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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
NOBLE PIANO CO. LEASES NEW QUARTERS IN DETROIT.
9
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Weil-Known Piano House Secures Woodward Avenue Location—Weil & Co. Occupy New Build-
ing—Goodfellowship Club Dance a Success—Recent Trade Visitors of Record.
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DETROIT, MICH., April
Review.)
12.—After months and
months of negotiations the A. E. Noble Piano Co.,
m>\v at !)<>•"{ Grand River avenue, Detroit, has taken
a ten-year lease on the main floor and basement
of the store at 971 Woodward avenue, owned by
the Gray estate. The ground in the rear of the
building has also been leased to the Noble Co.,
which will erect a two-story structure on the site.
It will be of brick throughout and fireproof in
every respect. It is to lie for manufacturing pur-
poses, and will give the Noble Piano Co. from
live to six times the amount of floor space it now
has on Grand River avenue. Its capacity will be
more than tripled. Construction is already under
way and when completed the main office and
salesrooms will be located there. Mr. Noble will
continue the Grand Rapids store as a retail sales-
room and also the Gratiot avenue store. He has
for a long while been trying to land a Woodward
avenue location, which is Detroit's leading thor-
oughfare. The new store is near the Crosstown
car lines, so that it is easily reached from any part
of the city. The Noble Piano Co. was organized
in 1901 by A. E. Noble, who is still at the head
of the concern. "While business has been a little
slack during recent months, we firmly believe it is
growing better and are building for the future,"
he said. "Our new location will make us better
able to serve well all the people of the city. We
look to the future with the assured confidence that
our growth will be with even greater strides than
it has been in the past." It will take at least
three months to complete the new factory building.
During the past few weeks at least twelve
men have been added to the staff of Grinnell
Bros.' piano factory at Holly, Mich., making over
100 men employed there. Orders have been re-
ceived rapidly during the last few weeks.
Until such time as the proper tenant is found
and the place leased Grinnell Bros, will occupy the
small store adjoining its building on the south,
formerly rented to a shoe company. A large as-
sortment of pianos, players and talking machines
have been placed there, and a number of salesmen
transferred there to handle sales.
The Artone Film Co. has incorporated for $100,-
• lUO to manufacture moving picture films of song
hits. In other words, instead of illustrating a
song in theaters with slides colored up to show
various scenes, the Artone Co. will make a moving
picture film to tell the story while someone is
singing the song. The company has already con-
tracted for song hits published by tie Jerome
Remick Co., Leo Feist and other well-known pub-
lishers.
Weil & Co. have moved to their elegant new
ten-story building at Michigan and Wayne streets,
where, in addition to a full line of furniture, they
now carry a complete assortment of pianos and
piano players. The new department is located on
the third floor and occupies practically one-half
of the large and spacious floor. When the writer
called the department was far from being in
shape, and it will probably be a matter of at least
four or five weeks before the partitions are all
up and the department in shape for permanency.
11. S. Weil has been placed in charge of this new
department, and he is a man of some twelve years'
experience in the piano business, having managed
for that period the piano department of May,
T1NDALE
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Stern & Co., of St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Weil told
The Review representative that he would handle
both the cheap and better grades of pianos.
To demonstrate the 88-note ten cent music rolls
the Kresge five and ten cent stores in Detroit are
using the Victor player-piano manufactured by the
Bush & Lane Piano Co.
George Cheatle, of the Talking Machine Co., and
11. Conover, of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., of
Chicago, were visitors in town the past week call-
ing on Detroit dealers, as were F. E. Edgar, of
the Wilcox & White Co., Maker of the "Angelus"
player, and Tom Pletcher, vice-president of the
Melville Clark Piano Co.
Major L. II. Clement, of the Whitney-Currier
Co., Toledo, O., was in Detroit the past week, lie
is said to be looking for good salesmen.
"We beat March of 1914 by $3,000," said E. P.
Andrew, of the J. L. Hudson Co. "That doesn't
look like hard times, does it? And we did very
little advertising this year as compared to a year
ago, when we were on Woodward avenue with
facilities right off the street. We really feel proud
of our record for this year when we consider gen-
eral conditions. Had we just been even with a
year ago we would have been satisfied, but to show
a substantial gain is all the more reason why we
feel justified in congratulating ourselves."
When the writer dropped in on P. W. Guest, of
Grinnell Bros., to find out what kind of an affair
the Goodfellowship Club "pulled off" at Clark's
Academy on Thursday evening, April 8, he could
not help but realize that any event where employes
of a concern get together for business or social
reasons is bound to result in greater efficiency for
that firm, because it gets all departments on better
speaking terms, as well as the big and small em-
ploye and the high salaried employe with the
moderately paid one. The above affair was in the
nature of a masquerade, to which all employes of
Grinnell Bros, were invited. During the evening
all of the officers and directors of the firm were in
attendance with their wives. The grand march
was lead by Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Grinnell. Deserv-
ing of special mention for their novel and original
costumes are Harry Rapp, office manager of the
Grinnell Bros, piano store, who was dressed up as
a Chinaman, and Jay Grinnell, sales manager, who
was dressed up "a la Julian Eltinge."
VALUE OF "GET=TOGETHER" MEETS.
Victrola X, $75
Mahogany or oak
Other styles $15 to $250
Specialize
This is the day of specialists
and specializing.
With genuine Victrolas at
#15, $25, $40 #50 and up to
the magnificent Victrola XVI
at $200 and #250, there is a
Victrola easily within the
reach of every home.
By concentrating every
effort, the dealer is sure to
get the best results.
Manager Holmes, of the Smith Piano Co., Tells
How This Policy Pays—Recent Sales.
(Special to The Review.)
MILWAUKEE, WIS., April 13.—Fred D. Holmes,
manager of the Milwaukee and Wisconsin business
of the Smith Piano Co., handling the Bradbury,
Strohber, Webster, Henning, Willard and Hoff-
mann lines, is finding the plan of holding occa-
sional "get-together"' meetings of his salesmen is
resulting in bringing a steadily increasing business
to the Milwaukee store. Mr. Holmes believes that
there is nothing like holding informal conferences
with his men to talk over the various prospects and
sales and instill new ideas and enthusiasm in the
force in general.
Among the sales personally made by Mr. Holmes
of late are the following: Strohber player-piano
to the Blue Mound Tuberculosis Sanitarium, near
Milwaukee; E. E. Dunning, of Milwaukee, and
Captain W. B. Rhodes, of Pewaukee, Wis.; a
Brjidbury baby grand to Dr. V. Mason, of Marsh-
field, Wis., and the hotel type of Coinola to the
Blue Mound Tuberculosis Sanitarium.
S. Redyman has joined the sales force at the
Milwaukee store of the Smith concern.
W 7 illiam Danor, of Fond du Lac; William
Thomas, of Manitowoc, and A. Adelmann, of
Monroe, all dealers about Wisconsin handling the
Smith Piano Co.'s line, were recent visitors at the
Milwaukee store.
Thos. Murphy has opened a piano store in
Toluca, 111., where he handles the Kurtzmann and
other lines of instruments.
Victor Talking Machine Co.
Camden, N. J., U. S. A.
Kciliner Gramophone Co., Montreal,
Canadian Distributors.
Always use Victor Machines with Victor Records
and Victor Needles—the combination. There is no
other way to get the unequaied Victor tone.