Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
rheir Makers.
PRESTO
Ertabinhed ISM.
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 cm. t
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
92.00 « i w
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1925
P. A. STARCK PIANO CO.
OPENS BOSTON STORE
Location of New Six-Story Building Is at 154
Boylston Street, in Hub's Best Business
Center.
That ever-growing corporation, the P. A. Starck
Piano Company, is opening a new Boston store in its
own building at 154 Boylston street. The building, a
six-story structure, faces Boston Common, and it is
in a location convenient for varied interests, for it is
adjacent to theaters, the Boylston subway station,
and Tremont, Washington and Boylston street shops.
It is about two doors west of the Steinert Hall build-
ing.
This splendid building is out of the ordinary in de-
sign and construction. Little & Russell are the archi-
tects, and the richness of its appearance is surpassed
only by its interior refinements, for it has been
planned to make the operation of business com-
fortable and efficient.
Naturally the arrange-
ments, furnishing and
decorations of the store
will be in keeping with
the character of the busi-
ness.
The progressive
piano company fully rec-
ognizes the vital impor-
tance of appropriate sur-
roundings for the fine
pianos and other instru-
ments. The providing of
the desirable atmosphere
is one of the marks of
good merchandising in
the music business. The
methods of presenting
the pianos in the new
Boston store of the P. A.
Starck Piano Company
will be stamped with the
spirit of modernity that
distinguishes
the
for-
ward - looking
house.
Taste in showing the NEW STARCK BUILDING,
goods is conducive to the
desire to buy., is the belief of the management.
The front offices face the Common, and as the
building has been run back but a part of the depth
of the lot, above the second floor, the rear offices
enjoy as good light as those on the front.
The second floor is approximately 90 feet in depth
with 2,000 net square feet, and is especially light
because of a skylight over the rear part. The plan
shows the high stud and low windows, which make
it adaptable for a Tetail shop.
Just a few of the P. A. Starck Piano Company's
stores in the eastern part of the country now are
located in Boston, Detroit, New York, Cleveland,
Brooklyn and Philadelphia; while farther west there
are big ones in Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Gary
and several other cities.
"Business has been very good at the store and the
factory," said M. W. Newman, assistant to Vice-
President and General Manager Owen, to a Presto
representative in Chicago on Monday of this week.
"The Starck factory is running to full capacity. The
excavators are about through with scooping out the
hole where the new P. A. Starck headquarters are to
be located two doors north of the Steger Building on
the west side of Wabash avenue.
ing, three stories high. Occupying all floors, their
warerooms exemplify the finest type of piano mer-
chandising. A special space has been set aside for
Ampico demonstration rooms. These rooms are to
be fitted so that they resemble a drawing room of a
fine home. With subdued lights, large easy chairs,
prospective purchasers can sit at ease while the Am-
pico is being demonstrated to them.
The C. W. Gregory Music House have their main
store at Chace City, Va., while Rocky Mount, N. C,
and Oxford, N. C, become the branch stores.
INDIANAPOLIS TRADE
CONTRIBUTES ITEMS
Fine Pianos Sold to Prominent People and the
Indiana Capital Gives Evidence of
Gratifying Business Revival.
The fifty-second anniversary of the founding of the
Pearson Piano Company is being celebrated with the
usual anniversary sale.
The Christena-Teague Piano Company recently
sold a Chickering Art Model Ampico to one of the
leading families in Muncie, Indiana, making the
fourth sale of the period model to members of this
particular family.
Ben Traub is expected to return from Los An-
geles and join the sales force of the company, after
serving several years on the sales force of the South-
ern California Music Co.
Fred Harlow, of Vose & Sons Piano Company, and
Charles Cunningham, of the Foster-Armstrong Com-
pany, were recent visitors.
The Dennison Hotel has purchased one of the Style
"A" Jesse FYench grand pianos for their dining-room
from the Wilking Music Company. Among other re-
cent sales were several period models of the Apollo
Grand piano in Spanish and Jacobean.
Chas. E. Howe, of the Apollo Company, spent last
week in the city for the purpose of demonstrating the
Apollo instrument placed in the new Zaring Theater.
The sales organization of the Wilking Music Com-
pany has been reorganized as follows: Eugene A.
Wilking, in charge of the playerpianos; Harry Shee-
fers, the grand and straight pianos; and J. Forest
Wilking, the reproducing pianos.
Thomson DeSersy, secretary of the Baldwin Piano
Company, of Cincinnati, spent Tuesday in Indian-
apolis.
