Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
6
DETROITERS GATHERING ENERGY FOR FALL CAMPAIGNS.
Many Members of Trade Off on Vacation—Managers' and Buyers' Club of J. L. Hudson Store
Hold Meeting—New Music Roll Prices at Grinnell's—Other News of Interest.
(Special to The Review.)
DETROIT, MICH., August 9.—The first week in
August was an uneventful one for the piano deal-
ers of this city. No traveling men arrived in
town during the week and piano sales were very
slim. Nearly everybody is just getting back from
their vacation, are taking it or are planning for it.
But this condition of affairs comes every year in
August; it is the dullest month of the year, so
there isn't the least cause for worry. By the latter
part of the month campaigns will be laid out for
securing good business in September.
H. J. Marshall, of the Hudson piano department,
left at 3.45 a. m. on Saturday, July 31, in his motor
car for a little town near Traverse City in the
northwestern part of Michigan—a distance of 400
miles. Mr. Marshall made the trip in exactly
nineteen hours—really a record considering the bad
Michigan roads. Mr. Marshall is spending two
weeks up there. He took along a complete fishing
outfit.
F. Hugh Smith, of the Hudson piano depart-
ment, will leave August 15 on his vacation. H. B.
Wilkinson and R. K. Wilkinson, of the same de-
partment, left August G for Bellaire, Mich., where
they will spend two weeks. E. P. Andrew, man-
ager of the Hudson music store, left August 6
for the St. Clair Flats, where he will stay for
several weeks with some friends at a private cot-
tage. He will come to Detroit once or twice a
week for a few hours. The Flats are reached by
palatial steamers, which make several trips each
day back and forth. By boat the Flats—known
generally as "The Venice of America"—are about
two hours' ride from Detroit. During his absence
from the city his son, E. K. Andrew, in charge
of the talking machine department, will handle the
affairs of the entire music store.
Mrs. S. E. Andrew, living at Ludington, Mich.,
and mother of E. P. and E. K. Andrew, of the
Hudson store, celebrated her 85th birthday on
August 2. She is known throughout the city as
"Grandma Andrew" and is reputed to be "the
lru'st. lovable old lady in town."
The Department Managers and Buyers' Club of
the J, L. Hudson store held its second monthly
meeting July 30 at the Hotel Statler. Dinner
was served from 6 to 7 p. m., which was followed
by a two-hour discussion of pertinent topics. Ad-
dresses were made by Oscar Webber, vice-presi-
dent of the company, and W. A. Petzold, secre-
tary and treasurer. Mr. Webber's talk proved
unusually interesting. He gave the members
•orae "inside" information of how the Hudson
store was conducted and explained the workings
of a big department store. E. P. Andrew, man-
ager of the music store, is secretary of the or-
ganization. He reports that forty-two members
were in attendance. The purpose of the club is
to co-operate on sales methods, efficiency methods
and advertising. Each month a different phase of
the business is discussed—round table style.
The Goodfellowship Club, consisting of Grin-
nell Bros.' employes, held its regular monthly meet-
ing at Lakeside Inn Wednesday night, August 4.
The trip to Lakeside was made in automobiles
along the shore of the Detroit River and Lake St.
Clair. About sixty members participated.
Manager G. C. Walker, of the music roll de-
partment of Grinnell Bros., is getting ready a
new announcement of prices which will become
effective by September 1. This particular depart-
ment of the Grinnell store disposed of some 60,000
music rolls during the twelve months of 1914.
Manager Walker expects to beat this record con-
siderably in 1915.
Herman T. Schmidt, piano dealer of Detroit,
celebrated his 52d birthday on August 4.
GUARANTEED
MUSICROLLS
Everything the Same
But the Price
11
The Same Paper
The Connorized paper has long been famous. It is
not affected by climatic changes.
The Same Cutting
.ll
i
i
Larger perforations than usual and trimming on
both sides assures perfect tracking.
