Music Trade Review

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MODERNIZATION
(Continued from page 24J
with
these
It
office
there
the promotions of the work of
composers.
is wise to maintain the general
in the rear of the first floor if
is adequate space.
Suggestion for interior plan of modernized
piano wareroom
Another important suggestion for
the store which has a multiple story
building is the use of a small audi-
torium on one of its upper floors for
the establishment of a music center
where concerts by local artists might
be given. Aside from the revenue
which this auditorium might bring,
its publicity value is high.
Upper Floors Should Be Attractive
Usually in cases where a store has
more than one selling floor, the owner
is inclined to disregard the appear-
ance of all other selling floors except
the street floor. They give the appear-
ance of nothing more than storage
floors, but since a sale might be con-
summated on any selling floor, it is
26
The Value of Record Display
I Continued from page 25 J
records, etc., and handles mainten-
ance of the school's pianos and other
musical instruments. Not only has this
proved profitable but it has resulted
in many retail sales to individual
students.
These girls have more money to
spend than they would have normally,
and girls make up the greater percent-
age of Fine Art students! and Fine
Art students make more customers for
the Bell Music Store.
The second factor which helped Mr.
and Mrs. Houston's business was the
locating of the large Hercules Powder
Factory east of Lawrence. This filled
the town with a class of industrial
workers who are money spenders when
they are making money—and they
have been making money! They have
been responsible for greatly increased
sales in popular music, both records
and sheet music.
Features Classical Window
Displays
The increase in classical records and
music is not accidental. The Houstons
have worked for this business! Never
can a person walk past the Bell Music
Slore without seeing pictures of great
musical artists in the windows. To
citizens of Lawrence these pictures are
identified with the Bell Music Store
as consistently as are ears with the
mental picture of a Kansas jackrabbit.
The market is also wide open for
important to keep the appearance of
all selling space uniform and at a high
level. Adequate rest-room facilities
such as powder rooms and telephone
booths should be provided for the
public.
After reading the preceding notes,
the s'ore owner might get the impres-
sion that bis postwar piano store will
have to be a "super modern" estab-
lishment, but this is not the case. An
air of solidity and dignity can best be
obtained by solid planning and mer-
chandising rather than by the applica-
tion of a few modern decorative cli-
ches. A wise merchant will not close
his eyes to the use of new materials
all the reconditioned pianos the store
can offer. Trouble is, used pianos for
sale are harder and harder to find.
The day Mr. Houston was interviewed
for THE REVIEW, he drove forty miles
to deal for a used grand piano.
Founded by Piano Men
The Bell Music Store was founded
about 1888 by Mrs. Houston's father,
John Bell, who was a piano maker,
and his brother. John Bell bought out
his brother's interest later and con-
tinued to manufacture and sell his
own pianos. This original business
grew into the present Bell Music Co.,
now owned and operated by his son-
in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs.
Lloyd Houston.
Besides, Mr. Houston, there are two
old employees who keep busy recondi-
tioning pianos for resale, and tuning
and fixing pianos for customers, and
doing the maintenance work for the
university.
In these uncertain times, Mr. Hous-
ton finds it difficult to draw plans for
the future. But one thing he does
know: he is going to stay strictly in
the music business. "Like most other
music stores," he said, "we stocked
several other items such as gate-leg
tables, flags, etc., to make up for lost
sales in musical instruments, but we
lost money on everything but the greet-
ing cards. We do not intend to stock
even refrigerators or other utilities—
unless we are forced to do so."
and new merchandise presentations
bill, it will be up to his good taste to
be careful in selection.
•
RFC to Take 7 5 % of Loans
The Reconstruction Finance Corpor-
ation has announced that it will take
up to 75 per cent of loans made by
the more than 100 regional credit pools
that have been formed by commercial
banks to aid small business.
This means that at the request of
pool managers the RFC will triple any
loan pool which they want to make.
A procedure for automatic participa-
tion is being set up through RFC's
thirty-one regional offices. The interest
fate for RFC was announced as 4 per
cent, with pools at liberty to charge up
to 6 per cent for their portion of loans.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, MARCH, 1945