Presto

13
PRESTO
November 3, 1923
THE OPPORTUNITIES
IN RETAIL FIELD
Every Form of Publicity May Be Made Potent
If Used to Fit the Time and Location
and the Apparent Musical Wants
of Community.
GETTING CLOSE TO PUBLIC
All Ways Are Good Ways Where They Effect the
Desirable End—Create the Desire to Buy.
Anything that makes the public think about the
music store is advertising for the firm. So that ad-
vertising is not necessarily statements in display type
in the local newspapers. The advertising message
may be conveyed in various ways. The printed ad is
good broadcasting but the show windows and the
interior displays and activities may be made potent
means for the buying suggestion. The main end of
all publicity is to create the idea of buying in the
prospects' minds.
It has been charged that the music trade is back-
ward in devising original forms of advertising and
that a great many retail music stores fail to make the
buying public aware of their existence. Of course
that is an extreme statement, but possibly whoever
used the exaggeration had the best interests of the
music trade at heart. We can stand hot criticism
from our well-meaning friends. What he meant to
say was that the public is hungry for music always
and all the time and that too many people are left
unaware that a neighboring store has the ability to
supply the desires.
A Comparison;
Department stores, clothiers, and even drug stores
try every conceivable form of window display but few
country stores try to put the quality of originality
into their window arrangements. In frank comment
a few days ago an..observant piano traveler said that
the country town dealer tries to make his window
either too highbrow or too ragtimey. Continuing,
he said:
He places a fine piano in the window, sometimes
with little regard for the background or surround-
ings. The attempt is to express the dignity of the in-
strument by barring the window to all democratic
musical companions.
The other extreme is to give the window a ragtime
character by a crude layout of "popular" sheet music
and a scattering of saxophones, cheap banjos, and
ukuleles and fly-spotted fiddles. Either extreme is
bad and creative of the wrong idea. The country
music store is dependent upon plain people. But it
should not be forgotten that a lot of the plain people
may be people of taste, in the true meaning of the
word. The dealer does not lessen the dignity of the
good piano by showing it in company with reputable
instruments from the musical merchandise stock. The
S. W. MILLER PIANO CO.
Makers of
S. W. MILLER
PIANOS and PLAYERS
Dealers who Sell Them are
Satisfied with Results and
are Profit-makers.
Do not confuse our Pianos
with the Boston Miller.
country town dealer does not want to be considered
a specialist in pianos nor in saxophones. His best bet
is to pose as a general music store keeper.
The Continuous Message.
The music store window is one good way to asso-
ciate the store with the musical desires and inusical
activities of the community. When the piano buying
desire reaches the purposeful one of making a selec-
tion the prospect with the desire should naturally
think of the store window that originally created it.
When the church young people's society consider
forming a singing club or an orchestra, the mem-
bers' thoughts should promptly revert to a show of
standard song books in the dealer's window some time
previously. These things point to the importance of
the sheet music department in the music store in the
country town.
Attractive Feature.
The music dealers could borrow a custom from the
big department and big five-and-ten-cent stores in the
cities. There popular songs and sheet music are
played at all hours during the day by a pianist with
nimble fingers and the sales of the numbers are
stimulated thereby. The country store employing a
saleswoman with the piano playing ability can effect
a similar end and she won't have to hammer at the
keys all day. If the people know they can hear a
song or dance played upon request at a local store
it is there they will go with the first desire to hear it.
The dealer with a general line should adopt every
means to stimiulate sales in all the phases of his busi-
ness. He should identify himself with every musical
movement. Bands and orchestras are springing up
everywhere. There are possibilities for the forma-
tion of bands in every town and village. Every
school is an opportunity for sales by the alert music
dealer. Every church organization is the dealer's
chance to start an orchestra or a choral club.
WELLINGTON PLEASES
SPOKANE THEATER OWNER
Chas. W. York of American Theater Tells Why He
Chose Pianos for His House.
The Wellington piano is one of the instruments
made by The Cable Company, Chicago, with particu-
lar merits to appeal to theater owners. The Welling-
ton has qualities of great endurance combined with
elasticity of action and full, sweet tone that attract
the heads of music schools and managers of public
places where these reliable characteristics are desir-
able and necessary. A letter recently received by
Tull & Gibbs, representatives of The Cable Co., in
Spokane, Wash., adds another testimonial to the
files:
"Messrs Tull & Gibbs,
"Spokane, Wash.
