Presto

September 6, 1924/
PRESTO
INTERESTING BIT OF
GRAND PIANO HISTORY
It Concerns the Part of Florey Bros., Wash-
ington, N. J., in Developing an Important
Phase of the Piano Industry.
In the development of the grand piano industry in
the United States the historian of the piano indus-
try must not neglect to give the firm of Florey Bros.,
Washington, N. J., its proper due. The house is a
pioneer in grand piano production, its first ambitious
efforts being made in 1909, and, although the in-
struments have not been advertised as they de-
served, they have achieved a place in the trade as
instruments of unusual value.
Year after year, for fifteen years, the number of
observant dealers presenting Florey Bros. Grands to
a discriminating clientele has grown in a notable way.
There is a personal character about every instru-
ment produced by the clever craftsmen in the Florey
Bros, workshop. The dealers who buy them claim
the pianos are stamped with the personality of the
master mechanics of Florey Bros., who have ele-
vated their work into an art. The continuance of the
Florey Bros, industry without the essential stimulat-
ing publicity is a proof of the fact that the pianos
possess the essentials for fine instruments.
Two decades ago the manufacture of fine grand
pianos was practically confined to a few old-time
makes of undoubted name value built up by the asso-
ciation of the instruments with the musical art of
the concert stage. At that time and even in later
years, seemingly no effort was made to reach the
people desiring grands, but deterred by the high
prices that were necessarily involved in their con-
struction. In short, no effort was then made to de-
velop a trade in grands that would increase the pro-
duction to the degree permitting prices to come with-
in the reach of ambitious musical folk of limited
means.
During those early days the production of grands
was about ten per cent of the production of up-
rights and only a small proportion of manufacturers
made grands. So that when Florey Bros, in 1909
began the production of grands exclusively it was
considered by many manufacturers that the scheme
was an attempt at the impossible.
But Florey Bros, felt from the start that there was
a field for the grand piano of a wider kind than that
ever conceived by the older manufacturers and that
by devoting a factory exclusively to their production,
a business of satisfactory dimensions would result.
The Best Yet
Graceful lines, rugged construc-
tion, moderately priced. It's the
very best commercial piano from
every standpoint.
The firm of Florey Bros, was soon justified in its
beliefs. Of course, it took the work of enthusiasts
to introduce the instruments built according to an
ambitious standard.
"Make good instruments of pure tone and high
quality and they will find their way into the homes
of the people on their own qualifications as musical
instruments," was a statement in an announcement
made by Alvin E. Florey, of Florey Bros, at the
time. It was in the nature of a prediction. The
business of Florey Bros, grands has grown.
Of course the Florey Bros, grands of today are
superior to those produced fifteen years ago and the
demands for grands by the public has grown amaz-
ingly. The facts naturally suggest big possibilities
for the line of Florey Bros, grands for the ensuing
seasons. That its grand is "greater value for the
money than any other kind of its size, no matter
what the name or reputation of the instrument used
for comparison" is the belief of Florey Bros. The
pianos are sent on trial and the makers are convinced
the Florey Grand will prove their claims for it.
VALUE OF QUICK TURNOVER
IN THE PIANO BUSINESS
Daily Newspaper Uses Piano Store Stock to Illus-
trate How "Money at Work" Multiplies.
The "Money at Work" feature of the Chicago
Evening Post of this week Tuesday presented what
is probably the first application of the piano business
to illustrate how turnover measures prove efficient in
the use of capital invested in stock in stores. Here
is the copyrighted article from the Post:
"Suppose you owned a piano store and your stock
consisted of one piano for which you paid $500.
The number of times you used that $500 to buy a
new piano to replace one sold is your stock turnover.
If you had two such pianos and sold the same num-
ber of pianos your turnover would be just half as
much.
"Money is worth at least 6 per cent in the way of
interest, so what you lose in interest by having your
money tied up in pianos or what you pay as interest
in borrowing is a cost of doing business. If you can
increase your turnover by having only $500 instead
$1,000 in stock you increase your income because
you can invest the other $500 in some outside se-
curity.
"Stores watch turnover very carefully, for increased
turnover reduces expenses and increases profits and
at the same time gives customers fresher mer-
chandise."
