10
September 6, 1924.
PRESTO
TRADE NEWS FROM
CALIFORNIA FIELD
Several Items of a General Character Concern
Men and Firms in That Lively
State.
The activities of two factories of the Photo Player
Co., San Francisco, will be merged in one building
either in San Francisco or Los Angeles. At present
one factory is in Berkeley, in the Trans-Bay region,
and the other is at Van Nuys, in southern California.
J. A. G. Schiller, general manager of the Photo
Player Co., says the action of the company is to re-
duce the cost of operation and obtain more efficiency.
Making the Fotoplayer and the Robert-Morton organ
in the same factory will conduce to economy in
production. The equipment now in use will continue
to be used, but a new factory will probably be built.
Mr. Schiller says he is considering several desirable
locations. Both factories are working to capacity,
so good is the demand both for Robert-Morton or-
gans and Fotoplayers.
Ludwig grands made by Ludwig & Co., New York,
are big sellers in the San Jose branch of the Wiley
B. Allen Co., San Francisco. The fine instruments
are prominently featured and the number of Ludwig
grands now owned by musical families in the Bay
city provides a convincing argument to use with
prospective grand buyers.
A branch of the Hockett-Cowan Music Co., of
Fresno, Cal., has been opened at 118 Tulare street,
Tulare, Cal. A full line of pianos is being carried.
The Hockett-Cowan Co. has been established in
Fresno for about thirty years and has built up a fine
clientele for its piano department.
The headquarters of the company is in Fresno,
and branches are maintained in Visalia and Dinuba,
as well as representation in other thriving communi-
ties of the Valley section. Besides S. S. Hockett, the
president, the other members of the firm are M. D.
Hocket and C. F. Cowan, who have been associated
for years with the organization.
Frederick R. Sherman, of Sherman, Clay & Co.,
San Francisco, consistently
encourages every
species of musical effort, and of course he took a
leading part in organizing the annual concert of the
Bohemian Club, which was given recently at the
Tivoli Opera House. The Bohemian Club concert
ranks as a custom in the minds of San Francisco
musical folk. Mr. Sherman was a member of the
concert and reception committee having the concert
in charge. The music for this year's play was writ-
ten by Wheeler Beckett.
Harold Pracht, sales manager for the Wiley B.
Allen Co., San Francisco, is another piano man closely
concerned in the musical events of his city. He is
widely known in and out of the trade as a fine musi-
cian and vocalist. Mr. Pracht is on the program to
sing in one of the leading roles in the musical show
which will finish the annual week, "The Flight of the
Stork," always given about this season by the
Family Club in its redwood grove at Woodside. The
play, by B. Purrington, is a costume production and
the time is an interesting and romantic period in
English history. The music was written by George
Hulton, fo Sherman, Clay & Co. James J. Black,
treasurer of the Wiley B Allen Co.; Jack Gercovich
and other members of the music trades are all cast
for parts.
G. H. Madison, for some time with Kohler &
Chase, San Francisco, has joined the staff of the
Wiley B. Allen Co., in the same city. Mr. Madison
is known as the owner of a splendid voice and has
had grand opera experience. His services are much
sought for musicales.
Walter B. Sampson, manager of the sheet music
and small instruments department of the Southern
California Music Co., of San Diego, Cal., returned
last week from a vacation in Los Angeles and its
environs.
Robinson's Furniture Store, San Jose, Cal., is giv-
ing wide publicity to its music department.
STATE FAIR WEEK MAKES
MILWAUKEE BUSY
Enterprising Music Dealers as Usual Take
Advantage of the Annual
Opportunity.
Plans are now being made by the Morris Music
Shop, of Coral Gables, Miami, Fla., for the erection
of a new music store on Coral Way—the new 120-
foot wide business thoroughfare. The structure will
cost approximately $25,000 and will be completed by
Christmas.
The State Fair opened in Milwaukee, Wis., last
week was considered an opportunity by music dealers
for displays of music goods. The actual exhibits of
music goods at the fair were not as numerous as in
previous years, but music was made prominent in the
state fair ground by music dealers, and the stores
featured all types of musical instruments in window
displays. Special advertising has been used to at-
tract fair visitors to downtown stores.
During the period of the fair the Flanner-Hapsoos
Music House made a special showing of C. G. Conn
band instruments, and the firm states the efforts were
productive of good effects.
Business continues to show improvement, accord-
ing to F. F. Flanrter, and improvements are noticed
in all departments. During fair week the store fea-
tured the Conn instruments in special newspaper ad-
vertising. A display of Conn instruments was placed
in the Grand avenue window owned by a local news-
paper, where it attracted considerable attention. As
the window is located on Grand avenue near one of
the principal intersections of the city, the display was
of unusual value to the band instrument department
of the store.
