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FEBRUARY 13,
1926
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Philadelphia Talking Machine and Radio
. Buyers to Meet on February 17 and 18
Gathering Will Be Under the Auspices of the Retail Research Association—Strawbridge &
Clothier Enlarge Department—James Bellak's Sons in New Warerooms
PHILADELPHIA, PA, February 8.—It is
very evident that the trade so far this year
has been gradually assuming a livelier trend as
the days grow and with the improvement much
optimism is felt towards the future. A summary
of the January sales showed that they topped
those of the same month of 1924 and these early
days of February show an even greater per-
centage of gain in comparison with those of
the old year.
A meeting of the phonograph and radio buy-
ers has been called for February 17 and 18 at
the Ben Franklin Hotel and will be held under
the auspices of the Retail Research Association
according to a notice sent out by the Associated
Merchandising Corp., 1440 Broadway, New
York. The local arrangements have been made
by Frank Butler, general manager of the music
department of Strawbridge & Clothier.
Strawbridge & Clothier Department Enlarged
Having been assigned a most attractive section
of the fifth floor of the Strawbridge & Clothier
Store, General Manager Frank Butler, of the
music department, has greatly extended his lines
of pianos, musical goods, talking machines and
radios. The floor has been brilliantly lighted by
the inverted system and finished in old ivory,
forming a rich contrast with the numerous
pianos in walnut, mahogany and oak, as well as
radios and talking machines. Thirteen radio
and talking machine booths have been con-
structed on a single side of the floor where the
instruments are demonstrated. The musical
instrument section is under the management of
Lytle S. Gramm, and has been segregated from
the radio section under the direction of Thomas
J. Cummins. Both these departments have been
extended and larger stocks now are carried of
the Weymann, Buescher and other makes of
string and brass goods and the Barry Drums.
All makes of talking machines have been dis-
continued with the exception of the Victor and
Brunswick Radiolas and these are sold in con-
junction with the musical merchandise section.
New Quarters for James Bellak's Sons
Owing to inability to obtain a renewal of the
lease on the store which for many years has
been the home of one of the pioneer music
houses of Philadelphia, James Bellak's Sons,
now located at 1129 Chestnut street, has secured
a new location at 706-8-10 Market street. The
Bellak store, since 1874, has been located at the
Chestnut street address. It is among the old-
time musical institutions of the city, the Bellak
pianos having for years been popular in the
Quaker City and contiguous territory. The new
home is a large store in the heart of the depart-
ment store district. It will offer splendid facili-
ties for the business of the well-known piano
house. The Bellak Company is now retail dis-
tributor for the Cable Company pianos and
players and other lines. In the past year the
business has been extensively enlarged and
there now are other departments devoted to the
sale of the Holton band instruments, string in-
struments and the Atwater Kent radios. Pro-
vision has been made in the new store for the
development of these various sections of the
business. The present head of the firm is
Charles E. Bellak.
Morsbach Adds New Lines
Following the purchase of the former exclu-
sively Victor talking machine retail store of
the Linton Co. located at Broad street and
Snyder avenue, Louis P. Morsbach has ex-
panded the stock to include a complete assort-
ment of musical merchandise such as Buescher
band instruments, the Weymann string assort-
ment, and the Sterling, Winner and Manhattan
string instruments and accessories. There also
has been installed the full line of Hohner har-
monicas.
Another innovation has been the
opening of a piano section. The store remains
under the management of William Elton, for-
merly in charge of the business under the Lin-
ton regime. The business passed into the con-
trol of the new owners last Summer.
Q R S Manager Visits South
Just returned from a Southern trip, District
Manager Don Rockwell, of the Q R S Music
Co, 1017 Sansom street, reports the sales of the
Q R S products in that field to be on a par with
the flourishing business conditions of the terri-
tory. All the Southern States bordering the At-
lantic seaboard and those adjacent to it opened
the year with excellent prospects due to the
stimulation of business through the migration to
Florida and the reawakened industrial • life.
