Music Trade Review

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OlTOBKK 7, 1922
THE MUSIC TttAt>E REVIEW
COUNTY FAIRS AND PIANOS
SCHAFF BROS.' EASTERN OFFICE
Straube Co.'s Manager Believes County Fairs
Are an Excellent Source of Live Prospects
for Musical Instruments of All Kinds
Huntington, Ind., Manufacturer Opens Head-
quarters in New York in Charge of Arthur
B. Hart as Manager for the East
Pointing out that the average retail music
merchant does not appreciate the opportunity
afforded him by the county fair in his locality,
C. W. Smith, veteran music merchant and man-
ager of the retail store of the Straube Piano
Co., Hammond, Ind., is of the opinion that
farmers go to the county fairs for the purpose
of comparing lines of merchandise and that the
merchant who is not there with a display is out
of the running to a certain extent.
Mr. Smith has been in the retail music busi-
ness for many years and says that he never
misses a county fair. At the time of this dis-
cussion Mr. Smith had just returned from the
fair at Crown Point, Ind., where he was in
charge of his store's display. In order to at-
tract attention to his booth Mr. Smith gave
away a barrelful of piano hammers to the
crowds. He reports that few sales were ac-
tually closed on the ground, but is of the opin-
ion that he has secured a large number of
live prospects who will buy later on in the
season.
"Often in the past my fellow merchants have
said to me that people do not go to the fairs
prepared to buy," Mr. Smith said. "In a sense
that is true; they don't go prepared to close
the sale. But they go to make a selection. I
know dozens of farmers who go to the county
fair to compare the merchandise offered; the
fair affords the farmer his only opportunity for
making such a comparison. And when he buys
later in the season he won't give much thought
to the merchant who was not on the ground.
It takes money to arrange a good display, but
it pays."
Announcement was made this week by the
Schaft Bros. Co., Huntington, Ind., of the open-
ing of-a New York office, which will be located
at 117 East Thirty-fourth street, to be under
the management of Arthur B. Hart. This
office will be maintained as the Eastern head-
quarters of the company, and Mr. Hart will
include in his territory that part of the country
east of the Ohio River.
Mr. Hart has been identified with the piano
industry for many years and for a long period
represented the Cunningham Piano Co., Phila-
delphia, Pa. He is well known throughout the
territory he will travel and has a large following
among the dealers.
The Schaft Bros. Co. is one of the oldest
manufacturers in the country, having been
established in 18b8. The factory, which is
located in Huntington, Ind., is one of the best
appointed in the West, while the line of instru-
ments which the company manufactures com-
prises a variety of designs thoroughly modern
in appearance, including grands, uprights and
player pianos.
BUY WEBSTER FACTORY
W. P. Haines & Co. Purchase Plant in Leom-
inster as Well as Name and Good-will
Announcement was made this week by T. E.
Floyd Jones, president of W. P. Haines & Co.,
Walton avenue and 138th street, New York,
that in addition to the purchasing of the name,
good-will and stock of F. G. Smith and the
Webster Piano Co., as well as the name l'rad-
bury, the company has now purchased the
Webster plant in Leominster, Mass.
The plant, which is one of the best in the
country, gives W. P. Haines & Co. ample floor
space with which to expand their business and
will be operated in addition to the plant in
New York.
BIG BUSINESS FOR STRAUBE
Months of August and September Prove Ex-
ceedingly Good From Sales Standpoint
The month of August was the best one in al-
most two years for the Straube Piano Co.,
Hammond, Ind., both from the standpoint of
sales and collections, according to E. R. Jacob-
son, president of the company, and, while ac-
curate reports are not yet available, September
will be far better than August. The factory is
operating as nearly at capacity as is possible
under the circumstances and production is
being speeded up as fast as is practicable.
A feature of the Fall buying is the large
number of players ordered, which is believed
to be due to the increasing popularity of the
Artronome action, a distinctive feature of
Straube-built instruments. Mr. Jacobson has
spent the last several weeks traveling in differ-
ent sections of the country in an endeavor to
get a line on the probable future needs of
Straube dealers.
A little egotism is a good thing. It gives a
man a feeling of confidence in his ability. But
egotism, like other things, is often overworked.
MILWAUKEE MUSIC DEALERS MEET
Interesting Session of Milwaukee Association
of Music Industries—Constructive Talk by
L. C. Parker—Postpone Music Week
MMAVAI'KKK, Wis., October 2.—Urging that all
music merchants of the city co-operate in the
development of the study of music among the
school children and in this manner find a
large market for their instruments, L. C.
