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THE
BAD COMPETITION IN DETROIT.
One House Offers Upright Pianos at from $15
Up, and Newest Arrival in Field Gives Pianos
Away with Building Lots—A Piano Distrib-
uting Plan That Shows Some Originality.
(Special to Tile Review.J
DETROIT, MICH., September 8.—Dctruit pian >
dealers thought last week, when a "was-now'
house resumed its advertising and offered "good
uprights" at $15 each, that the ultimate limit had
been reached in harassment of the legitimate piano
business in this city. Btit that was only a pre-
curser—a little snowslide, ahead of the avalanche,
so to speak. On Saturday, September 5, a new
piano house opened its doors here, and its first
advertisements were that it would give away
pianos. The long established jest of "nothing
down and nothing a month" is hereby brought to
an astounding reality in Detroit. And not the
least astonishing feature of the affair is that
piano men of long experience and established
standing as salesmen are connected with it.
The pianos are given awiy with real estate lots
in a new subdivision. The advertisement explains
that this can be done because the profits in the
sale of pianos by legitimate piano merchants are
enormous, and that by buying a large bunch of
pianos at once they can be had at a figure which
makes them just a little bonus on a real estate
deal. In the advertisement is a fac-simile of a
letter from a Chicago piano manufacturer con-
firming the sale of eighteen hundred pianos and
players to the new Detroit house, which, by the
way, goes under the name of Arcade Realty Co.
In another paragraph the advertisement asserts
that the price of the lots is actually lower than
that charged by other real estate firms for similar
lots, thus making a certainty of the assumption
that in Detroit pianos have no value whatever
any more. Of course the pianos are "perfectly
high grade" ones, values from $300 upward—
according to the prices of the lots they are thrown
in with. Legitimate dealers now are expecting
that pretty soon >(imc one will open a store and
advertise to pay a good sum to anyone who will
cart away one of their pianos.
The scheme has been a long time hatching.
Last winter it became known in trade circles here
that H. P>. Dewstow was to establish a new piano
store. Mr. Dewstow himself admitted it. He
was a member of the sales force of the J. L.
Hudson Co.'s piano department, and had been
with the Farrand Co. for several years. There-
fore it was expected that he was to guide the
fortunes of some high class enterprise. But in
the advertisement he appears as president of the
Arcade Realty Co. The name of the company is
taken from its location in the Fisher Arcade,
which is in the heart of the piano colony, directly
adjoining Grinnell Brothers. The title of general
manager is given to Charles A. Guerin, vice-presi-
dent, who is not known in the piano business.
Three other well-known piano salesmen, however,
are associated with the enterprise, R. K. Wilkin-
fnii, for several years with Grinnell Brothers, and
J. J. Holland and H. J. Marshall, who were asso-
ciated with Mr. Dewstow on the sales force of til •
RUDOLF
PIANOS
are conscientiously made,
good instruments; in other
words, the sweetest things out.
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
Farrand and Hudson companies. All resigned
their position with their former employers last
Saturday.
SIXTIETH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Celebrated by Louis Grunewald, the Veteran
Piano Man of New Orleans, and His Wife,
Who Are Summering in Waukesha—Hosts to
a Number of Friends at Dinner at Hotel
Pfister—Receive Hearty Congratulations.
172 East 137th St.
NEW YORK
CAUTION
(Special to 1 lie Review.)
MILWAUKEE, WIS., September 8.—It is not often
that a man can have the privilege of celebrating
his sixtieth wedding anniversary, but such an op-
portunity came yesterday to Louis Grunewald, the
veteran and well-known head of the L. Grunewald
Piano Co., of New Orleans, La., who, with his
estimable wife, has been in the habit of spending
Louis Grunewald.
his summers at Waukesha, Wis., and with rela-
tives in Milwaukee. Mr. and Mrs. Grunewald
were hosts to a party of relatives and friends last
night, when they gave an enjoyable dinner at the
Hotel Pfister. Congratulations poured in on the
veteran piano man and his wife from friends all
over the country and from local piano men, and
the occasion was indeed a happy one.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Grunewald are in their usual
good health and both enjoyed the anniversary cel-
ebration. Mr. Grunewald celebrated his eighty-
seventh birthday on August 30 by giving a dinner
to friends and relatives at the Hotel Pfister. The
veteran piano man was born in Hahnhopen,
Bavaria, Germany.
Guests in attendance at the wedding anniversary
and at the birthday dinner included the following:
Mr. and Mrs. Rene Grunewald and Theodore
Grunewald, New Orleans; Mr. and Mrs. Florian
F. Flanner, Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Conroy, Mrs. Ruby
Flanner Smith, Miss Irene Smith and Miss
Josephine Flanner, Milwaukee.
Florian F. Flanner, of the Flanner-Hafsoos
Piano Co., representing the A. B. Chase, Estey,
Lauter, Wegman, Christman, Lyon & Healy and
BrinkerhofT pianos, is a grandson of Louis
Grunewald.
KOHLER & CAMPBELL BOOKMARK.
Kohler & Campbell. Inc., Fiftieth street and
Fleventh avenue. New York, are sending to thci"
dealers a very attractive bookmark at the top of
which appears the U. S. S. "Vermont," under thi>
being printed: "The Autopiano, Uncle Sam's
Choice." On the back are the words: "L T nc 1 e
Sam's Choice—the Choice of Crowned Heads—
the Vatican and World Famous Composers and
Prima Donnas should be your choice. Always
makes good—that's why we recommend The Auto-
piano."
DEATH OF HERjUAN RICHTSTEIG.
RUDOLF PIANO CO.
11
Herman Richtsteig, for twenty-six years with
the Bush & Gerts Piano Co., and brother to Max
Richtsteig. of the Gram-Richtsteig Piano Co., Mil-
waukee, died last week at his home in Chicago,
Mr. Piano Merchant:
Look carefully
into the financial
responsibility of
the concerns you
are doing business
with. Investigate
shop conditions,
see h o w they
build pianos and
PLAYERS-
whether they are
assembled and
" r a i l r o a d ed "
through the fac-
tory, and if you are
then dissatisfied-
try :
Price & Teeple
Piano Co.
Chicago