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AUGUST 13, 1921
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
15
AUGUST BUSINESS UNUSUALLY GOOD IN PHILADELPHIA
Month Starts Off With Every Prospect of Being the Forerunner of a Very Active Fall—Lester
Business Increasing—Heppe Store Keeping Busy—P. J. Cunningham on Trip
PHILADELPHIA, PA., August 9.—August in the
piano and music business is starting with con-
siderably more vim than did July and there is an
encouraging feeling abroad among the piano
men, which may or may not be justified, that
business is going to continue to get better right
along and that there is going to be a good.
active business this Fall and Winter.
A great many pianos have reached Philadel-
phia since the first week in July and this is a
good sign that the dealers are stocking up.
Many of these pianos have come here for the
annual August sales, but many of the dealers
affirm that the bulk of their business has been
upon high-grade goods and a fair percentage of
the business has been upon grands.
The Lester Piano Co. reports that its busi-
ness showed a satisfactory increase every week
of July and the first week of August started the
current month with much spirit. The Lester fac-
tory has been going ahead and getting out in-
struments as fast as the shop capacity would
permit and yet the company has not been ac-
cumulating to any very great extent. A little
brisk business early in the Fall would clean
them out completely and George Miller, the
head of the company, is of the belief that there
is going to be a very good business this Fall.
D. R. Martinez, of the Lester sales force, is at
present on his vacation, which he is spending
in Bermuda. He has been there a couple of
weeks, but is expected back in the city this
week. H. P. Riedel, of the factory and sales
force, is spending two weeks in the central part
of the State. Among the visitors to the Les-
ter offices the past week were T. W. Griffith, of
the Griffith Piano Co., Newark, N. J., and Ray
Ritter and Fred Kramer, of the Kramer Music
Store, Allentown, Pa.
At the warerooms of C. J. Heppe & Son it was
reported that business was very fair last week.
In fact, it was one of the best weeks of the
Summer and considerably ahead of the business
done the first week in August of last year. H. J.
Hillebrand, of the Aeolian and Pianola section
of the Heppe business, has gone to Ocean City
on his vacation; G. Albert Baer, another mem-
ber of the sales force, has gone to Wildwood on
his vacation, and B. F. James is also at present
away on vacation.
The Heppes the past week have received a
large shipment of upright pianos to replenish
their stock and they have a shipment of grands
expected daily and for which they are badly in
need, for they have had a considerable grand 1
business lately. In fact, their grand business was
good all Summer.
L. Schoenewald, manager of the local Story
&• Clark store, was in New York several days.
Upon his return he found that business had
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been picking up quite considerably here and he
believes that Philadelphia conditions at the pres-
ent time are, if anything, better than New York.
P. J. Cunningham, of the Cunningham Piano
Co., has gone on an automobile trip to To-
ronto, Montreal and other Canadian points. He
is accompanied by Mrs. Cunningham and their
children. They will be gone several weeks.
Miss Helen Souden, of the Cunningham office
force, has just returned from a three weeks' vaca-
tion spent at Sea Isle City. Gene Myers is at
present away on his vacation, which he is spend-
ing on his Springfield farm.
Strawbridge & Clothier began their August
sale on Monday of this week and it showed con-
siderable activity. The first day's sales were
considerably larger than the "first day" aver-
ages at the Strawbridge & Clothier store for a
number of years. C. B. Wein—usually known as
Napoleon Wein. for his close resemblance in
face, figure and military bearing to the "Little
Corsican"—is away on his vacation at the pres-
ent time, having motored to his old home near
Lewistown, Pa. Charley Marshall, of the sales
force, has just returned from a vacation spent
down in Massachusetts.
Thomas Cummings
and Betty Howe have also returned from their
vacations.
The United Music Stores, 619 Cherry street,
have been enjoying a very good business, and
especially on Connorized music rolls. George F.
Fields, who went to Baltimore to take charge
of the branch established there at 408 North
Howard street, reports that his business has been
fine.
Manager McCarthy, of the piano and talking
machine departments of Gimbel Bros., reports
that the department had a wonderful opening
day yesterday of its August annual piano sale.
