Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
JANUARY 31,
1925
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
Conditions Among the Sheet Music
Merchants of New Haven, Conn.
SONGS THAT SELL
Maurice Richmond, of the Richmond Music Supply Corp., New York, Tells of the Conditions
Existing Among the Retail Merchants There—Written Exclusively for The Review
HAVEN, Conn., January 2S.—A sound
N EW
and thrifty city on Long Island Sound is
New Haven, where the true blue colors of Yale
are wavin'. It is the largest city in Connecticut
and was settled by the
Puritans in 1640.
It
was incorporated in
1784 with three thou-
sand inhabitant.
To-
day it has over one
hundred and eighty
thousand people. The
industries are large and
varied. It is known as
the "City of Elms."
Yale and New Hav-
en have grown up to-
Maurice Richmond
gether. More than four
thousand students enroll each year and thou-
sands of "grads" carry its influence over the
world. The Yale Bowl, where the Yale football
games are played, has a seating capacity for
eighty thousand people.
New Haven is a splendid musical center,
which is demonstrated by the requirements of
the music dealers there.
Loomis Temple of Music
The Loomis Temple of Music was established
in 1865—just sixty years ago. Its first estab-
lishment was just five doors away from the
present quarters; the business was started by
C. M. Loomis. Mr. Loomis was also the
publisher of one of the first music journals,
entitled Musical Journal and Loomis Masonic
Manual. He passed on in 1889. The busi-
ness was taken over by C. M. Loomis'
Sons, from whom Charles Loomis later bought
all interests. His boy protege, the well-known
Max 15. Leichter, was born in 1890. He is now
thirty-five years young. Mr. Leichter started
with Mr. Loomis at $3 per week, this included
night work until 9 p. m., taking care of the
furnace, cleaning the store and sidewalks and
also being the porter and utility man. In 1907
Mr. Leichter became interested in the concern
as a partner. Charles Loomis died in 1910 and
then Mr. Leichter became the personal owner of
the business.
The famous "Second Connecticut March" by
I). W. Reeves was originally published by C.
M. Loomis. in 1878. The publication is still
famous to-day and is one of the greatest
marches throughout the world. In 1904 Mr.
Loomis published the "Yale Boola." That song
has helped Yale out of rrtany tight corners. It
is a melody with true inspiration. This was the
first publication of. a popular type that was sold
at 30 cents per copy, in spite of a tremendous
amount of opposition from the dealer and con-
sumer. "Good Night, Harvard," is still in the
Loomis catalog and is a very valuable publica-
tion.
The Loomis Temple of Music is a very im-
pressive institution. It occupies a space of
about 2K) feet deep and forty feet in width on
the busiest thoroughfare in the city. The fea-
ture lines in pianos are the Knabe, Ampico,
\ osc, Emerson and several other well-known
makes, including the Gulbransen. In phono-
graphs it specializes in the Victor and Cheney,
and all the leading lines in radio.
The working staff is composed of twenty-five
employes and is a very efficient organization.
The layout of the interior is very effective. Mr.
Leichter takes a personal pride in displaying the
twelve booths, which are the salesrooms of the
p-.anos and talking machines, records and radios.
Mr. Leichter is esteemed very highly and ad-
mired for his fairness in all dealings. He is
really human. I can safely say he is one of the
outstanding figures in the industry. One of Mr.
Lcichter's hobbies is the collection of original
photographs of some of the greatest artists who
pass New Haven on their tours. In the booths
you can see photographs personally auto-
graphed by Caruso, Patti, Kreisler, Galli-Curci,
Paul Whiteman and many others too numerous
to mention. The collection is valuable and
gives an intimate appearance to the establish-
ment.
Mr. Leichter gives a few hints to success.
"Success is the termination of anything at-
tempted—a service that accomplishes the par-
ticular purpose intended. Success is made by
thoroughness, not in just the apparently great
things, but thoroughness in all things, and
surely not by slighting the small things. You
must have confidence in your merchandise, do
not misrepresent to the public—offer no bar-
gain sales—truth in advertising and truth in
selling." Mr. Leichter works ten months of
the year and loafs the other two. He goes to
California, Elorida, or any other place that suits
his fancy.
During my interesting talk with Mr. Leichter
he gave me many points on salesmanship, which
I feel are worth mentioning. "Not all the com-
mercial casualties in the music industry, as well
as other lines of merchandise, are due to in-
sufficient capital," he said. "Many failures are
the result of improper conduct from the human
side. That is the method employed by the busi-
ness or the employes toward a prospective cus-
tomer. For example, how many merchants per-
mit their help to smoke during business hours
in the salesrooms? Aside from displaying bad
manners it has a displeasing effect upon the
customers—women in particular find it objec-
tionable and may not go back to that store for
another purchase. Another thing which will
prove detrimental to success is an effort on the
part of the salesperson to sell the customer
something they think he should buy instead
of what the customer really wants. The reason
for this may be that the merchandise the dealer
is selling is what a large store would call
All Alone (New), by Irving Berlin
Oh, Mabel (New)
Charley, My Boy
Seventeen (New)
What'll I Do?
Show Me the Way (New)
Driftwood
Take Me (New)
I Ain't Got Nobody to Love
1 Can't Get the One I Want
Morning(Won't You Ever Come Round?)
Get Yourself a Broom (New)
When I was the Dandy and You Wen
the Belle
BOOKS THAT SELL
TIDDLE DE UKES — Comic Songs foi
the Ukulele
Universal
Dance Folio No. 8
X
Special 1925 Edition
Peterson's Ukulele Method
—
World's Favorite Songs
4th MUSIC BOX REVUE, 1925
In the Shade of a Sheltering Tree
Tell Her in the Springtime
Listening
The Call of the South
Tokio Blues
Rock-a-bye Baby
DIXIE TO BROADWAY
—
Mandy, Make Up Your Mind
Dixie Dreams
I'm a Little Blackbird
Hits from TOPSY and EVA
Rememb'ring
] Never Had a Mammy
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
T M's.' Then, if the sale is not made, the
clerk displays indifference instead of courtesy.
While it is always advisable to be pleasant
toward a prospective purchaser, it is never ad-
visable to force your personality in a 'kidding'
way. It may work successfully at times, but it
is not good sound business at its best. Bad
lighting is another drawback to many busi-
nesses. It may be due to the natural desire on
the part of the owner to conserve, but the
result is that the store looks dismal and un-
attractive. Proper and attractive window dis-
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