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THE: MUSIC TRADE
why the public should gravitate to one store in preference to the
other.
The successful merchant had a bright, beautifully arranged
wareroom, not expensively fitted up, but good taste was evidenced
in the decorative effects. He had small show rooms where pianos
could be displayed to customers without fear of outside interruption.
There were pictures on the walls and a warm cheerful effect
throughout the establishment which seemed to bid the visitor wel-
come. The stock was well kept and was arranged in a manner to
show to the best possible advantage. One man will go on and
increase his business this year—the next, and thereafter waxing
more and more powerful. The other man will unquestionably fall
behind unless he reads this editorial in The Review, takes it to
himself, and mends his ways.
When you come to analyze conditions it's easy to tell why
some men succeed and others fall behind. And these people credit
everything to luck!
NOTHER point—the proper use of a show window is one of
the best advertising mediums at command of the retailer
and yet curiously enough it seems to be the least appreciated.
Many retailers have not learned the true value of a show window,
for many of them seem to think it only a place which must be filled
up 1 with something, old junk, as it were, unattractive instruments,
using it as a storage reservoir rather than as a vantage point for
display.
Let us take a leaf out of a book of a department store man
and see what it says. Did you ever pass by an up-to-date depart-
ment store window without feeling impelled to stop and examine
some of the beautiful displays shown therein. A big store goes even
to the length of employing high priced window decorators who
devote much time and thought getting up an attractive window
display and some of these stores spend vast sums of money annually
alone on window displays. It pays them or they would not con-
tinue to do this year after year, because when there is a special
stock shown or displayed in the window of a department store and
it does not result in increased sales in the department to which
the display belongs it is not continued, because the department
store men are looking for immediate results.
A
W
HEN you think of the number of people who pass during
the selling hours before a show window it does not take
long to figure out that it has a large advertising value for the
proprietor of the store. It may be said that it is impossible to
create a large variation of window displays in the music trade.
Did you ever see unattractive window display in Lyon & Healy's?
Did you ever pass that great establishment without noting some-
thing in the windows which caused the people to stop and take
notice? As a matter of fact there is no line of merchandise of
which attractive window display may not be made. There are so
many things on the border line of the music trade which may be
worked in harmoniously as an attractive window display which
will draw people into the store and make the business establishment
talked about and give the people added knowledge about the musical
instruments which they sell.
A case in point: At the Regina Co.'s retail warerooms in this
city on Broadway and 17th street during Christmas a number of
Teddy bears were placed on the revolving discs of talking ma-
chines. Some of these bears were arranged in a most affectionate
attitude embracing each other. When a number of these little
animals were revolving on the discs of the machines crowds, would
stop and watch them with interest and young and old would stop
to laugh at the revolving images. Many of them would go in the
store and make purchases. Whether they were attracted by the
Te-ddy bears or not it is a fact that the Regina holiday trade was
most satisfactory. Some little bit of life in a window is attractive;
if lit provokes a laugh or causes a comment, so much the better,
for it constitutes good advertising.
; Good advertising and good window display as an aid to busi-
ness should be carefully considered by every man engaged in trade.
Nothing should be overlooked which can be a contributing factor
to [business success, and it will 'be seen that most successful business
men throughout the country have realized the advantage of all kinds
of advertising and just now when business requires every legiti-
mate stimulus high pressure should be maintained.
REVIEW
Good luck is more apt to cling to the coat-tails of the man who fights
than to those of the man who quits.
There are more people who think they can run a newspaper success-
fully than there are mosquitoes in Jersey.
NOT THE WEATHER.—Tom—Why don't you call on Miss Caysh?
Dick—Too cold.
Tom—Nonsense! The weather has nothing to do with
I
Dick—You misunderstand me. I mean she invited me not to.
ROOM TO WORK.—Stubb—Yes, that gentleman says the more open-
faced a man is the better he likes him.
Penn—Indeed! Is he a minister?
Stubb—No, he is a dentist.
A NATURE FAKE—"What's this?" yelled the star. "Green snow? I
won't stand for it."
"You'll have to," retorted the manager. "White paper is so high that I
told the property man to tear up a few stock certificates."
NEEDED BOTH—"Oh, my!" exclaimed the excited woman who had
mislaid her husband. "I'm looking for a small man with one eye."
"Well, ma'am," replied the polite floor-walker, "if he's a very small
man you'd better use both eyes."
"How are you, Mr. Jones, this inclement weather?" asked Mrs. Jones
of the persistent piano salesman.
"Just managing to keep out of the undertaker's hands."
"Oh, I am sorry to hear that."
"Your case," remarked the piano salesman to the reluctant customer,
who said he was in a rush, "reminds me of a dog my uncle possessed out on
the ranch. He would start running around the rain barrel very slowly
and would increase his speed until he was finally running so fast that
about every third lap he had to jump over himself." He clinched the sale
right then and there.
HER LIMITATIONS.—"These pianos look too cheap," said the young
woman of Cleveland with the picture hat, her eyebrows contracting slightly.
"Show me some of the best you've got."
"Yes, ma'am," said the salesman. "May I ask how high you care to
go?"
"Me? Oh, I only go to G, but I want one with all the octaves just
the same."
MOTHER—I am sorry to hear that Tommy Waffles tied a kettle to the
poor dog's tail. You wouldn't do such a thing, would you?
BOBBY (with conscious moral superiority)—No, indeed, mother!
MOTHER—Why didn't you stop him, Bobby?
BOBBY—I couldn't mother: I was holding the dog.
NAVAL CONFLICT.—The rear admiral and the naval surgeon glared
at each other. "I suppose," said the old sea dog, with a sneer, "you'd like
to have the 12-inch guns loaded with pills and the powder dissolved in a
little water. You'd want to put a mustard plaster on the sides of a battle-
ship and swab its decks with liniment."
At this moment there arrived ten conflicting orders from an equal
number of bureaus, and in the ensuing confusion there was no time for
reply.
WHY THEY WERE SOILED.—Although the tramp had seen a great
deal of life, he was no judge of character; otherwise he would never
have said what he did to Miss Cornelia Hawkins. When she said that
she would give him a good dinner if he would saw and split wood enough
to pay for it, he attempted to appeal to her sympathy.
"Madam," he replied, sadly, "I'd be glad to saw and split the wood,
I'd be glad to do anything, but I'm not physically strong. I have a weak
heart, madam, and I have to look out for it. You see, I carry my life
in my hands, as it were," he said, with what was meant for a wan,
pathetic smile.
"Indeed," and Miss Hawkins gave an incredulous sniff as she glanced
at the palms outstretched for aid. "I suppose that's the reason you don't
wash 'em—for fear of getting drowned?"—Youth's Companion.
AN ATTENTIVE MASTER.—"Speaking of dogs," remarked Paul
Shoup, assistant general passenger agent of the Southern Pacific, "my
little boy was presented with a collie. The puppy did not take very
kindly to his strange surroundings at first, and the boy was very anxious
to please the dog. One evening when I got home I heard some complaint
from the kitchen that 'this is the second time it has been stolen off the
back porch?'
•;•
'"What has been stolen?' I inquired.
" 'Oh, some vegetables.'
" 'Oh, pshaw,' I said, 'Who'd steal a few vegetables when there were
better things within easy reach?'
"'Say,' exclaimed the boy, trudging in, 'come and see my collie. He
likes me fine now, 'cause I fix up his house with collie flowers.'"