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The Music Trade Review
Sherman, Clay & Co. Open New Branch
Store in Palo Alto, Carrying All Lines
Ampico in the Chickering Exhibited at Foreign Trade and Travel Expositions—
C. Fred Colber in Broadcast Program—Gray Takes Peerless Line
^ A N FRANCISCO, CAL., November 25.—
^ Sandwiched between the big sporting event
of the year, the Stanford University of Cali-
fornia football game, and Thanksgiving, the
first three days of the week were quiet in
the music trades. The day after Thanksgiving
Sherman, Clay & Co. opened their new branch
in Palo Alto, to cater to the musical merchan-
dise needs of Stanford University and adjacent
territory. The building, which is unusually
pretty and attractive, is entirely in the Spanish-
Mission style. The firm's newest branch will
carry all the Sherman, Clay & Co. lines.
Exposition Featured Travel and Trade
The Pacific Foreign Trade and Travel Ex-
position, which closed last Sunday, drew
thousands of people to the Municipal Audi-
torium.
Trans-Pacific steamship companies
were large exhibitors and there were many
displays of the foreign and domestic articles
of commerce transported by the various ship-
ping companies. The Chinese had a large
exhibit where an Ampico Chickering grand,
supplied by Lee S. Roberts, Inc., was much in
evidence. The piano was lacquered in sea green
with little gilded temples, pagodas and land-
scapes and the roll needs of the instrument
were attended to by pretty Chinese girls, in
iiative costume.
Sherman, Clay & Co. had a booth showing
pianos, phonographs and radio. The numerous
programs, which were a feature of the Exposi-
tion, were given with the aid of a Mason &
Hamlin grand piano, supplied by the Wiley B.
Allen Co. It is planned to make the Exposition
an annual event. Forty-seven nations were
represented this year in the opening pageant.
Mitchells Return From "Seeing America"
Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Mitchell, who for years
had a piano store at Nineteenth and Mission
streets, in this city, have returned from a long
tour of sight-seeing which extended from New
Orleans to Toronto, Can. In fact, they visited
most of the leading cities of the country, and
as they always rented a piano wherever they
made a stay of any duration, they have come
home with a wide experience of piano-renting.
They found it dearer in the East to rent a
piano than it is in California, but the price of
pianos at auction sales is cheaper. Mr.
How Old Is Your Piano
New Selling Approach
{Continued front page 3)
makes the furniture business prosperous.
The rapid development of the period *grand
has provided the live piano merchandiser with
an excellent weapon for carrying on a campaign
on the basis of style. The standard piano case,
regardless of how attractive the design or
finish, is sort of a neutral proposition, designed
to fit into almost any sort of surroundings
because of lack of distinctive style. With a
strong tendency toward logical period treat-
ments in the furnishings of better homes gen-
erally, there is left a real opening for a period
case piano that will fit well into the general
scheme of things. If the decorative atmosphere
of a living or a music room is French, then
there are pianos in French designs available, and
the same holds good if the decorative scheme
is English, Italian or Spanish. In short, it is
no longer necessary, except from choice, to
have the piano of neutral design to prove in-
conspicuous in any surroundings in which it i?
placed.
There was a considerable hue and cry some
years ago against the practice of regarding the
piano as a piece of furniture in the home, and it
Mitchell visited a number of the dealers and
has returned home with the conviction that
business in the music trades in the East is not
at all bad.
G. L. Taylor Returns From Two Months' Trip
G. L. Taylor, actively engaged in promotion
work for Sherman, Clay & Co., is in town after
a very successful two months' trip through the
Pacific Northwest. In Portland, Seattle, Tacoma
and Spokane Mr. Taylor addressed schools,
colleges, churches and clubs, always using the
Duo-Art. Now that he is available again here
lie has at once been drafted for similar work
in this territory and is leaving on Friday for
Sacramento.
Aeolian Artist Again Broadcasts
C. Fred Colber, composer, who is here from
the recording department of the Aeolian Co.
after giving talks before well-known organiza-
tions here, is visiting the branches of Sherman,
Clay & Co. in northern California. To-day he
is in San Jose and yesterday evening he gave
a recital, using the Duo-Art, and a talk at the
Sherman, Clay & Co. branch which was broad-
cast over KQW, San Jose.
Gray Takes on Peerless Line
Walter S. Gray, who is leaving to make his
final trip of the year through his territory, has
taken on the Peerless collection of strings for
violins and other stringed instruments and finds
that they are meeting with favor from the
dealers. In fact, the entire Peerless line of
strings and stringed instruments is going very
well with Mr. Gray's dealers. He has also
taken on the Crown line of phonographs, manu-
factured by the George P. Bent Co., Louisville,
Ky. Judson Leroy has taken charge of the
radio department.