Of- course a chief exhibitor was the firm of Ed-
mund Gram, Inc., which made special displays of
Steinway pianos and the A. B. Chase, with the Celco
reproducing medium. The company had its complete
line of instruments in the exhibit at the new Mer-
chants' and Manufacturers' Building.
Edmund Gram, Inc., has made a specialty of dis-
plays at Wisconsin fairs during August and will con-
tinue the policy during September. The company is
planning exhibits for all the larger fairs in the state,
including those at Fond du Lac, Beaver Dam and
Elkhorn.
The Wisconsin Radio Trade Association, Inc., has
announced that the two radio expositions planned by
three Milwaukee newspapers have been consolidated.
The newspapers agree to withdraw their individual
plans and co-operate with the association in holding
one large exposition under the name of the Second
Wisconsin Radio Exposition. Present plans for the
consolidated exposition include the features of the
two contemplated expositions. Although the Mil-
waukee Auditorium has been selected as the home
for this great show, the demand for space may neces-
sitate the use of three additional halls.
Alfred F. Kiefer, representing Starr pianos and
phonographs and Gennett records in Wisconsin, re-
ports an excellent business in Milwaukee and other
parts of the state. Milwaukee stores which recently
added Gennett records are the Symphony Music Shop
and Schunk's department store. The East Side
Music Shop is now carrying the complete line dis.-
tnbuted by Mr. Kiefer. Gennett records have been
added to the stock of the West Allis Saxophone Shop,
West Allis, Wis., and Hook Bros., prominent music
store of Madison, Wis., is now carrying a line of
Gennett German records.
W. B. Schaefer is now sole proprietor of the
Schaefer-Rohmer Music Co. at 130 Higgins avenue,
Missoula, Mont.
George Habicht has moved from the Varsity Thea-
ter Building in Bailey avenue, Buffalo, N. Y., to 677
Sycamore street, Beckley, W. Va.
CINCINNATI DEALERS ORGANIZE.
E. M. Abbott, president of the E. M. Abbott Piano
Co., was elected president of the new Brunswick
dealers' association formed in Cincinnati. Lewis
Ahaus, president of the Brunswick Shop, is vice-presi-
dent, and J. Broering, of the Broering Bros. Music
Co., recording secretary. At, the first meeting plans
were made to bring the Brunswick Radiola before
the public and the pledge was made that a high
standard of advertising will be maintained by the
dealers.
PITTSBURGH BRANCH MOVED.
This week Chas. M. Stieff, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.,
moved salesrooms and offices to 819 Liberty avenue.
The old location of the Pittsburgh branch was 632
Sniithfield street, where the company has been lo-
cated for more than ten years. The new building is
six stories in height and is located on one of the
leading business thoroughfares of the city. Ben L.
Sykes is the manager of the Pittsburgh branch. On
the first floor are the general offices and showroom.
SMITH PIANO CO. CHANGE.
The well-established Wabash avenue, Chicago,
store of the Smith Piano Co. will henceforth be
known as "The Smith Piano Co. Division of the
Henry F. Miller Stores Co." This is in accordance
with the formation of the retail department of the
Continental Piano Co., of Boston, particulars of
which appear elsewhere in this issue of Presto.
OPENS IN ASTORIA, ORE.
The Cline Music Co., at Twelfth and Commercial
streets, Astoria, Ore., recently opened a music busi-
ness. The store is situated in a good location in the
Associated Building and has a maximum of show
space and windows. The lower floor is devoted
principally to pianos and sheet music and the upper
floor houses the office and phonograph department.
A SOCIETY MUSICALE.
On Wednesday evening Mr. and Mrs. Curtis N.
Kimball gave the first of a series of musicales, in
which their daughter. Miss Mary Kimball, who is to
be one of the season's debutantes, furnished the pro-
gram. Later in the season Mr. and Mrs. Kimball
will give a dance for young people at their beautiful
Cbicaero home.
PLANS NEW MIAMI STORE.
For QUALITY, SATISFACTION and PROFIT
NEWMAN BROTHERS PIANOS
NEWMAN BROS. CO.
Established 1870
Grand, Upright and Player Pianos
New Haven and New York
Mathushek Piano Manufacturing Co.
132nd St. and Alexander Ave..
NEW YORK CITY
v A QUALITY PRODUCT
FOR OVER
QUARTER OFA CENTURY
Factories, 816 DIX ST., Chicago, 111.
Kiiier & Collins
Pianos
520-524 W. 48th S
NEWYORK
Place That Want Ad in The Presto
POOLE
-BOSTON—
GRAND AND UPRIGHT PIANOS
AND
PLAYER PIANOS
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