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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
FEBRUARY 11, 1922
ST. LOUIS PIANO DEALERS REPORT UNEVEN BUSINESS
GOOD BUSINESS IN BUFFALO
Demand for Musical Instruments Slows Up a Bit, Though Some Retailers Are Busier Than Others
—New Orleans Dealers Visiting Local Trade—Mark Mayer With Lehman Co.
Local Dealers Report Satisfactory Business and
Are Optimistic Over Prospects
ST. LOUIS, MO., February 6.—The spottiness
which developed in the piano business the week
before last increased last week and, generally
speaking, last week's business did not show the
increased recuperation that was expected or at
least hoped for. It did not make up materially
for the slackness of the early part of January.
Dealers and managers who do not lack optimism
admitted frankly that January was somewhat
disappointing. But there were good spots. One
of them was at the store of the Lehman Piano
Co., at Eleventh and Locust streets. P. A.
Lehman, head of the firm, said business made a
fine spurt at the end of the month, running up
an increase of 25 per cent over January a year
ago. As always, though, the statement was
qualified by the grim admission that it took lots
of hard work.
Sabbath-breaking safe-breakers visited the
store of the Smith-Reis Piano Co., 1005 Olive
street, last Sunday and obtained $1,000 in cash
and $2,000 in Government bonds. The building
was entered through a second-story window from
a fire escape. The safe was opened by knocking
the combination off and punching the tumblers
out of place. A packet of $1,700 worth of Gov-
ernment bonds in a secret drawer was over-
looked. Piano mortgages, non-negotiable, were
taken. The money and bonds were insured.
The Tri-State Victor Dealers' Association is
planning to celebrate Caruso's forty-eighth birth-
day February 27 with a dinner, probably at the
Claridge Hotel, inaugurating Caruso week, when
n special release of a new Caruso record is to
be made.
Three members of the Kieselhorst Piano Co.
organization have been^named as election officials
to serve the ensuing three years. They are
Oscar Shillig, C. O. Thompson and Miss Helen
Heffernan. Shillig and Miss Heffernan are
judges and Thompson is a clerk. They served
last week.at the election for delegates to the Mis-
souri Constitutional Convention.
J. E. Dockstader, manager of the Stix, Baer &
Fuller piano department, spent two days last
week in Chicago.
H. D. Hewitt, of the M. Schulz Co., Chicago,
was here part of last week.
Parker M. Harris, formerly sales manager of
Philip Werlein, Ltd., New Orleans, and Harry B.
Loeb, music and dramatic critic of New Orleans,
who have formed a partnership to embark in
the music business under the firm name of the
Harris-Loeb Piano Co., Inc., were here last week
on their way back to New Orleans from the East.
Harris visited his brother, Gerald Harris, sales
manager of the Lehman Piano Co. The new
firm will be open for business March 1 at 315
Baronne street and will handle the Lyon & Healy
pianos and Brunswick talking machines.
Mark Mayer, formerly at the head of the Tri-
Sales Co., has taken a position with the Lehman
Piano Co. The Tri-Sales Co. has been dissolved.
THE LEADING LINE
WEAVER PIANOS
Grands, Uprights
and Players
YORK PIANOS
Uprights and Players
LIVINGSTON PIANOS
Uprights and Player-Pianos
If your competitor does not already have this
line, go after it at once.
Weaver Piano Co., Inc.
FACTORY
YORK, PA.
Established 1870
BUFFALO, N. Y., February 6.—January was a bet-
ter month than the trade anticipated, according to
reports from dealers, this being especially true
of the piano departments. Houses which offered
and made strong selling campaigns on pianos
and players report satisfactory business; some
dealers report business as having been "surpris-
ingly good."
So far the talking machine business has not
shown
as great improvement as in the case of
PENNSYLVANIA A MUSICAL STATE
pianos, but records are moving in increased
Dr. C. F. Hoban Tells of Contribution Made by volume and player rolls are showing some signs
That State to the Cause of American Music of life. The industrial situation is slowly im-
proving and collections are a little better than
—Other News of Interest—Business Good
they have been for some time.