Baldwin House Is Expecting Gieseking
The Baldwin Piano House here is looking
forward to a visit from Gieseking, a pianist
who uses the Baldwin piano exclusively. He
will come in early January and it is hoped and
believed that he will draw as much favorable
attention to the Baldwin grand piano as the
visit of Edward Johnson, Metropolitan tenor,
has attracted. Johnson gives his last recital
here to-night, using the Baldwin, as he has done
throughout his very successful engagement in
this city.
was strongly urged that the selling be done
on the basis of the music that the piano in;
possible in the home. Certainly there has at
no time in the history of the trade been a
stronger campaign to impress the public with
the desirability, and, in fact, necessity, for
piano music, both from an educational and en-
tertainment standpoint, but it is quite logical
in connection with that campaign to lay a little
emphasis on style. With replacements represent-
ing close to 50 per cent of the business done
in pianos, it is just as necessary to find ways
and means for increasing replacement business
as it is for cultivating new business.
Both
fields must be worked energetically and sys-
tematically if annual volume is to show sub-
stantial development.
It might be well for dealers to consider seri-
ously the Wiley B. Allen advertisement repro-
duced herewith, with a view to themselves
carrying on something more than a passive
campaign to put a new instrument into the
home in place of the old one. With style
holding such a grip on American life and
habits, it is well to capitalize style as a means
for making piano sales.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.
DECEMBER 3, 1927
St. Louis Music Trade
Starts Holiday Drive
Increased Advertising and Sales Effort Appar-
ent—Piano-Playing Contest Plans Postponed
—Mme. Sturkow-Ryder at Local Theatre
ST. LOUIS, MO., November 28.—With but one
month remaining this year, St. Louis piano and
other music dealers have begun to evidence
renewed activity in an effort to close the year
with a favorable trade balance.
Foremost in this respect was the May Stern Fur-
niture Co., who announced during the past week
the formation of a Christmas Club plan for the
purchase of pianos. Officials of the store report
that the project is proving very effective and
had already elicited a number of inquiries.
Of equal importance to the local trade is
the appearance at Loew's State Theatre here
of Mme. Sturkow-Ryder, well-known composer
and concert pianist and Ampico recording
artist. She is appearing as a soloist with
Loew's State Symphony Orchestra in celebra-
tion of the presentation of the new Ampico
Symphonique by the Lehman Piano Co. here.
Meanwhile plans for the piano-playing con-
test seemingly have been abandoned for the
time being. Due to the close proximity of the
holidays most of the dealers are concentrating
on business problems, and little thought has
been given to the proposal to institute the
Miessner Melody Way plan in St. Louis, plans
for which were recently revived by Al Hirsh,
mid-West representative of the Miessner
Piano Co.
During the past week the Hunleth Music Co.
reported to police the disappearance of three
old and valuable violins from its store. The
instruments had been placed on display in its
window, subsequently being removed and placed
under the cases. Their disappearance was noted
last Thursday by officials of the company, who
reported that entrance to the store evidently
had been effected by a duplicate key.
Arthur Hahn Back
From Pacific Coast
Finds New Krakauer Period Styles Have
Strong Appeal to the Dealers in That Terri
tory
Arthur Hahn, of Krakauer Bros., New York,
arrived home the early part of this week from
his initial Pacific Coast trip for this house.
When seen by The Review this week Mr. Hahn
was very enthusiastic over the results of his
trip, not only having received a splendid re-
ception from all the dealers he met, but return-
ing with a large number of good-sized orders,
both for present and future delivery.
"I found," he said this week, "that there is
a great demand for period models on the Pacific
Coast, and the new Krakauer period line ap-
pealed to the dealers. I can confidentially say
that I did very much better than I expected I
would, as this was my initial trip across the
country. My trip was so successful that we
shall be very busy from now on at the factory
well into the new year."
Phillip Gordon in Akron
AKRON, O., November 28.—Phillip Gordon, ex-
clusive Duo-Art recording artist, appeared in
person recently at the piano salon of the B.
F. Harbaugh Co., well-known Akron piano firm.
An informal musicale from 2 until 5 p. m. each
day was presented by Mr. Gordon. Newspapers
gave much space to the personal appearance
of the widely known artist.
,
Levers Opens Store
-
R. E. Levers has opened a new music store in
the Gobin Block on Elm avenue, Rocky Ford,
Colo., handling small instruments and radio.