Parker, head of the Badger Music Shop, led
one of the most interesting discussions of any
gathering of the Milwaukee Association of
Music Industries at the monthly meeting of
the organization held Thursday noon in the
Colonial Room of the Hotel Wisconsin.
Hugh M. Holmes, sales manager of the J. B.
Bradford Piano Co., presided at the meeting
in the place of Frederick W. Carberry, na-
tionally known community song leader and
Chickering and Brunswick dealer, who has
tendered his resignation as president of the
Association. Mr. Carberry's resignation was
not accepted by the Association and it is be-
lieved that no successor will be elected until
the time of the annual meeting and election of
officers on November 1. Vice-president Holmes
will preside at all meetings until that time.
Another development at the Association was
the postponement of plans for a music week.
This action was taken, S. R. Christopherson,
secretary, announced, because of the resigna-
tion of Frank E. Morton, who was chairman
of the ways and means committee, and also
because of the unusual volume of Fall and
Winter business the merchants were being
called upon to handle. Mr. Morton is going
back to Chicago. The regular monthly meet-
ings will be held the last Thursday of each
month at the Hotel Wisconsin, however, and
the regular Thursday noon luncheons at Gim-
bcl's will be continued.
Sid Sachs, of Chicago, was the guest of
honor at the Thursday meeting. Mr. Sachs
is well known to the Milwaukee music trade.
He gave an interesting address spiced with the
humor of the recent inter-city outing of the
Chicago and Milwaukee Associations at Ra-
vi nia Park.
BROOKS TO MANAGE PEASE BRANCH
B. B. Brooks, connected with the Forty-
second street, New York City, store of the
Pease Piano Co. for a number of years, has
been made manager of the Brooklyn, N. Y.,
store of the company, succeeding John E. En-
vv\, who passed away recently.
USE SAND SOAP
ITsSCOURS DEEP f =
12-MAKE TODAY A REAL ONE
BY MARSHALL BREEDEN
LOS ANGELES
The physical culture folks tell us to
exercise—that if we take a bit of exer-
cise every day we will be much better
men. This is undeniably true. A little
home exercise, properly done, will ginger
a man up in great shape, but it is equally
and perhaps more important to exercise
the mind.
If a piano man will start his mind to
working on some piano subject immedi-
ately on awakening, and then stick to that
subject for a minute or two, he will be
surprised. The exercise the brain will get
for this thought will stimulate it wonder-
fully. The best athlete in the world is
the human brain. Try exercising it and
see how wonderfully strong its endurance
is.
The Baseball Scores
The piano man who reads the latest
trade journals is nearer success than the
one who reads the baseball scores. To
make every day a worth-while day, exer-
cise the mind with some piano subject.
Just as in physical exercise it is well to
vary and change the form of exercise, so
with the salesman's mind. Follow the ball
scores, but apply yourself to the piano
business first. This, because the first im-
pression is more lasting than the subse-
quent ones.
Another good thing. It is also one
which a very successful man makes a prac-
tice of doing. In the morning immedi-
ately upon arriving at the store play or
sound a few notes on every piano in
reach. Play a chord or two on them.
This awakens the mind to music. It stim-
ulates thought to the job of selling the
piano and gives birth daily to the romance
in the piano business.
There is an undeniable thrill in base-
ball scores. All of us have experienced
it. Most of us read the baseball news,
but we do it chiefly because it is a pleasure.
How many men have been utterly spoiled
because they concentrated on pleasure?
It is fearful even to contemplate the num-
ber. The other question naturally follows.
How many men have been spoiled be-
cause they always did the hard thing first? 1
It is also fearful or perhaps discouraging
to contemplate this.
We all seem inclined to do the easy
thing first. The man who is willing to
buck the distasteful thing is the man who
gets the "jack" and the real joy of life.
TOPEKA MUSIC CO. ENTERS FIELD
TOI'KKA, KAN., October 7.—The Topeka Music
Co., a new music concern just organized here,
has secured attractive quarters at 633 Kansas
avenue. Fred G. Mortiboy, formerly manager
of the talking machine department at Grosby
Bros. Co., will be manager of the new concern.
The company will handle as its leaders Pack-
ard pianos and Edison phonographs, as well
as a line of Edison records, sheet music and
small musical instruments. W. A. Miller is
manager of the piano department.
Ray Higgins has been made manager of the
talking machine department of the Home Fur-
niture Co., Bennington, Vt.