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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Frank Anrys Says That Conditions on Pacific Const Compare Most Favorably with Other Parts
of Country—Weems with Eilers—P. J. Head Retires-'-Demand for Player-Pianos Continues
to Be Feature of Pacific Coast Trade—General News of the Week.
(.Special to The Review.)
San Francisco, Cal., June 28, 1912.
Frank Anrys, manager of the Wiley B. Allen
Co., who recently returned from an extended vaca-
tion in the East, states that a comparison of busi-
ness conditions on the Coast and in other parts ji
the country is all in favor of this territory. Man-
ufacturers everywhere he says, are getting more
than the usual proportion of their business from
the Pacific States, which would seem to indicate
that this district is less subject to prevalent de-
pressing influences than either the East or the
Middle West. Some complaint has been heard
from local dealers recently, but Mr. Anrys be-
lieves that conditions are at least normal, attribut-
ing most of the complaint to the habit acquired
during the "hard times." He has heard many
statements to the effect that this year's business is
running ahead of last year s, which is all that coulo
be expected. Mr. Anrys has found the player fac-
tories very busy, but believes that some of the re-
ports on the rapid growth of the player business
have been exaggerated, and that statements placing
the volume of player business on a level with that
in pianos should be taken with a grain of salt.
L. M. Lang, of Sherman, Clay & Co., has just
returned from Portland and Seattle. Notwith-
standing some unseasonable rains, he reports great
activity in both cities, Portland having been crowd-
ed for the last week on account of the rose festival
and the Elks' convention. Seattle is again show-
ing the real "Seattle spirit," and there is more
optimism among business men there than for over
a year past.
W. B. Ragland, of Kohler & Chase, says the
player business is coming along in line shape. The
question of old instruments turned in .as part pay-
ment for players, he says, is gradually being solved
by the education of salesmen, though the matter
is still attended with difficulties, which are in-
creased by the impossibility of getting united ac-
tion from the trade at large. A fairly definite
basis of values for old instruments is fixed, how-
ever, and the salesmen are gradually learning to
maintain this standard, even though an occasional
sale may be lost by it.
W. W. Griggs, Coast manager for the Schubert
Piano Co., is spending the week in southern Cali-
fornia, but will return Monday.
Geo. J. Jackson, Coast representative of the
American Piano Co., will leave at the end of the
week for an extended trip through his outside
territory. Frank Weems, who has been Mr. Jack-
son's chief assistant for the last year or so, and
was for several years associated with Kohler &
Chase, has taken a position with the Eilers Music
House. Mr. Weems has long been known as one
of the best player demonstrators on the Coast,
and his experience with the American Piano Co.
will be of great assistance to him in his present
work, much of which will be on lines made by the
American Piano Co., with which he is thoroughly
familiar.
Henry Hauschildt, of the Hauschildt Music Co.,
is making a visit to some of his agencies in the
Sacramento Valley. Mr. Walters, local retail man-
MANUFACTURERS OF
PIANO, ACTION AND PLAYER
HARDWARE.
OAKVILLE COMPANY
WATERBURY, CONN.
ager, is enthusiastic over the recent success with
Behning players. A carload of these instruments
has just arrived, and most of them were sold
before arrival.
H. R. Wendelborn, agent for the Hauschildt
lines at Fresno, Cal., announce the arrival of his
brother from the East, who will hereafter be asso-
ciated with his business. The concern will be
known as Wendelborn Bros.
Among the recent visitors to San Francisco are
Fred Christianer, representing the Cote piano, and
Theo. Pfafflin, representing the Haddorff, both of
whom now make their homes at Los Angeles.
P. J. Head, one of the oldest piano dealers of
Albany, Ore., where he has been' manager of the
Eilers Music House, has disposed of his property
there with the intention of going to San Diego,
Cal. J. H. Gallagher, special representative of the
Eilers house, has taken charge of the stock and
started a special sale.
The Waak-Baker Co., located at 1406 First ave-
nue, Seattle, Wash., is calling attention to its busi-
ness by a puzzle advertisement. The company is
HEPPE ADVERTISING INTERESTS.
One in Particular Offering to Lend Piano for
Three Months Is Designed Along Rather
New Lines—Lit Piano Department Makes
Good Record for June—Geo. Miller's Week-
Ending—Other Items of Interest.
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Pa., July 2, 1912.
