Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
11
PIANO BUSINESS IN BALTIMOREJHOWING IMPROVEMENT
Trade Is Increasing, and Dealers Are Very Optimistic—Ampico Concerts Proving Most Success-
ful—Stieff Branches Report Excellent Business—Southern Territory in Good Shape
BALTIMORE, MU., May 1.—A new note of opti-
mism is apparent among the local piano dealers
in this city and business last week showed bet-
ter with the majority of houses than it had
for several weeks past. While dealers still see
a more or less unsettled condition they believe
that the future outlook is bright for business
with both players and pianos.
Collections
everywhere are reported as being far ahead of
what they were at this time last year, and this
is most pleasing to all of the dealers. Balti-
more being a big industrial and manufacturing
center with all kinds of factories necessary for
the supplying of material for the army and navy,
the local dealers feel that this is bound to have
a good effect on the buying public here.
Many of the dealers are pushing their pros-
pects hard, and are also seizing the present op-
portunity to get rid of used pianos and players.
E. C. Taylor, sales manager for William
Knabe & Co., is feeling cheery over business
conditions. "One thing that is especially pleas-
ing to me," said Mr. Taylor, "is the success
that we have been having through our Ampico
concerts that we have been giving around the
various parts of the city for the benefit of church
funds, Red Cross branches and other patriotic
affairs. Besides lending aid to this work it has
helped us immensely in developing prospects for
Ampicos, as well as other instruments. Many
Ampico sales have resulted from these concerts."
Mr. Taylor says business continues to show
improvement. R. K. Paynter, vice-president of
William Knabe & Co., spent several days at
the local branch during the past week. General
Auditor Grant, of the company, left Baltimore
the latter part of last week.
S. P. Walker, general manager for Charles
M. Stieff, Inc., says that everyone of the Stieff
branches sent in good reports of business done
during the past week. The reports for the
current week were the best for several weeks,
and Mr. Walker is optimistic regarding business
conditions.
A Stieff concert grand was used at the big
movie ball, which was held in this city on Sat-
urday night at the Lyric, and which was at-
tended by the leading members of the pro-
fession. On April 23 at the Greenville Female
College, Greenville, S. C, and on April 24 at
Smith,
Barnes
and
Strohber
Company
CHICAGO
Over 145,000 Pianos
in American Homes and
All Giving Satisfaction
MONEY MAKERS FOR THE DEALER
Write tor Catalogues and Prices
Smith, Barnes & Strohber Go.
1872 Glybourn Avenue
CHICAGO
the State Normal College, Greensboro, N. C ,
Myrtle Moses and Louis Kreidler, of the Chi-
cago Grand Opera Co., used Stieff orchestral
grands in recitals. Miss Moses gave a recital
on the same instrument on April 27 at the
Winthrop Normal and Industrial College, Rock
Hill, S. C. On April 25 the same instrument
was used by Anna Case at a recital given in
Wilmington, Del.
Frederick P. Stieff, Jr., and J. G. Schnepfe,
general auditor of the company, returned yes-
terday after spending several days in New
York and Philadelphia.
George Waters
Stieff, who spent two weeks in the South, re-
turned last week, and is bubbling over with en-
thusiasm over the prosperous condition in that
section. Mr. Stieff says the territory should
return a big lot of business during the next
few months, as everywhere money conditions
appeared to be in better shape than for many
years.
NEW ASSOCIATION FORMED
G E T
READY
for the
AIRDROMES
They will soon be open-
ing, and every one of
them is a good pros-
pect for a
COINOLA
Piano Merchants' Association of New York
Organized Last Week—Hamilton at Head
The Piano Merchants' Association of New
York is now an accomplished fact.
The
movement started last fall through the efforts
of The Review has culminated in the organiza-
tion of a permanent organization, at a meeting
held at the Hotel Astor on Thursday afternoon
of last week at which a score of representative
dealers and managers were present. Those who
attended the meeting, together with the sign-
ers of about forty provisional applications, will
constitute the charter membership of the as-
sociation.
The first meeting for the purpose of forming
a retail association, was held at the Murray
Hill Hotel last fall at the call of C. M. Tre-
maine, director of the Bureau for the Advance-
ment of Music. A committee, consisting of
Louis P. Bach, Fred W. Lohr, Milton Weil,
Geo. A. Scofield, C. Albert Jacob, Jr., and E.
Paul Hamilton, was appointed to work out the
plans for the proposed organization, and sound
the trade as to their attitude. Mr. Hamilton,
as State Commissioner for the National Asso-
ciation of Piano Merchants, took an active in-
terest in the work and secured over thirty
signed provisional applications before calling
the organization meeting.
The first work taken up on Thursday was the
consideration of the by-laws prepared by Mr.
Hamilton, and which followed along the lines
of the by-laws under which other prominent
trade associations are operating. After several
changes had been made in the by-laws to cover
certain local conditions they were adopted
unanimously. Among other things they pro-
vide that membership in the association may be
held by "any manager, owner, firm or corpora-
tion who retails pianos in the metropolitan dis-
trict."
There was next held the election of officers
for the coming year, the term to expire May 1,
1918, and those selected were: E. Paul Hamil-
ton, manager of the piano department of Fred-
erick Loeser & Co., president; J. B. Schlosser,
Kranich & Bach, vice-president; Albert Beh-
ning, Behning- Piano Co., secretary, and Milton
Weil, manager of the warerooms of Krakauer
Bros., treasurer.
Among those who attended the meeting were
Milton Weil, of Krakauer Bros.; W. H. Gomez,
of the Chickering warerooms; Geo. A. Scofield
and Albert Behning, Behning Piano Co.; Jerome
Ackerly, of Patchogue, L. I.; Louis P. Bach and
J. B. Schlosser, of Kranich & Bach; J. B. Cohen,
Pease Piano Co., Brooklyn; Harold Bersin, L.
D. Perry, of Ludwig & Co.; H. Anguera, of the
Anguera Piano Co.; E. P. Hamilton, Fred-
erick Loeser & Co.; G. L. Weitz, Christman
Sons; T. S. Matthews, E. Leins, C. Schulz and
C. A. Woods.
Style "C2" shown here
is especially suited to
the open-air as well
as the indoor theatres.
The two big outstand-
ing facts about the
Coinola are that it gives
the required musical
results and is
TROUBLE
PROOF
Don't wait another
day, but write now for
particulars of
Free Trial Offer
OPERATORS PIANO
COMPANY
LOUIS M. SEVERSON, Pres.
Clybourn Ave. and Osgood St.
CHICAGO, ILL.