Mr. McCarthy believes that it is going to be a
record-breaker. G. F. Wurtele is going on a
fishing trip to Ocean City to-morrow. Irving
Delk, of the sales force, is at present away on
bis vacation to Cape May. Thomas Stoll will
leave on Friday for an automobile trip through
the New England States, Frank Anton is at
present on an automobile trip through New Eng-
land and Harry Gould, of the talking machine
department, is also away on his vacation at
present.
MILWAUKEE DEALERS SECURING BUSINESS DESPITE HEAT
General Conditions Show Unmistakable Signs of Improvement, and Local Piano Men Are Opti-
mistic Over Prospects for Fall Business—Personals and News of the Week
MILWAUKEE, WIS., August 10.—Developments in
the general commercial and industrial situation
in the last week or two have been so favorable
that music dealers, in common with other re-
tail merchants, are building up some substantial
hopes for an active Fall and holiday season.
Business all Summer has been relatively good,
more especially since the long hot spell was
broken late in July. Ten days of cool weather
injected a good deal of snap into trade.
Although a considerable number of store own-
ers, managers, department heads and other em-
ployes are away on vacations efforts to place
business on the books are unabated and good
results are being obtained by stores which some
time ago mapped out definite campaigns to make
the Summer months at least equal to last year's
aggregate of sales.
Louis M. Kesselman, president of the Kessel-
man-O'Dris'Coll Co,, accompanied by Mrs. Kes-
selman and their two children, left at mid-week
for the famous Manitowish region in extreme
northern Wisconsin, where they will spend
nearly a month in rest and recreation.
The limitations imposed upon the buying
power of the public by reason of the recent busi-
ness depressions are reflected in numerous ways.
For instance, the Collector of Internal Revenue
at Milwaukee, in a special report filed early this
week, showed that the revenue from the Federal
income tax in Wisconsin during the fiscal yeai
ended June 30 was nearly $500,000 less than in
the previous annual period. Collections amounted
to $10,901,097, from 94,704 taxpayers. The num-
ber of those who paid Federal income taxes in
the previous year was 105,793.
over last year. A sale of note made last week
was that of a Sohmer grand to Harry C. Topp,
treasurer of the O'Neil Oil & Paint Co., Mil-
waukee, which was installed in his new residence
here.
Several of the larger music stores in Milwau-
kee which maintain large and small billboards
and advertising signs along the concrete trunk
highways leading into Milwaukee are apprehen-
sive over the possible results of a campaign un-
dertaken by the State Highway Commission to
enforce a new law prohibiting the placing of such
signs within a radius of 1,000 feet of any inter-
section of highways. This is a "safety first"
measure designed to prevent a great many ac-
cidents, said to be caused by the fact that bill-
boards and other signs hide the view of motor-
ists as they draw near intersections.
Hugh M. Holmes, sales manager of the J. B.
Bradford Piano Co., has just been granted a new
assistant, who will be especially engaged in the
merchandising of the products of the Aeolian
Co., which the Bradford Co. now represents ex-
clusively in this territory. George Collis, for-
merly with the Cincinnati branch of the Aeolian
Co., joined the Bradford staff on August 1. He
will specialize in Duo-Art sales. Mr. Holmes
reports a very satisfactory business so far in
August, and the first ten days show another gain
C. M. GOLDSTEIN'S NEW POST
' AXJTO - P L A Y E R
-TheWERNER INDUSTRIES CO.
Milwaukee manufacturers and dealers have
been apprised of the fact that W. H. Aton, for-
merly a leading music merchant at Baraboo,
Wis., is now located at Mason City, la., and
specializing in electric pianos and service. His
place of business is situated at 319 First street,
N. E. Mr. Aton won wide renown while in busi-
ness for many years in Wisconsin for his unique
merchandising methods. While these were novei
they always were of a strictly legitimate nature
and in this way differed greatly from some novel
but not quite ethical methods used by some
music stores in recent years.
George Salak, representative of the Steinway
in Racine, Wis., and vicinity, returned home
July 30, after an extended Western trip to Los
Angeles, Pasadena and other California cities.'
C. M. Goldstein, formerly a member of the
copyright department of the Columbia Grapho-
phone Co., and well known in talking machine
circles throughout the country, has joined the
staff of the General Phonograph Corp. Mr.
Goldstein is in charge of the company's copy-
right activities, and his knowledge of every phase
of this important work is being utilized to ex-
cellent advantage in his present post.
P I A N O
AND