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44
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Conditions Among the Sheet Music
Merchants of Montreal, Canada
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
\A ONTREAL, February 14.—Montreal is the
oldest city of the North American Conti-
nent, discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1535. In
1642 it was consecrated a city and named Ville
Marie and, in 1760, was
taken by the English
from the French. Mon-
treal took its name
from Mount Royal,
which becomes Mon-
treal, with a slight cor-
ruption. Mount Royal
is a beautiful resort,
and its peaks can be
seen from all parts of
the city.
Montreal is a city of
Maurice Richmond Saints.
Every other
street is Saint somebody—either St. Catherine,
St. Dennis, St. Paul, St. Peter, etc. The only
sinners in Montreal are the Americans who
cheat the customs officers bringing souvenirs
back with them.
The growth in population has been marked
during the recent years in Montreal. It is
now the largest city in the Dominion of Canada,
with a population of almost one million—divided
almost equally with English and French Cana-
dians. St. Catherine street is the dividing line
of the city. East of St. Catherine street is the
French settlement, where English is seldom
spoken. West of St. Catherine is the English
part .of the town, where French is heard in-
frequently. It has been said that St. Catherine
street, west, resembles the Strand of London,
to a degree, on account of its typical English
atmosphere, the shops, people, etc.
The two principal Canadian trans-continental
trunk lines have their headquarters in Montreal.
The city is also an important shipping port for
all European countries.
Montreal is a haven of rest—serving the best.
This is observed on the wine list of the Hotel
Mount Royal. Here you can ask for a Dubonnet
cocktail—as well as the Pommard, Burgundies
or India Pale Ale. They will be served at pre-
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McKINLEY MUSIC CO.
1501-1517 E. 55th St.
CHICAGO
war prices. Many Americans find this rest very
delightful and step off the water wagon for a
short period, against the preaching of our be-
loved friend, Mr. Volstead, who believes that
"corn" muffins and "rye" bread are more bene-
ficial to life and economics. It is wonderful to
live in a country where you don't have to pal
with your doctor and be told that a cough is
a cold in order to get a prescription. All you
need do in Montreal is walk into a Government
shop, throw out your chest, together with the
essential three dollars, and get a full quart.
You can walk out the front door with it, too.
For more than fifty years Montreal has been
a musical center for all branches of the industry.
J. Wm. Shaw & Co.
J. Wm. Shaw & Co. is a first-class, reliable
complete music house, which has been in busi-
ness on St. Catherine street W. for many
years. It is complete in that the house repre-
sents a select line of pianos, musical instru-
ments, talking machines, records and a repre-
sentative stock of every requirement in sheet
music and music books.
J. Wm. Shaw is a man well thought of in
his community, active in his own business, a.s
well as in civic and musical circles. Mr. Shaw,
Jr., looks after the promotion of the popular
counter, while Wm. A. Quail, well known to all
music men, handles the classical as well as the
mail order end of the business. The "quail" is
a rare bird and so is this human "quail" to
some extent, particularly in that he is of such
true value to the establishment he is associated
with. Mr. Quail is very highly spoken of among
the people he comes in contact with.
International Music Store
The International Music Store, of which
Frank Ramsperger is the proprietor, is termed
"Canada's Store for Classical Music." The shop
is located in the real Fifth avenue section of
Montreal. "Frank," as all the boys know him,
started originally with the Nordheimer Co.,
which at that time was operating a branch of
its Toronto house in Montreal. This dates back
almost twenty years.
Frank is an unassuming chap, very chubby,
who still retains his youthful spirit but not
his youthful figure. I will wager that he tips
the scale at 225. That is why he is so good-na-
tured. Evidently the fellow who wrote the song,
"Nobody Loves a Fat Man," didn't know Frank
Ramsperger. All the boys make their hangout
in Frank's store. There is no lost energy in
taking an order from Frank, as long as you
have a good point to your pencil and plenty of
blank sheets in your order book. This busi-
ness demands plenty of legitimate merchandise
at all times.
Frank has certainly made the grade. After
many years of working for the other fellow
and not for himself, as the balance sheet showed
annually, he purchased the Hufnagel as well as
the Cowan stock, three years ago, consolidated
them and together with his pluck and confidence
in his ability he has come out on top. He feels
his obligations and is proud to say that, al-
though many statements are received every
month, not one of them carries a past due bal-
ance. He claims that good will will come to
you just as long as you are deserving of it. As-
sociated with Frank are his brothers and Dad,
the latter of whom acts as "sergeant-at-arms,"
always seeing to it that the customers are served
properly.
J. E. Turcot's Business
J. E. Turcot is a recognized jobber of Amer-
ican and foreign music in Canada, a publisher,
and controls a chain of retail stores in the city
and suburbs of Montreal and other cities. Mr.
Turcot spoke very optimistically of business
conditions in general with him. His newest shop
FEBRUARY 21, 1925
on St. Denis street, called the "Music Salon,"
is typically French and very high class with its
attractive fixtures.
It is interesting to know that Mr. Turcot spe-
cializes in the wholesaling and retailing of
French compositions of every known French
publisher and author. He also publishes a "Ca-
nadian monthly magazine," which enjoys quite a
circulation. It contains several complete musi-
cal publications, and is a very valuable organ
for the musical student, musician and dealer. It
can be compared very favorably with our Etude.
The success of this institution does not rest
entirely on the male part of the family, for
Mrs. Turcot is cheerfully at her post every
day. She is a very interesting person with a
splendid knowledge of the music business in
general. In her charge are a bevy of nice French
girls, who are very charming to the custom-
ers, and well trained in their duties.
Raoul Vennat's Two Stores
Raoul Vennat has two stores in Montreal, the
main shop at 642 Rue St. Denis specializing
to a great extent in French publications. Mr.
Vennat himself is typically French and at times
I could not make myself understood. However,
my visit was pleasant—and the one part of the
conversation we both understood thoroughly
was when Mr. Vennat handed me a check for
his month's account, to save himself the trouble
of mailing it. Money is a universal language.
There are many real French music stores,
catering almost entirely to the French trade
which is scattered throughout the city, and chief
among the better shops are Ed. Archambault,
who carries everything in the music line; J. G.
Yon & Co., a real music concern, and several
others.
Montreal is still the home of the Berliner fam-
ily, of the original Berliner Gramophone Co.,
now the Victor Talking Machine Co. of Can-
ada, a branch of the Victor of the States.
My visit to Montreal was very pleasant. The
only sorrowful part was that I came back empty-
handed, knowing that the Canadian custom of-
ficials are usually very alert. However, during
the inspiration they neither looked in or under
my berth and I realized that I had missed the
opportunity to bring back souvenirs, "bottled in
bond," for my friends.
"June Brought the Roses"
Featured by Weymann
Elmer Naylor, manager of the sheet music
department of H. A. Weymann & Son, Inc., of
Philadelphia, Pa., one of the most progressive
Featuring "June Brought the Roses"
retail establishments of the East, is responsible
for the attractive window displays arranged by
that house on active ballad numbers.
Recently the Weymann window gave a set-
ting to the Harms, Inc., song, "June Brought
the Roses," which not only attracted wide at-
tention but created substantial demands.