•
Just a line about the weather—it rained every
day during the past week.
S. E. Clark, general manager of Grinnell Bros.,
is spending a week in the upper part of the State
visiting the various Grinnell managers.
Jay Grinnell, sales manager of the Grinnell Co.,
is spending several weeks in Colorado, most of
the time with his brother, Fred Grinnell, who is
cut there for his health.
A. H. Howes, manager for Grinnell Bros., re-
turns this week from his extended Eastern trip.
He visited the headquarters of William Knabe &
Co. while in New York.
Percy Tonk, president of the Tonk Manufac-
turing Co., of Chicago, was a recent visitor in
Detroit, where he has relatives. Mr. Tonk made
a number of trips to Belle Isle Park by motor
boat and said he enjoyed every minute of his
stay in the City of the Straits.
The Howard Phonograph Co., Sturgis, Mich.,
capitalized at $35,000, will engage in the manufac-
ture of talking machines. E. C. Howard is presi-
dent of the company.
F. M. Ramsdell, of the Detroit Piano Co., who
recently spent a few days in New York, says that
trade is up to last year for the summer, while
taking the first seven months of the year it is
ahead of 1914. "We are usually satisfied if we
break even during the summer, but this year we
are more than doing that," added Mr. Ramsdell.
J. Henry Ling is having plans drawns fur the
remodeling of his piano department, which oc-
cupies the second floor of the L. B. King building
at Library and East Grand River avenues. The
purpose of the change is to give more space to the
showing of pianos. When the remodeling is com-
pleted the entire store is to be handsomely redeco-
rated.
"Every employe of a piano store should watch
the windows as well as the advertising of his
firm," said a leading salesman of one of Detroit's
piano stores. "I learned this by experience the
other day when two people came in and asked
questions. One was, 'How much is that piano in
the window?' and 'Do you give a bench with the
piano you are advertising in to-day's paper?' 1
hadn't seen either, so it was necessary for me to
excuse myself on some pretense and look in the
window and get a copy of the paper. Never again
will I get caught that way."
W. H. Huttie, district manager with headquar-
ters at Detroit for the Starr Piano Co., left Au-
gust fi for the factory at Richmond, hid. Mr.
Huttie's object was to get full details regarding
the talking machine which his firm has announced
it will manufacture. As soon as Mr. lluttie
knows the exact situation he will make the neces-
sary alterations in the Detroit store. Mr. TTuttie
reports the sale of a large Starr piano to the
Kalamazoo State Hospital at Kalamazoo, Mich.
1
We are not setting the world on fire right now,"
spoke Mr. Huttie, "but we are doing more than
we had expected to do for this time of the year."
The company has already signed for space in the
main exhibition building of the Michigan State
Fair, which will hold its annual fair in September
at Detroit.
FRANK A. LEE_A VISITOR.
Frank A. Lee, president of the John Church Co..
Cincinnati, O., was a visitor to New York this
week, spending several days at the Eastern head-
quarters of the company, 39 West Thirty-second
street, New York. Mr. Lee spoke optimistically of
current conditions, being particularly pleased with
the cordial reception accorded the John Church
player by the company's dealers throughout the
country.
The Same Musical Arrangement
The most artistic results may be obtained from the
Connorized Rolls which reproduce playing of artists.
Have you seen our nezv scale of prices?
If not get our nezv catalogue to-day.
OWNERSHIP TRANSFERRED.
l!i'
GQNNQR.TZED MUSIC
" i
144 th S t. and Aus tin Place,NEWY0RK,
STXOUIS,
1234 Olive St,
The ownership of the Scruggs, Vandervoort &
Barney Dry Goods Co. has passed into the control
of local business men through a recent deal in-
volving $450,000. There are about 350 stockhold-
ers in the concern, 100 of them being employes. A
successful piano department is conducted in this
store, which will not be affected through the change
in ownership.