DECEMBER 22, 1923
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
A. C. THIEBES OPENING NEW WAREROOMS IN ST. LOUIS
Store Will Be Located at 1103 Olive Street, Handling Pianos and Talking Machines-Fay-Buchan,a n
Music Co. Moves to New Quarters-Mrs. Frances E. Clark Attends Teachers' Meeting
ST. LOUIS, Mo" December 18,-The music stores
were busy enough last \\;eek, but there was some
complaint that the purchases were mostly of
talking machines and records and music rolls
and small musical merchandise, with sales of
pianos lagging somewhat. Doubt was expressed
whether, on volume o·f business, December
would measure up to December of last year.
This is partly attributed to increase of unem
ployment; partly to the cheapness of automo
biles and gasoline and partly to the general
timidity which fears things that may never
come to pass. Not all of the dealers talk that
way, however. Some say their sales of pianos
and players the past week have been all that
could be desired and that they expect this week
to be better. Most of the sales now are for
Christmas delivery,
Arthur C. Thiebes, former proprietor of the
Thiebes Piano Co" is back on Olive street
after several years of comparative inactivity.
He has taken over the building at 1103 Olive
street, heretofore shared by the Shattinger
Music Co. and the Artophone Corp" and is open
for business there under the name of the A, C.
Thiebes Co" Inc., with lines of pianos and talk
ing machines, He will handle the piano lines of
Bush & Gerts, Chicago; Hobart M. Cable, La
Porte, Ind.; the Straube Piano· Co" Hammond,
Ind,; the Kreiter Piano Co., Milwaukee, Wis"
and the Artophonc and Sonora talking ma
chines. He takes over the retail business of the
Artophone Co-rp. The latter will continue to
handle the wholesale business, with warerooms
at 1213 Pine street and an office at the Olive
street store. The Shattinger Co., dealing in
sheet music, has moved to the third floor of the
Arcade Building. Mr. Thiebes, during the years
since he sold out to the Vv'urlitzer Co" has
continued in business in a quiet way, as a fac
tory distributor 0.£ pianos, maintaining stores
at Bismarck, Ironton and Desloge, Mo" and has
four traveling representatives in southeast
Missouri and as far as Blytheville, Ark. He has
not completed his selling organization, but was
open for business to-day. Later he will have
a formal opening.
The Fay-Buchanan Music Co. has moved from
Thirteenth and Olive streets to larger quarters
at 1227 Olive street. President Buchanan is in
charge of the office and Vice-president Fay is
looking after the firm's interests on the road,
He has recently returned ft'om a trip through
northern Illinois and Missouri. The company
handles music rolls, the Starr phonograph and
the Gennett records.
Charles Spalller, of Paul G. Mehlin & Sons,
New York, was here the latter part of the week
on his way home from a trip to the Pacific
Coast.
Mrs. Frances E, Clark, head of the Edu
cational Department of the Victor Talking Ma
chine Co., spent the past week in St. Louis
attending the annual meeting of the Missouri
Sta te Teachers' Association, She spoke at the
conference of music supervisors on "Apprecia
tion of Appreciation." A luncheon was given
in her honor by the Federated Music Clubs of
the St. Louis district.
When Charles Kunkel, member of the music
firm of Kunkel Bros., died recently there was
pending against him in the Circuit Court a suit
brought by his wife, Mrs. Ella E. Kunkel, for
title to the property at 3750 Lindell boulevard,
occupied by the firm. She alleges that it was
pllrchased with her money, but that her hus
band placed the title in himself. The property
is valued at $15,000. The case has been con
tinued to enable appointment of an adminis
trator to represent the defendant.