FAMOUS OLD PNEUMATIC
ORGAN TO BE SCRAPPED
Instrument Which Has Delighted Guests of Great
Northern Hotel, Chicago, Is Doomed.
The fine old organ which for thirty years has de-
lighted guests of the Great Northern Hotel, Chicago,
is to be wrecked and will be heard no more forever.
The instrument has helped largely to bring popu-
larity to the hotel. For years daily concerts were
given upon it by means of the automatic action. It
was made and installed by the old Farrand & Votey
Company and contained one of the first of the great
pneumatic actions which later gained world-wide
fame for the Aeolian-Vocalion companies.
Lee Herrwagen, at the time conspicuous as the rep-
resentative of the Farrand & Votey Co., then located
in Detroit, supervised the erection of the organ, and
he was very proud of his part in it.
A Chicago daily newspaper in announcing the de-
termination of the hotel management to destroy the
big organ told a fairy tale about the instrument hav-
ing been brought from Berlin to the Columbian Ex-
position in Jackson Park in 1893, where it "won first
prize at our World's Fair."
As is here stated, the famous Great Northern
organ is of American manufacture and its makers
did play a large part in the famous Section I of the
wonder exhibition at the White City of 1893. The
great organ will be missed from the popular Chi-
cago hotel lobby.
FORMAL OPENING IN GLENDALE.
The formal opening of the new store of the Glen-
dale Music Co., at 118 South Brand boulevard, Glen-
dale, Cal., was held recently. Three floors in the new
building are devoted to pianos, phonographs and
sheet music and the top story has been set aside as
a recital hall for the use of local musicians.
Al Waltamath has opened a store in Salem, Ohio.
A limited stock of pianos and a few talking machines
have been installed in a Main street location, and, ac-
cording to Mr. Waltamath, sales have been very
satisfactory in the short time the store has been in
operation.
• J | | | Onduring'-' .
HENRY F. MILLER STORES
CO. FORMED IN BOSTON
Newly Incorporated Company to Handle the Retail
Business of the Continental Piano Co.
The Henry F. Miller Stores Co. is a new Massa-
chusetts corporation formed to transact the retail
business of the Continental Piano Co. in six stores,
five of which were originally conducted by the Smith,
Barnes & Strohber Co., of Chicago, now merged with
the Henry F. Miller Piano Co. as the Continental
Piano Co.
The sales promotion manager of the Henry F.
Miller Stores Co. is A. C. Clausen, former manager
of the Smith, Barnes & Strohber Co.'s retail branch
in Detroit. His headquarters are in the Boston store
of Henry F. Miller Stores Co. The purpose of the
company is to make the Boston store a general music
store by the addition of musical merchandise and
sheet music to the pianos and phonographs. C. A.
Hewitt is the new manager of the talking machine
department.
THE
The Yardman £ine
is a complete line
It comprises a range of artisti-
cally worthy instruments to
please practically every purse:
The Hardman, official piano of
the Metropolitan Opera House;
the Harrington and the Hensel
Pianos in which is found that in-
builtdurabilitythatcharacterizes
all Hardman-made instruments;
the wonderful Hardman Repro-
ducing Piano; the Hardman
Autotone (the perfect player-
piano); and the popular Playo-
tone.
MADE GRAND MANAGER.
Style 32—4 ft. 4 in.
WESER
Pianos and Players
S. B. Moats, an experienced piano merchant, has
been appointed manager of the grand piano depart-
ment of the A. P. Griggs Piano Company at Daven-
port, Iowa. Mr. Moats is well known to the music
trades in that vicinity, having been in charge of the
sale of pianos there for several years. The Griggs
Piano Co. claims to show the largest stock of grand
pianos in that section of Iowa.
EXPANDS IN SHARON, PA.
Sell Readily—Stay Sold
Send to-day for catalogue, prices and
details of our liberal financing plan
Weser Bros., Inc.
520 to 528 W . 43rd St., New York
The remodeling plans which have interrupted busi-
ness occasionally for several weeks in the store of
the Curran-Wooster Music Co., Sharon, Pa., will be
completed this week when the partners, R. A. Curran
and Guy B. Wooster, will show the invited public the
extent of the new facilities for doing a bigger
business.
^Hardman
c
Clarence A. Gilbert and Arthur R. Prettyman re-
cently opened the Baldwin Music Store in Morgan-
town, W. Va.
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