Passing through the South and Florida Man-
ager Rockwell visited Cuba in company with
Arthur S. Olsen, Eastern sales manager.
Mr. Rockwell found while there many old
trade friends among the Florida dealers who re-
ported that business has been tripled within re-
cent times and the only drawback was inability
to secure sufficient goods to meet the growth
in demand because of the embargo on ship-
ments to the State.
An evidence of the difficulties to meet the
needs in pianos in Florida was shown in the
shortage of 158 instruments which a dealer had
secured orders for and could not deliver owing
to inability to secure shipments from the manu-
facturers. Radio is having a boom in the South
and with it the demand for the Q R S Red Top
Tubes as well as the Aerial Booster. The trav-
elers met, while making their rounds of the
South, William Lynch, Southern sales repre-
sentative at Atlanta, Ga, where they held con-
ferences with him on his territory and found
his booking for rolls very heavy.
While en route to the South for a brief winter
vacation Frank Tollin, head of the firm bear-
ing his name, 617 Edgemont avenue, Chester,
Pa, stopped over in the city to bid au revoir to
friends in the trade. He left for a month's
tour of Florida and Cuba. The Tollin store in
Chester is one of the thriving emporiums in the
city and carries a complete assortment of musi-
cal merchandise and Victor talking machines.
Larger Store in Germantown
In his larger store to which he recently re-
moved W. Stainthorpe, 2073 E. Chelten avenue,
in the Germantown district, has been enabled
to make extensive developments in the various
departments. The store offers more modern
facilities with larger floor space and two broad
bulk display windows. There now are carried
string instruments, radio, sheet music and talk-
ing machines.
Richard Yaffe has been appointed to the posi-
tion of manager of the retail talking machine
department of Heppe & Son, succeeding R. M.
Brown, who was made manager of the radio
department. He has been associated with the
firm on its selling forces for several years.
Harry Barron, who recently was appointed
sales manager of the Knabe Warerooms, 1020
Walnut street, has returned from a trip to Porto
Rico, where he spent a Winter vacation, having
changed his plans to sojourn in Havana. He is
now at his duties at the Knabe headquarters
here. He accepted the managership of the local
Knabe warerooms, following a long associa-
tion as manager of the Gimbel Bros, piano de-
partment.
Add Lines in Nashville
9
tinue to handle its extensive line of pianos,
player-pianos and radio merchandise, consider-
ing the new department as a logical expansion
of the business. George Hill has been selected
to manage the new section.
Gompletes Organization
for Selling Melodee Rolls
Several Appointments Made in Eastern Terri-
tory by O. W. Ray, General Manager of Melo-
dee Music Co.—W. H. Ricker, District Mana-
ger.
The completion of a sales organization to
handle Melodee music rolls in Eastern territory
has been announced by O. W. Ray, general
manager of the Melodee Music Co. W. H.
Ricker has been appointed district manager.
Frank Elliott, William B. Tomford, Joe Larkin
and F. T. Smith will cover the metropolitan
district, Kenneth Vorhees will cover New Jer-
sey, Charles O. McCarthy will look after the
Boston district and R. E. Miller and Miss Laura
Westcott will do special work among the
dealers.
Death of G. E. Dorwaldt
The death is reported of Carl E. Dorwaldt,
of McClure & Dorwaldt, music dealers of Al-
bany, N. Y, which occurred in that city on
January 31, following an operation for appen-
dicitis.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.
Pratt Read
Products
P i a n o Ivory
Piano Keys
P i a n o Actions
Player Actions
Established in
1806
at Deep River, Conn.
Still There
Standard Service and Highest
Quality
Special Repair Departments
Maintained for Convenience
of Dealers
PRATT, READ & CO.
THE PRATT READ
PLAYER ACTION CO.
NASHVILLE. TENN., February 6.—A new depart-
ment, featuring sheet music and small goods,
has been opened recently by the Starr Piano
Co, which has been located for several years at
242 Fifth avenue North. The concern will con-
Oldest and Best