman business all fall, 4806 Fairmount avenue, to which they have re-
tigation. Some territory still open.
and particularly on the Hardman player. There moved their office, residence and repair room,
are a few firms in Philadelphia who are able having rented their Thirty-seventh street prop-
CHRISTMAN SONS, Manufacturer.
to do business under any circumstances. The erty. In speaking with Mr. Maitland regarding
WARKROOMS:
FACTORY AND OFF~CK:
35 Wtit 14th St.
•69-873 Eut I37tli Si.
reason is plain. This week a lady called at the the move he said: "We have a lot 50 feet front
KCW YORK
Bellak store and bought a piano, stating that on Fairmount avenue, extending back 150 feet
S/ie CHRISTMAN
STUDIO GRAND