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Marshall Field & Co. Buys Cable Co., Chicago
Guylee and Associates Other Cable Stores
One of the oldest retail piano estab-
lishments in the country passed into
new hands late last month when it was
announced that Marshall Field & Co.,
Chicago, had purchased the Chicago
store of the Cable Piano Co., which will
be operated henceforth as the Cable
Piano Co., a Division of Marshall Field
& Co. At the same time W. E. Guylee,
President of the Cable Piano Co., and
associates purchased the stores and
business of the Cable Piano Co. out-
side of Chicago. These are located in
Minneapolis, Detroit and Atlanta, Ga.
The headquarters of the company will
remain in Chicago as usual. The offi-
cials of the company besides Mr. Guy-
lee include Vice President George E.
Hall, Secretary George W. Eddy, Sales
Manager Edward F. Novak, Comptrol-
ler Charles W. Schild and Collection
Manager William L. Hall. Many of the
employees of the Cable Co. will now
be employed by Marshall Field & Co.
The Chicago store will be maintained
at the same address, 228 So. Wabash
Ave., where it has been located for
several years until facilities are avail-
able for the expansion of the present
music department at the main Mar-
shall Field store, according to William
S. Street, Vice President and General
Manager of the Field store. Continu-
ing, Mr. Street added: "Through the
purchase of the Cable Piano Co., Mar-
shall Field & Co. will continue the sale
of Mason & Hamlin, Knabe, Conover,
Cable, Estey, Fischer and other pianos
in the Chicago metropolitan area from
the Wabash Ave. store. We will also
continue the organ, phonograph and
record business of the Chicago Cable
store.
"The purchase does not involve the
other stores of the Cable Piano Co.
elsewhere in the country. All other
stores and property of the Cable Piano
Co. are being acquired by the manage-
ment group that has operated the busi-
ness for many years."
Walter H. Eucker is manager of the
new retail store of the Marshall Field
& Co., and recently has been touring
the country inspecting music depart-
ments of various large stores in im-
portant centers gathering ideas for tho
development of one of the finest music
departments in the country. This will
be located on the third floor of the
main store in 22,400 square feet of
floor space which will be constructed
and decorated at a cost of $100,000.
Mr. Eucker has had many years ex-
perience in the conducting of a music
business. At one time he was manager
of the Wurlitzer store in Philadelphia,
managed retail stores for the Story &
Clark Piano Co., was district manager
at one time for the Timken Silent Au-
tomatic Oil Burner Co. as well as
manager of the appliance division of
Bambergers in Newark. N. J. He has
been with Marshall Field & Co. for
over a year.
A. W. Wright Long
Experienced Piano Man
Announcement was recently made
of the election of Arthur W. Wright
as assistant treasurer of the American
Piano Corp., New York.
For some time Mr. Wright has been
sales manager of the retail division of
Wm. Knabe & Co. His experience in
the piano business dates back to 1915
when he joined the music roll depart-
ment of the Aeolian Co. and traveled
for that division. During the first
World War he was a member of the
Headquarters Company at Fort Han-
cock where he organized bands for the
army and put on musical shows. It
was at this time that Fritzi Scheff ap-
peared and was made an Honorary Lt.
Colonel of the Camp. In 1918 after the
war he joined the sales force of John
Wanamaker in New York where he
stayed about a year, after which he
joined Wm. Knabe & Co. where he has
8
ARTHUR W.
WRIGHT
been steadily engaged in selling pianos
ever since, never missing a day in 24
years except for his regular annual
vacations and jury duty.
E. R. Billings Jr., Appointed
Orgatron Sales Manager
Appointment of Earl R. Billings, Jr.,
as Sales Manager of the new Orgatron
Division of The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.,
North Tonawanda, N. Y., has been
EARL R.
BILLINGS,
JR.
announced by M. G. Hammergren, Vice
President in Charge of Sales.
"Earl Billings brings with him a
well deserved reputation for intelligent,
aggressive administration of Orgatron
sales," Mr. Hammergren stated. "As
Sales Manager for seven years with
the Everett Piano Co., from which
Wurlitzer purchased the entire Orga-
tron business, Mr. Billings won the
confidence and esteem of music dealers
throughout the country." In his former
capacity with the Everett Piano Co.,
Mr. Billings supervised all sales, ad-
vertising and promotion.
Commenting upon his new connection
with the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., Mr.
Billings said, "The Orgatron has, since
1935, won tremendous acceptance as a
superb instrument. I am convinced
that as the Wurlitzer Orgatron, it will
receive even greater recognition as the
organ of the future.
Prior to his service with the Everett
Piano Co., Mr. Billings was for two
and one-half years the Advertising and
Sales Promotion Manager of the Gul-
bransen Co. in Chicago. He attended
the University of Minnesota for three
years and is a graduate of the Univer-
sity of Missouri School of Journalism.
"After the termination of hostili-
ties," Mr. Billings announced, "new
Orgatron models will make their ap-
pearance, with our line considerably
broadened. With Wurlitzer production
facilities and resources the faith we
have always held in the great future
sales potential of the Orgatron, can
soon be realized."
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JUNE, 1945