The Baldwin Concert Grand will be used at the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra concert on the 22nd of
November at the Murat Theater. The event is being
extensively advertised.
PERIOD MODELS SELL WELL
AT THE KNABE STUDIO
Chicago's Northward Move Seems to Have Improved
Trade with the Artistic Instrument.
"Our higher priced lines, period models particu-
larly, are selling best just now,"- said B. L. Lind-
hoff, manager of the Knabe Ampico Studios, 300
North Michigan avenue, Chicago, on Wednesday of
this week to a Presto representative.
"This location is going to be in the heart of the
shopping district as soon as the new boulevard along
the river is completed. The old South Water street
commission market has been removed to Thirty-ninth
street, and the opening of the boulevard in place of
South Water street is going to give every advantage
to the opened section."
The Knabe Ampico business occupies two floors
I Occupying All Three Floors of New Building, They at 300 North Michigan avenue, both well stocked
Have Finest Warerooms in South.
with instruments, and trade is very active, according
to the manager. The store was opened over a year
The C. W. Gregory Music House, of Rocky Mount, ago.
IN. C, is a shining example of what a rigid selling
(policy can do. They have always adhered strictly
NEW OHIO STORE.
Ito honest representation and to the idea that the ult-
imate satisfaction of a customer is far more important
Joseph C. Krebs, of Cincinnati, has opened a music
[than any immediate gain made by a questionable store at 34 Broadway, Middletown, O. The store will
Isale.
handle a number of well-known lines of pianos, pho-
They have located their new store in a fine build- nographs, radios, records and rolls.
C. W. GREGORY MUSIC HOUSE
OPENS NEW WAREROOMS
CLEVELAND AFTER
TRADE-IN VALUES
Ohio Music Trades Association Proposes a
System of Valuing Old Pianos Just as
Outlined by Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce.
PRESENTS NEW SLOGAN
Other Items in the Trade of the Buckeye's Biggest
City Include Plan to Circulate Mr. Miessner's
Booklet.
The regular monthly dinner and business meeting
of the Cleveland Music Trades Association took
place at the Hotel Statler November 10. It was one
of the best meetings in years from the standpoint of
attendance and interest. Otto C. Muehlhauser was
chairman of the meeting, as President Dreher could
not be present.
Guests of the evening were Charles H. Yahrling, of
Youngstown, past president of the Music Merchants'
Association of Ohio, and Rexford C. Hyre, its sec-
retary. By unanimous consent they were both made
honorary members of the local association.
Old Piano Allowances.
The matter of allowances on old pianos came up
for discussion and it was voted to formulate a plan
whereby the trade would set a uniform allowance on
old instruments. This would eliminate shopping by
prospective purchasers who go from store to store
to see who will give, them the highest bid on their
oid pianos towards the purchase of a new piano.
The plan will be the same as auto dealers use, a
standard price being allowed on each model.
Charles H. Yahrling spoke on the installment
business, and told members about the sloga.i he is
the author of: "'Include music in your installment
purchases." He pointed out that over ninety per cent
of the buying public use the installment plan in pur-
chasing.
New Slogan Proposed.
The slogan suggests they can buy practically every-
thing in music by this method and by a consistent use
of the slogan the fact is kept constantly before them.
Speaking of the carrying charge, Mr. Yahrling de-
clared that he had been using it for several months
past and was so well satisfied with it that he would
not go back to the old method again.
Rex C. Hyre urged the adoption of the slogan, and
said he would recommend its adoption by the state
organization and by dealers all over the United
States. The Ohio association will have the slogan
printed on wall and window streamers for free dis-
tribution to members.
There will be a dinner and business of the Cleve-
land Music Trades Association on December 8, at
which time further plans for augmenting the mem-
bership will be discussed.
Other Trade Notes.
The Robert L. White Music Company have taken
the agency for the Adler Royal line of phonographs
and radio, and also Magnavox receivers. Robert L.
White will take a trip south about the middle of
January, for a short vacation.
A new three-story building and an additional story
for their present two-story building will be erected
at once by the H. N. White Co., manufacturers of the
"King" line of band instruments. The company also
have under construction a large one-story building
at the present time. Increased business makes the
additional space necessary.
The secretary of the Music Merchants' Association
of Ohio expects to send questionnaires on the carrying
charge to all members soon. Members will also re-
ceive copies of the booklet, "How to make America
Musical," by W. Otto Miessner of Milwaukee, who
has agreed to furnish all copies required free of
charge.
The United Music Co. has taken a lease on a store
at 211 Columbus avenue, Boston.
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