The month of June closed for the piano men in
about the same way that it. had started. The
month was unspirited, and from the very start it
took very hard work to move instruments. The
few sales at the different houses helped out some,
but special sales have been so overdone in Phila-
delphia that they seem no longer to have the de-
sired effect, but instead they have been announced
so frequently that the public are no longer sus-
ceptible.
It is hard to say whether June of this year was
as good as last year, but several of the big dealers
tell me that it was not with them. In fact, they
do not look for any great amount of business be-
fore October, but they are anticipating an un-
usually heavy last quarter of 1912.
No advertisement that has appeared in a Phila-
delphia paper for some years has attracted the at-
tention of the announcement that was made last
week by the Heppe house. It was headed, "We
Will Lend You a Piano Three Months." The
only stringvto this was that the person who de-
sired the .piano would be asked to pay $2 toward
the cost of hauling.
This offer was governed by the following rules:
1. Pay $2 toward hauling expenses. 2. Take good
care of the-piano. 3. Permit our representative to
examine it on request. 4. Surrender it on demand
any time after three months.
. There is no rent to pay no lease to sign and no
obligations to assume. "'It's a straight loan," they
say. "Come in, select the piano you want pay $2
towards "hauling ($5 is the. regular charge each
way), and the piano goes to you for the entire
summer without additional charge or obligation."
The pianos that they have been sending out are
the Heppe, Marcellus, Jules, Francesca and H. C.
Schomacker. They are not old squares, but are
uprights that have been slightly used during the
winter's rental.
J. J. Cayanaugh, of the Bellak House, spent all
of last week at Sea Isle City and vicinity looking
over the summer trade there who might want
pianos.
..
H. C. Goldsmith, of the Heppes house is away
on his vacation this week.
The management of the"-"E*t'-piario"department
15
handling the Hallet &. Davis piano, Virtuola, etc.
Mr. Silvers, of the Silvers Piano Co., Tacoma,
Wash., made arrangements about a month ago to
take over all interest in the company not already
held by him. Since that time he has been seriously
ill, and has not yet been able to carry out his
plans.
Fred R. Howe's piano store at Santa Cruz, Cal.,
handling the Haines Bros, and Wegman pianos,
has occupied a new piano salesroom over the old
store.
The Ogden (Utah) Music Co. is making great
improvements in its quarters, intending to make
the store the finest in northern Utah. More floor
space will be added, separate demonstration rooms
installed, and the whole place will be redecorated
A special meeting of stockholders of the Mur-
ray M. Harris Co., of Los Angeles, has been called
for July 9.
In pleasing contrast to some of the local price-
cutting is the advertising at Vancouver, B. C ,
where the Montelius Piano House offers "Good
pianos as low as $325—as low as you can safely
afford to buy," and Mason & Risch, at a forced re-
moval sale, offer $400 pianos at $312.
The Eilers force in California has been strength-
ened by the acquisition of a new advertising man,
Howard Pemberton, who has had extensive experi-
ence in piano advertising in the East.
Geo. R. Hughes, of the Wiley B. Allen Co., left
Thursday for a trip north, and will be away all
next week.
reports that it has gone way ahead of the June
of last year, and it has been having a tremendous
business in the renting of pianos. One of its vis-
itors the past week was Otto Heintzman, of the
Mansfield Piano Co. It has just received a number
of very attractive Fischer player-pianos style 63,
in burl walnut. These are the finest instruments
the Fischer firm has yet sent to the house. They
contain the patent Fischer bench in the same wood,
which is an innovation which is much appreciated.
A. A. Sternberger, the manager of the Lit depart-
ment, is arranging a vacation trip, during which,
with a party of friends, he will motor to Maine.
Harry McDade, of the Henry F. Miller house,
has just announced his engagement, the wedding
to take place early in September.
George Miller has been spending half of each
week at his cottage at Spring Lake, where he has
his family. When he went down last Thursday
he took Henry Miller with him. John Miller has
an exceedingly pretty "summer cottage at Wildwood
Crest.
During the past week K. A. Weymann & Sons
shipped mandolutes to South America and Canada,
which shows what a world-wide reputation these
instruments have attained. H. W. Weymann will
shortly go on a vacation trip to Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland.
WILL BE INSERTED FREE.
If you are a salesman, tuner or traveler, and
desire a position, forward your wants in an ad-
vertisement to The Review in space not to ex-
ceed four lines and it will be inserted free of
charge and replies sent to you.
RUDOLF
PIANOS
are conscientiously made, good
instruments; in other words,
the sweetest things out.
RUDOLF PIANO CO.
M««r Av«.
MtW YOU
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