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JUIA 16,
THE
1921
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
NEWS FROM THE TWIN CITIES
ST. LOUIS TRADE REVIVING
Summer Conditions Prevail in the Northwest,
With Greatest Interest Centered on the Crop
Outlook—Retail Dealers Keep Busy
Demand for High-grade Instruments Shows
Appreciable Increase Despite Coming of Va-
cation Period—News of the Week
MINNEAPOLIS and
ST. PAUL, MINN., July
11.—
Watching the overhead expenses and keeping an
eye on the crop reports constitute the greatest
burden placed on the music merchants of the
Northwest at the present time. There is but
a limited demand for pianos, as might be ex-
pected at this time of the year. The excessive
heat, which has been unprecedented, both as to
maximum temperatures and long continuity, has
had a depressing effect on everything that con-
tributes to the economic welfare of this section
of the country. Whereas the crop reports a
month ago were of the most exuberant nature,
it is now freely conceded that the yield of
small grain will be light as compared with the
earlier predictions. Whether the Northwest will
prosper and to what extent now depends upon
the prices that will be obtainable.
Piano sales do not figure materially in the
sum total of Northwestern business. Something
is being done by all the houses, but even the
best of efforts fail to yield the expected results.
Some houses have concluded to cut out all news-
paper and other advertising during Jwly and
August as any effort in that line is likely to
prove disappointing.
A sentiment in favor of closing on Saturday
noon is voiced by many dealers, for, as one
dealer expressed it, all the pianos you can sell on
a Saturday afternoon you can put in your eye.
W. J. Dyer & Bro., the Metropolitan Music Co.
and the two local stores of Howard, Farwell &
Co. close at noon on Saturday without losing
any business or prestige, and the others are ready
to follow their example if some one will start
the ball rolling.
Cable Piano Company stores in Minneapolis
and St. Paul have experienced a rather satisfac-
tory week, considering the time and the weather.
The demand for records, fortunately, has not let
up, but it is conceded in both branches that the
interest in pianos is not impressive.
The branches of the P. A. Starck Piano Co.
are reported as doing fairly well. The Min-
neapolis branch has had exceptionally good suc-
cess. The Starck corner on Nicollet avenue
probably is the best located site in the Twin
Cities for the transient trade on account of the
new crosstown car line, which deposits hun-
dreds of shoppers at this corner every hour.
The Hurley-Moren-Frank Co. state that they
are enjoying a satisfactory Summer. While the
patronage is not particularly great, there is
quite enough to keep things moving.
Mr. Shoquits, who has been with the Starck
establishments for some time, has quit the piano
game—temporarily, at least—and now is selling
insurance as a more dependable means of in-
suring an income.
FOSTER HEADS BIG CORPORATION
Percy S. Foster, formerly one of the leading
piano dealers in Washington and for several
years secretary of the National Association of
Music Merchants, has been chosen president of
the Banking, Trust & Mortgage Co., of that
city. The concern is capitalized at $1,000,000.
J. A. Breckenridge, for the past forty years
engaged in the music business in New Castle,
Pa., has disposed of his entire stock of pianos
and musical merchandise. He is planning to
retire.
ST. LOUIS, MO., July 11.—A hopeful development
in the piano business is an apparent revival of de-
mand for high-priced instruments. For months
that was the thing that saved the situation on
volume, but during the Spring and early Sum-
mer this demand lagged and it became as hard
to make sales of the high-priced pianos and re-
producers as it had been to sell other grades.
Now dealers say there appears to be a tendency
toward a return to the good times when sales of
extremely costly instruments were of almost
daily occurrence. There is not such a demand
as will greatly speed up business, but every little
helps and for every little the piano men are duly
grateful.
Summer hours are in effect at the piano stores.
As a rule they close at 5 p. m. except on Satur-
day, when they close at 1. Although the 1 o'clock
Saturday closing is not strictly adhered to there
is less inclination than formerly to stalk the un-
wary customer on that afternoon, and a sugges-
tion to close all day on Saturday, as the depart-
ment stores do, has received serious consideration.
Charles Ritter, president of the St. Louis Piano
Moving Co., who has moved more pianos, prob-
ably, for St. Louis piano dealers, than any other
man, died Friday morning at his home after only
a day's illness. He was 52 years old. Formerly
he worked on a wagon as a mover. Many years
ago he and Charles Iverson organized the St.
Louis Piano Moving Co. and built it up until it
and one other shared the moving business of the
city. He was a very large man, weighing more
than 300 pounds.
P. E. Conroy, president of the Conroy Piano
Co., has returned from a business trip to Chi-
cago and is planning an early departure for the
Eastern Summer resorts.
O. A. Field, president of the Field-Lippman
Piano Co., has returned from a business trip to
Texas.
O. R. Bowman, of the Steger & Sons Piano Co.,
Chicago, passed through on his way to Memphis
to attend the funeral of L. H. Floyd, president of
the Floyd Piano Co.
Joseph Dvorak, formerly for many years with
Lyon & Healy, Chicago, but latterly in business
for himself in Chicago, passed through St. Louis
on his way to Los Angeles to take charge of the
distributing plant of the Lyon & Healy Co. there.
Manager J. B. Moran, of the Wurlitzer Co.,
after a conference at the Cincinnati headquarters,
has gone to Minocqua, Wis., accompanied by his
wife and child, for a vacation.
F. H. Brandt, of the Aeolian Co., is on his
vacation. Lawrence Kissinger of the Aeolian
Co., has returned from Grand Rapids, Mich.,
where he attended the wedding of his sister and
took his vacation.
L. R. Tippin, of the Scruggs, Vandervoort &
Barney piano department, has a new Cole in place
of the old one that was stolen and he and his
wife, who is connected with the talking machine
department of the same store, are spending their
vacation on a motor trip to their old home at
Kahoka, Mo.
C. C. Preston, assistant manager of the Famous
& Barr Co. music salon, is spending his vacation
moving into the new home he has purchased at
Webster Groves.
George W. Houk, of the Scruggs, Vandervoort
& Barney piano department, sustained cuts and
bruises and his daughter, Ruth, 10 years old, suf-
fered a broken leg and a broken arm when an
automobile in which they and others were riding
went over an embankment on the Manchester
road near Kirkwood Monday evening. Daniel
Isch, a 12-year-old boy, was killed.
FILES BANKRUPTCY PETITION
E. H. Burley, music dealer of Urbana, Ohio,
recently filed a petition in bankruptcy in which
he states that his liabilities are $2,271.40 and his
assets as $2,016.18.
11
Harmony
A piano may have a whole
lot of strong points, but if it
isn't strong in harmony it
isn't a piano that's going to
make friends for you.
R i c e a builds a genuine,
full harmonious tone in
every instrument that goes
out of its doors. A piano to
sing by, to blend with other
instruments, to use as a solo
instrument.
Harmony in the piano pre-
vents discords in your sales
notes. Harmony is the big
thing Ricca is selling and a
host of dealers back us up
by saying, "Well done!"
and
97-99 Southern Blvd
NEW YORK CITY
Luigi Ricca founded the House of
Ricca in 1891. Mr. Ricca was one of
America's best known musicians. His
thorough musical knowledge coupled
with his piano making ideas enabled
him to produce a real musician's piano
—the Ricca.
The Ricca heritage of quality is now
being carried forward by the second
and third generations of the Ricca
family.