Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
News Number
THE
REYHW
fflJilC TIRADE
VOL. 87. No. 4
Published Weekly. Federated Business Publications, Inc., 420 Lexington Are., New York, N. Y., July 28,1928
Single Copies 10 Cents
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Concentration Leads to Sales,
Says D. F. Summey
Wholesale Representative of Cable Company and Hardman-Peck
in Cincinnati Finds Dealers Who Concentrate on Piano
Sales Are Doing Good Volume
INCINNATI, O., July 21.—After spending about eight weeks in going over his territory,
Dan F. Summey, who is offering the Cable line and the Hardman pianos at wholesale as
well as at retail, has reached a definite conclusion as to why some concerns which deal in
pianos do not sell as many of these instruments as they could and should.
"Many of the dealers I visited are trying to reduce their overhead and swell their receipts by
carrying other lines, some of which are entirely foreign to their business and are in no way related
to the music trade," he explained. "For instance,
some who are offering pianos are also offering Vicksburg, which took place in 1863, the year I
electrical appliances, such as washing machines was born, and the anniversary of the Battle of
and vacuum cleaners. In such a case the sale Gettysburg, wKich was fought the same day. I
of pianos is almost entirely lost sight of and as arrived in time to do a little shouting about the
a result the line does not move. The dealer Glorious Fourth and these two important vic-
seems to forget that it takes as much work to tories of the Union forces, and it always is the
sell one of these electrical appliances as it does biggest day of the year for me. In fact, my
to sell a piano, and the sale of a piano yields birthday is the biggest day of the year to the
a profit that is several times larger than that entire United States of America, and every one
derived from an appliance sale. Piano dealers of our 120,000,000 inhabitants observe it,
who are concentrating their efforts on the sale whether they know me or not."
The Grau store is now undergoing a general
of pianos are meeting with success, whereas
those who are scattering their efforts and trying freshening up and "housecleaning" and when
to sell this, that and the other thing also are this work is completed everything will be spic
and span. A recent visitor at the Grau execu-
Tiot running their business at a profit.
"Here is a case in point: In a nearby city of tive offices was Fred Kolber, of the Aeolian Co.,
some 25,000 inhabitants there is a woman who New York.
Arthur Biddle, of Biddle Brothers, who have
deals in pianos and nothing else. She gets out
in her car and talks piano every day, and as a a music store in Reading, a suburb, and who
result she is selling pianos all the time. She also operate the Biddle Brunswick Shop and
does not have a dull season because she does Small Goods Store in the store of the Starr
not let business get dull. ' In a much larger Piano Co., has just left for a two weeks' vac-
city about twenty-five miles from her is a much tion in Michfgan. The department has just ex-
larger store which carries the same lines of tended its small goods line, and it now contains
pianos as this woman. But it also carries elec- everything from bass drums to harmonicas.
The Gift Shop and the Library, two conces-
tric washing machines, vacuum cleaners and
other electrical appliances. Due to the fact that sions in the Starr Piano Co. store, formerly
this larger store carries so many foreign lines operated by Miss Ruth Draysey, have been
the piano line is so much neglected that it does taken over by the firm of Ziegler & Schriver.
not sell one-fourth as many instruments as the
William R. Graul, of the William R. Graul
small-town dealer. 'Stick to pianos' is my ad- Piano Co., who has been taking a much-needed
vice to the dealer. There is no short-cut to rest the past few weeks, is expected to be back
success, and foreign lines are sure to be a hin- to business in a very short time.
drance, not a help."
At the store of the George P. Gross Co. it
In the Evanston home of Otto Grau, presi- was reported that business is better than fair for
dent of the piano company that bears his name, the season. "With the big line of pianos we
there was a four-in-one celebration of July 4. carry now we have 'something for everybody,'
"Besides being my sixty-fifth birthday," ex- and we expect to do better than hold our
plained Mr. Grau, "it was the birthday of the own through the heated period."
At the store of the E. M. Abbott Piano Co.,
nation, the anniversary of the surrender of
C
which now is specializing on radio and combin-
ations, it was reported by Mr. Abbott that busi-
ness now is very good. This company is ad-
vising the public to buy a radio for the Tunney-
Heeney fight.
The new Brunswick radio is now being
demonstrated to dealers at the local branch of
the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co., and it is
expected that deliveries will commence the lat-
ter part of the present month. This is made in
a console model and a table model, with loud
speaker, and is operated from a light socket.
Leo Shatney Is New
Barker Bros. Manager
Formerly Manager of Firm's Hollywood Store
and Previous to That Connected With the
Aeolian Co. in Boston
Los ANGELES, CAL., July 20.—Leo Shatney, who
has had wide experience in the music trade
both in the East and in the far West, has re-
cently been appointed manager of the music
department of the local Barker Bros, store.
Mr. Shatney has been identified with the retail
music business about twenty-one years and
spent about thirteen years with the Aeolian
Co., New York. He held the position of man-
ager of the Aeolian Co. branch in Boston for
two years. For the past seven years he has
been associated with the Barker Bros, organiza-
tion, serving for the past two years as head
of the music department in the Hollywood
store.
A. L. Lyon Opens Store
A. L. Lyon has just opened a new general
music store in the Frazier Building, Fowler,
Kan., handling pianos, phonographs and small
goods. His store will be also the headquarters
for the local band, of which Mr. Lyon is direc-
tor.
New Store Handles Baldwin
Mrs. Curtis Cudd has opened a music store,
which has secured a temporary location in the
Garrott Building, on West Noel street, Mem-
phis, Tex., handling Baldwin pianos, sheet music
and musical accessories.