BAILARD=CRAMER CO. OPENS
Stieff Advertising Copy Sent by Airplane to
Reach Opening Announcement in Time
SANTA BARBARA, CAL., December 1O,---Thc open
ing of the Bailard-Cramer Music Co, on De
cember 1 was an event of great importance in
this city, The occasion was commented upon
by both the morning and evening papers of the
city by special Bailard-Cramer sections, pub
lished as a part of the regular issues. The
growth of the o'rganization has been rapid. The
company first opened its doors to the public
in September, 1921, in a little place on upper
State street. The progress of the company is
described by the Daily News as "Santa Bar
bara's Recagnitio'n of the Best Music." The
house has built up its business on the carrying
of quality lines and the general music house
idea. In the piano field the firm has had ex
ceptional success with the Chas. M. Stieff piano,
which this company has featured very strongly,
After two years of st eadily growing business
the original quarters were found far too small,
so the new large warerooms on State and
Carillo streets were opened. The opening was
marked by a concer,! at which many prominent
artists entertained. A publicity event which at
tracted much attention was the arrival by air
plane of Stieff full-page copy fo·r the local news
papers from the headquarters of Chas. M. Stieff,
Inc., in Baltimore. This was the only method
by which it was possible to· have copy arrive
in time to be inserted in the special section
devoted to, this opening. Thomas Adamson,
manager for the Bailard-Cramer Co., in com
menting on the resourcefulness thus manifested
on the part of the Stieff house, stated:
"This is just an example of the service and
courtesy which is shown in all our dealings with
the house of Stieff and the infinite care used
by the company in the transaction of even the
smaller business details."
In an article in th e Daily News, headed "Stieff
J'iano Monument to Mighty Genius," a tribute
is paid to the quality of the Stieff piano, and its
selection as a favorite by many of the leading
artists of the world, A no less interesting
13
article also appears in The Morning Press, in
which the Stieff piano is described as the crea
tion of a musician and artisan. A brief outline
of the life of Chas. M. Stieff, founder of the
house of Stieff and creato'r of the Stieff piano,
is given and his thorough knowledge of music
and piano instruction is described as the basic
fundamental of the artistic merit of the Stieff
piano of the present day.
In addition to the Stieff, the Bailard-Cramer
Co. also carries the Hobart M, Cable and the
Kohler & Chase pianos, the vVelte-Philharmonic
organ, Edison, Cheney and Burnham phono
graphs, Edison and Vocalio'n records and Hol
ton band and orchestra instruments .
PUBLISHERS BUY TONK PIANOS
An exceptional retail month in the sale of
grands has just been experienced by ,W illiam
Tonk & Bro" Inc. , N ew York, who numbered
among their customers three of the executives
of the music publishing house of Waterson,
Berlin & Snyder Co, In addition to purchasing
ten new Tonk uprights for the rehearsal booths
in their establishment at Forty-seventh ani:!
Broadway, Henry Waterson, Sr., has purchased '
a Tonk reproducin g grand and H.enry W~ter
son, J r" has se lected a Tonk standard grand,
both for their res pective residence,~. , Coupled
with the abo \',c tran sa ction was' the Purchase of
a nother Tonk grand by·.Jp e Hiller, professional
manager for the publishing firm. .
DANIEL MILLER CO. CHARTERED
PEORlJ\, lLL" December 17. -Incorporation papers
have recently been filed here for the Daniel
Miller Co. to manufacture and deal in musical
instruments, The concern will have a capitaliza
tion of $50,000 and will operate at 116-A South
Adams strect. The officers are W. C. Leavitt,
L E. Sutherland and Ren L. Thurman. Gal
braith & Sutherland, loca ted in the Lehmann
Bllilding, are corre spondents.
3·Great Pianos
With 3 sounding boards
in each (Patented) have the
greatest talking points in
the trade:
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·THE LEADING LINE
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d. WEAVER PIANOS
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IIIIDTnu..
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Grand•• Upriihts
and Player.
m:lID@~lID JUlJ~~
YORK PIANOS
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Upriiht. and Players
UVINGSTON PIANOS
Upriiht. and Player-Piano.
If your competitor does not already have thi.
line iO after it at once
Weaver Piano Co., Inc.
FACTORY
E.ta6li.h.J
1.,0
We fix" 0 n e p ric e "
wholesale and retail.
The Heppe Piano Co.
YORK, P,A.
For over 25 years Specialists
in hi~gh grade Piano Cases
PHILADELPIDA, PA.
Paterson Piano
Case Co.
PATERSON, N. J.