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NOVEMBER 14,
1925
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Baumer Finds Display Window the
Best Music Roll Salesman
New Rochelle, N. Y., Piano Firm Finds the Best Way to Increase Music Roll Sales Is Consistently to
Show the Passersby What Is New in the Library and What They Can Get When They Want
It — Mail Follow-Up of Window Displays Brings Good Volume of Sales Therein
T
H E Baumer Piano Co., 570 Main street,
New Rochelle, N. Y., at the intersection
of Center avenue, has just concluded a two
weeks' run of the Q R S window display, shown
in the accompanying illustration, with such good
results in the increase in the sales
of rolls that that company has de-
cided to make them a regular part
of its periodic window displays.
The Baumer company has learned
to depend more upon its window
displays to present its music goods
to the public and to create a gen-
uine desire in the prospect's mind
to possess the goods offered than
upon the solicitations of a large
outside retail sales force. Situated,
as it is, at the corner of Main street
(the Boston Post road, proper)
and Center avenue, the Baumer
store has every advantage of win-
dow display in the very heart of
the New Rochelle shopping dis-
trict.
The window referred to created
so much favorable comment that
it was left in for two weeks, so
that everyone in New Rochelle
might know that the Baumer Piano
Co. was selling music rolls on a
comprehensive scale. It was par-
ticularly attractive at night, with
orange flood lights between the
front curtain of rolls and the background and
powerful white lights behind the whole setting
to make the window stand out in sharp relief.
The orange lights, showing through the per-
forations in the front curtain and the white
lights through the perforations in the back,
gave the window the appearance of a swarm of
sparkling fireflies and a unity effect of flood
lighting seldom achieved off the theatrical
stage.
The roll cabinet, as seen in the illustration, is
filled with rolls of the most recent release. This
practice of keeping the current rolls in cabinets,
which arc readily accessible, is carried out in
the roll-display room inside. On top of the cab-
inet the Q R S Blue Bird numbers are featured
as well as two of the new-type, "open-end"
boxes, left open to expose the roll-end annota-
tions of the composition, its author and record-
ing artist. The "open-end" boxes seen here,
at the bottom of the pyramid of rolls, show
how easily the roll may be extracted from its
container by merely leaving the end open. On
the floor are two pyramids of rolls made up
of light classics and operatic numbers, while
the story rolls are shown under the cabinet.
The "Girl Cut-outs," on cardboard easels, as
supplied by the Q R S Co., help in the exposi-
tion of the display.
This is a window that, not being content with
merely arresting the. attention of the passersby,
actually succeeds in inducing the onlooker to
come inside for a closer inspection. That, of
course, amounted to requests that the rolls se-
lected be played, after which it was merely a
matter for their pleasing qualities to sell them-
selves. G. F. Brown, manager of the roll de-
partment, pointed, with some little pride, to the
fact that his music-roll display had attracted
such great attention.
The Baumer store is an imposing five-story
building, entirely occupied by the company's
own departments. It is splendidly appointed
and well laid out for the effective display of the
pianos, players, phonographs, radio and other
music lines. A large business is done in players
and reproducing grands and, when these form
Music Roll Display of Baumer Piano Co.
the center of a window display, rolls are shown
in conjunction therewith. A favorite means of
showing the music rolls in these displays is to
unroll one over the front of the player or repro-
ducer, leaving the end, with the annotations of
the composition, the author's name and that of
the recording artist, exposed to view.
The handling and filing of rolls is done ac-
cording to the system set forth in the new
Q R S catalog, namely, the popular rolls are
filed in numerical order and the classics and
light operas in alphabetical order. The roll
demonstration booths are all located upstairs,
where every provision has been made for the
customer's comfort and where he may hear his
favorite selection away from the busy and oft-
times noisy main piano warerooms on the street
floor. It is the rule here to play the roll for
the customer, unless he or she prefers to play
it independently. In the case of a weary shop-
per, an alert roll girl is careful to see that the
customer is seated and given every attention.
There is no such thing as a customer having
to help in locating a roll in question; he is told
in an instant whether or not the roll that he
wants is in stock.
In notifying customers of the seasonal re-
leases of music rolls, the Baumer company uses
the monthly notification bulletin which is sent
to all patrons of that house whose names ap-
pear on its mailing list. Occasionally, special
postal cards are sent out and timely form let-
ters, so worded as to make a special appeal. A
specimen of one of the recent form letters sent
out is as follows: "Dear Mrs.
: To get the
most pleasure out of your car you must have
gasoline to run it. To get the utmost enjoy-
ment from your player-piano you must have
new rolls. Won't you accept this letter as a
personal invitation to visit our store and let us
play some of the new Q R S rolls for you? We
shall be very glad to see you, and can especially
recommend the following numbers as being
worthy of your consideration." Here four num-
bers, recommended as best sellers by the Q R S
recording department, were listed, with reasons
for their choice. The letter concludes: "If you
prefer some of the classical music,
we have that, too, and we know of
some delightful Q R S numbers
which you would enjoy hearing,
and which we would enjoy playing
for you. P. S.—Why not arrange
to come in on Saturday after-
noon?"
Another means of notifying cus-
tomers of the monthly releases of
rolls is by using the telephone to
the regular patrons of the house.
This service has gained much favor
with the customer and has proved
a good order getter; in many in-
stances, the customer will place
his order over the telephone, with
the understanding that the roll
may be exchanged providing it
does not come up to expectations.
F. S. Baumer, son of F. W. Bau-
mer, president of the Baumer Piano
Co., who is in business with his
father, reported a marked seasonal
pick-up in the music roll sales of
that house and drew special atten-
tion to the volume of business be-
ing done there in the evenings. The
store is kept open until 9:30 p. m., because it
has been found that at that time music goods
shopping becomes more of a family affair, the
wife usually being accompanied by her husband
and perhaps children. On these occasions buy-
ing is done readily, without a thought to some
member of the family who is absent and who
may not approve of the roll when it has been
heard at home. Mr. Baumer believes that during
the evening hours families and apartment house
dwellers are usually sitting around, or are in
for some kind of musical recreation, and as the
idea of having musical entertainment occurs to
them they know that any of the latest player
rolls can be had by running down to Baaumer's.
Radio broadcastings of recent popular num-
bers have, according to Mr. Baumer, brought
considerable business to the roll department.
The desire created among New Rochelle inhabi-
tants to possess the music listened-in to through
the broadcasting of "Deep in My Heart," from
"The Student Prince" (Jolson's Theatre, New
York), brought a flood of eager buyers into the
Baumer store and, fortunately, "Deep in My
Heart" was among the current releases.
Among the largest roll customers of the
Baumer store, the soldiers from Fort Slocum
Barracks, in that vicinity, are the most regular.
The company commanders there send over
promptly each month for the new releases, and
quite recently a special delivery service was
provided for this business. The popular num-
bers seem to catch the fancy of the barracks.
The business done in foreign rolls here is
chiefly with the Italian trade, many of these
it is said who are without a player liking cer-
tain of the operatic and classical releases so
much that they actually "pool" their savings
and buy player-pianos in order that they may
hear the rolls. Once one of these becomes a
satisfied customer he can always be depended
upon to return with relatives or friends.