"Gentlemen: In taking over the management of
the new American Theatre, this city, the matter of
choosing a piano for the orchestra had our careful
consideration.
"We again chose the Wellington as we did for the
Auditorium. It has a fine, big tone, good action and
the ability to stand up under the hard service which
we give it.
"We feel that we get more than our money's worth
when we buy a Wellington. Very truly yours,
" H O O D & YORK.
"By CHAS. W. YORK."
HEPPE CORPORATIONS MEET.
The Heppe Piano Co. declared its usual 6 per cent
dividend at the meeting last week of the Heppe Cor-
porations. The following directors were elected:
F. J. Heppe, M. F. McD. Heppe, W. C. Harper, R. F.
Lehman and Marcellus Heppe. The following offi-
cers of C. J. Heppe & Son were elected: F. J.
Heppe, president and treasurer; M. F. McD. Heppe,
vice-president; Walter C. Harper, assistant treasurer;
G. W. Witney, secretary, and Marcellus Heppe, as-
sistant secretary.
New Catalog Ready
DEALER CLEVER MUSICIAN.
S. W. MILLER PIANO CO.
Almon J. Fairbanks owner of the Fairbanks Piano
Co., which recently moved to new warerooms in
Attleboro, Mass., is prominent in the musical life of
his town. In addition to being an active and suc-
cessful piano dealer Mr. Fairbanks is a clever musi-
cian. He is organist of the Newton Highlands Con-
gregational Church and usually takes an active part
in the musical events of the town. The new loca-
tion of the Fairbanks Piano Co. is at 31 South
Main street.
SHEBOYGAN, WIS.
HIGH GRADE
Folding Organs
School Organs
Practice Keyboards
Dealers' Attention Solicited
A. L. WHITE MFG. CO.
215 Englewood Ave., CHICAGO, ILL.
OPENS GRAND PIANO ROOM.
Grinnell Brothers, East Main street, Kalamazoo,
Mich., last week threw open to the general public
their new grand piano sales room. It is immediately
to the right of the first floor entrance and in an
attractive apartment, finished and furnished in ex-
cellent taste. In addition to an upright Duo-Art in
the display window, there are four baby grands on
the floor.
BUSH & GERTS ORDERS
LARGE AND CONVINCING
Demand for the Grandette Has Taken the Lead with
Many Prominent Dealers.
The Bush & Gerts small grand piano has succeeded
in its efforts to attract attention deserving of a high-
grade instrument. Dealers who represent the Bush
& Gerts line appreciate the merits of the Grandette
to such an extent that large and frequent orders for
that instrument have been received by the company
at Weed and Dayton street, Chicago.
Although the demand has put the factory behind
to a slight degree, each order receives the same care-
ful and prompt attention as has always characterized
the reliable old Chicago industry.
Many dealers did not contemplate the excellent
business for the Grandette they are now experienc-
ing, and consequently their orders were not sent in
early enough. This negligence on their part will un-
doubtedly cause their business to suffer, as orders
unfilled are orders lost in many cases.
MOVES IN BOSTON.
The Sullivan & Barry Piano Co., Boston, will soon
move from the Thorndike Building to larger quarters
on the second floor of the Walker Building, facing
Boston Common. This company has had continous
success since its formation less than a year ago. Dan-
iel Sullivan, the senior partner, is widely known in the
music field as a composer of successful songs.
Schaff Bros.
Players and Pianos have won their stand-
ing with trade and public by 54 years of
steadfast striving to excel. They repre-
sent the
LARGEST COMPETITIVE VALUE
because of their beauty, reliability, tone
and moderate price. They are profitable
to sell and satisfactory when sold.
Brighten Your Line with the
SCHAFF BROS.
n The Schaff Bros. Co.
Established 1868
Huntington, Ind.
Schumann
PIANOS and PLAYER FIANOS
Have no superiors in appearance, tone
power or other essentials of strictly
leaders in the trade.
Warning to Infringers
TRADfi MARK
Thla Trade Mark li cast
In the plate and also ap-
pears upon the fall board
of all genuine Schumann
Pianos, and all infringe™
will be prosecuted. Beware
of Imitations such as Schu-
mann A Company. Schu-
mann & Son. and also
Shuman, a* all stencil
shops, dealers and users ot
pianos bearing a name In
Imitation of the name
Schumann with the inten-
tion of deceiving the public
will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law.
Schumann Piano Co.
W. N. VAN MATAE, President
Rocklord, 111.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/