At the annual meeting of the Rudolph Wur-
PITTSBURGH, PA., February 6.—"Pennsylvania
has made the greatest contribution to American litzer Co., which was held at the firm's factory
music of any State in the Union," Dr. C. F. near North Tonawanda, N. Y., all the former
Hoban, of Harrisburg, assistant director of ad- officers and directors were re-elected for 1922.
ministration of the State Department of Public The reports which were read indicated 1921 was
Instruction, told the Principals' Round Table a prosperous year for this house. George W.
of Allegheny County at a meeting held on Sat- Pound, general counsel of the Music Industries
urday. Taking up the State's musical achieve- Chamber of Commerce, was a guest and made a
brief talk.
ments in detail, he said:
H. J. Hackenheimer, president of C. Kurtz-
"Pennsylvania has taken the initiative in
twenty-one musical activities, such as instru- mann & Co., has added his protest to that of
ment making, composition, operas and folk Buffalo dealers who are planning to oppose the
songs; organization of bands, orchestras and St. Lawrence ship canal project. "I think the
project an unwise and an unsound one," Mr.
music societies.
"Francis Hopkinson, signer of the Declaration Hackenheimer said. "I cannot see how any
of Independence and designer of the American reasonable return can be expected from a vast
flag, was the first American composer, and there expenditure, and I also oppose the measure be-
are Pennsylvania's big four: Stephen Collins cause this is a time when economy should be the
Foster, founder of American folk music; Ethel- watchword of the Federal Government."
Charles F. Hoffman, president of the Hoffman
bert Ncvin, composer of art songs and instru-
mental music; Charles Wakefield Cadman, pre- Piano Co., will spend a month's vacation in
server of Indian themes and versatile in all Florida, returning to Buffalo early in March.
lines of musical composition, and Henry J. Bur- The Hoffman store is now being remodeled and
leigh, whose negro spirituals approach the folk new show windows are being arranged.
Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Stranburg are en route
song. These form a quartet no State can match."
Dr. Hoban primarily addressed the educators to Miami, Fla., where they plan to spend sev-
with reference to the Music Week in the Penn- eral weeks. Mr. Stranburg is proprietor of a
sylvania public schools, to be observed through- chain of music stores throughout western New
York and northern Pennsylvania. He reports
out the State April 30 to May 7.
January sales in piano circles here are reported the outlook for Spring business in this region
to have shown a slight increase over the same very encouraging. Before leaving his home in
month a year ago. Considerable advertising in Jamestown Mr. Stranburg announced that Leon
the newspapers was done by the various piano Stranburg has been appointed manager of the
dealers of the Steel City, with the result that company's Bradford, Pa., store and will make
some business was attracted, but not in the his home in that city.
A man who gave his name as Leonard Adams
volume that the live-wire music merchant would
like to see. Most of the trade handled was for was surprised by the police of Franklin, Pa.,
high-class instruments, with grands and player- in the music store of R. E. Canon, in that city,
pianos leading the list. Considerable of the busi- in the early morning hours. Persons residing
ness done was out of town. Persons interested in apartments above the store heard unusual
wrote in to the several houses, stating their noises and notified the police, the arrest being
wishes, and little or no time was lost by sales the result.
Plans are being made for a joint meeting of
managers in getting a salesman "on the job."
One player-piano that was sold as a result of a the furniture and music groups of the Buffalo
mail inquiry was shipped to southwestern Ohio. Chamber of Commerce in the near future to dis-
D. L. Aaron, manager of the piano depart- cuss problems of mutual interest.
The city fire department was called to the
ment of Kaufmann's (The Big Store) launched
a special sale to-day of a "Super-Simplex" ' music store of C. E. Siegesmund in Main street
a few days ago. A rag burning in a furnace
player-piano, in choice of three finishes.
pipe caused the store to be filled with smoke,
The W. F. Frederick Piano Co. is specializing but no damage was done.
this week on the Knabe Mignonette grand, "the
attainment of the perfect grand tone in a small
piano," as stated in the firm's advertisements.
George Phelps, who was associated with Mayer,
has gone into the real estate business in Cal-
ifornia.
John Tebben, of the Melodee Music Co., New
York, was here last week.
H. D. Finch, formerly with the Lehman Piano
Co., has taken a position with the Kieselhorst
Piano Co.
COLUMBUS MUSK^ASSOC. ELECTS
COLUMBUS, O., February 6.—The following of-
ficers were elected at the annual meeting of the
Music Industry Association of Columbus, a
local organization consisting of manufacturers
and retailers: William V. Crowe, re-elected
president; J. N. Robbins succeeds Henry Gold-
smith as vice-president, and George J. Gulden
and D. A. Terradell were re-elected treasurer
and secretary.
Jacob Doll & Sons recently opened a room
devoted exclusively to reproducing pianos in
their New York warerooms.
Awarded first prize in many world compe-
titions during the past sixty years, the
Schomacker Piano is now daily receiving
first prizes of preference won by its superb
tone, wonderful breadth of expression and
structural beauty.
SCHOMACKER PIANO CO.
23d and Chestnut Sts.
Philadelphia, Pa.