Music Trade Review

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Aeolian Opens Branch Warerooms
In Stamford, Conn., and Manhasset, L. I.
Jenkins Music Co. to Expand
Retail Efforts In Four States
Announcement has been made by
Clarence M. Pettit, vice president of the
Aeolian Company. New York that on
May 24th a new Aeolian Co. wareroom
will be opened at 340 Bedford St..
Stamford, Conn, and on June 7th an-
other branch store will be opened at
1550 Northern Boulevard, Manhasset,
L. I. At the same time Mr. Pettit an-
nounced that Robert Caswell will man-
age the Stamford store and John Mer-
rick the Manhasset Store. Mr. Caswell
has for sometime been a member of the
Aeolian sales organization in New York
and Mr. Merrick was formerly manager
of the television department of Wm.
Knabe & Co., New York.
Both of these new stores will handle
Mason & Hamlin, Chickering, Steck.
Weber and Aeolian pianos, as well as
Hammond organs.
In announcing new plans for greater
retail distribution and the addition of
new stores to its present chain already
operating in Missouri, Kansas, Okla-
homa and Arkansas, the Jenkins Music
Co., Kansas City, Mo., according to
Kenneth G. Gillespie, Vice-President
and General Manager, has never in its
history known so many young people,
as well as adults interested in music and
learning to play for personal satisfac-
tion. "In addition," said Mr. Gillespie
"there has been a vast increase in the
development of musical education in
the schools as well as in the homes, and
this has been evidenced in the sales of
pianos and organs by the company who
sold 108 carloads of pianos and organs
in 1951 compared to 71 in 1949.
Regarding this move Mr. Pettit
stated:
"The locations chosen for these stores
have been decided upon after careful
analysis of the market possibilities and
auto parking facilities. The Stamford,
store will be located approximately one
half block from the most popular movie
theatre, in a group of small but very
select shops. There will be ample park-
ing space for those who wish to visit
the store either in the daytime or eve-
ning.
"The Manhasset. L. I. store will be-
come a part of the so-called "Miracle
Mile" which includes such stores as
Lord & Taylor, McCutcheon, Peck &
Peck, W. & J. Sloan and other promi-
nent Fifth Avenue stores. To the rear of
the stores there is parking space for
thousands of cars."
Kohler & Chase Headquarters In Los Angeles
The accompanying illustration shows
the new store of Kohler & Chase which
has been opened at South Hill and
Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif., of
which William C. Heaton. well-known
throughout the pi-
ano industry, is
m a n a g e r . Mr.
Heaton is also in
c h a r g e of the
Southern Califor-
nia operations of
Kohler & Chase,
which feature the
Andrew Kohler,
and K o h l e r &
w c
Chase pianos ex-
- - HEATON
clusively. The address of the office is
1001 South Hill St.. Los Angeles.
In making the announcement of the
opening of this new headquarters, Luigi
B. Galliani, Vice-President of the com-
pany, stated: "This will not be a pre-
tentious establishment but rather a
homey type of store in which we will
retail and wholesale pianos to the trade
throughout Southern California. By
having a Los Angeles depot, we will be
in a position to make immediate deliv-
eries to our wholesale trade as new
boxed pianos will be warehoused for
easy and prompt shipment. The Los
Angeles Division together with the San
Francisco Division is now prepared to
expand our wholesale activities."
"William C. Heaton. better known to
the entire industry as just plain 'Billy'
Heaton, who has been in the piano busi-
ness for practically all his life, will be
in charge of our Southern California
operations.
At a meeting of the Board of Direc-
tors, which was held on Tuesday, April
15th, it was decided to adopt a long-
range plan which would concentrate its
merchandising efforts in the retail mu-
sic field by discontinuing its appliance
wholesale distributing operations and
adding a material number of retail
stores in the territory mentioned above.
The company, however, will continue
to aggressively merchandise television,
radio and appliances in those stores
where these products are presently sold.
"During and since World War II,"
said Mr. Gillespie, "the wide diversifi-
cation of industry and the impressive
growth of the population creating thou-
sands of new homes in the areas served
bv the Jenkins Music Co.. has demand-
ed a change in the company's merchan-
dising procedure, and will insure the
continuous building of service to cus-
tomers on which the success of the com-
pany was founded. This is necessary
also to maintain the leadership in the
music industry which the company has
held in the southwest for the past sev-
p eniy-four years.
"Besides the tremendous growth in
demand for musical instruments, there
has been a continuous increase in de-
mand in the sheet music, publishing
and distributing division, and in the
band and orchestra instruments and
supplies distributing division.
NEW KOHLER & CHASE HEADQUARTERS IN LOS ANGELES
"The dealer service by the company's
supply and wholesale division has been
assured that full service will be main-
tained until properly provided for by-
successive distributors of thjp various
lines handled. These moves are ex-
pected to be consummated by June 1st
of this vear."
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, MAY, 1952