November 28, 1925.
SPECIAL ART CASES
FOR PACKARD PIANOS
Corps of Artists of Packard Piano Co., Fort
Wayne, Ind., Kept Busy on Orders for
Decorated Cases.
"Although the greater amount of business done by
the Packard Piano Company is in the Middle West-
ern states, the last few years have been marked by a
growing business on the Pacific Coast," said A. S.
Bond, president of the big Fort Wayne, Ind., piano
industry, this week. According to Mr. Bond the last
year has witnessed the steady growth in number of
accounts throughout the United States, and no in-
dication of a let-up is seen.
The Packard company began manufacturing in
1871. At the present time all styles of pianos, includ-
ing grands, uprights, players and reproducing and
motor driven instruments, are being turned out.
Artists employed by the company are now work-
ing on special art pianos, manufactured on orders
from Florida, and hand decorated instruments in
various color and flower designs are being built.
Beauty of case has always distinguished the Pack-
ard instruments and the calls of dealers for special
designs in response to requests from customers are
met with promptness. Artistic taste has become as-
sociated with the regular styles in such a widely-
known manner that the Packard artists are depended
upon by dealers to satisfy the most discriminative
customer for a special piano.
THE CABLE CO. TRADE
GOOD IN NORTHWEST
George M. Slawson Returns from an Exten-
sive Trip into the Good Lands and Re-
ports Great Selling Activity.
George M. Slawson, senior member of The Cable
Company's traveling force, has just returned to Chi-
cago from an extensive tour of the northwestern
states. And .what it is a delight to record, he says
he found "business good."
Mr. Slawson is one of the sort of salesmen who
make business, rather than find it. He knows how.
He has been traveling over the Northwest since
the days when Mankato, and even the great city of
Minneapolis, were in the "wild and woolly" state.
He has seen Fargo grow to a big city; he knew
Mitchell when it was a "wee toon"; he knew Duluth
before it had great elevators; he made friends with
the piano men at Minneapolis' twin, St. Paul, many
years ago; and he gave encouragement and words of
cheer to many a half-hearted dealer in littler towns
galore, who but for his strong courage, might have
flunked when their crucial tests came.
L. M. FRENCH IS NOW
WITH E. W. FURBUSH
Well-Known Veteran Hustler Is Retail Man-
ager in Chicago for Haddorff, Clarendon
and Bush & Gerts.
Since the first of this month, L. M. French has
been manager of the retail department of the Had-
dorff Piano Company, fifth floor Fine Arts Building,
Chicago. In this headquarters, as is well known,
E. W. Furbush is general manager and handles the
I wholesale trade.
Mr. French, for the greater part of forty years,
[was with the John Church Company, the exception
being eight or nine years he spent serving the Bald-
win house. He is probably the oldest retail piano
man in Chicago, in point of service. The Bush &
Gerts concern was taken over by the Haddorff within
the last year, and that, with the Clarendon, makes a
[great combination of fine instruments, made in the
|great group of factories at Rockford, 111.
Mr. French is sending out the following announce-
ment of his new connection to his numerous friends
|and to piano prospects:
I take this method and opportunity to advise you
Ithat I have severed my connection with The John
IChurch Co. Thus after many, many years, my asso-
ciation with that concern has now become a "closed
lincident."
As to my present whereabouts, I take great pleas-
|ure in announcing to my many friends, patrons and
icquaintances, that I have been honored with the
[management of the Chicago retail department of the
|beautiful Haddorff, Bush & Gerts, and Clarendon
)ianos, all old established well known makes of the
[very highest type, the new factory salesrooms of
PRESTO
which are located on the fifth floor of the Fine Arts
Building, 410 South Michigan Avenue.
A splendid assortment of these rich, superbly-toned
instruments, representing the very last word in artis-
tic case designs, woods, and finishes, has just arrived
from our factories—a special holiday stock, consist-
ing not only of regular upright, player, and grand
styles, but supplemented by several of the very latest
highly developed reproducing player grands, in sizes
designed for the smallest apartments, or the largest
living rooms.
It would be a great pleasure to me, personally, to
have yourself and friends, pay us a visit of inspec-
tion, whether any of you have in mind the purchase
of a piano or not. I can promise you a variety of
musical entertainment, supplied by our wonderful
"Reproducing Player Grands," and every courtesy
at our command will gladly be extended, to make
you feel amply repaid for the visit with full assur-
ance that you will not be importuned to buy.
Trusting you will favor us with such a call in the
near future, I remain
Very truly,
L. M. FRENCH,
Manager,
Factory Retail Salesrooms.
"We will conduct our selling largely through a sys-
tem of independent managers who will drive their
own machines and make calls on prospective cus-
tomers," said Mr. French to a Presto representative
on Thursday of this week.
MANY ORDERS COME IN
AT NEWMAN BROS. COMPANY
Increase of Business Is Feature That Encourages
Head of Fine Chicago House.
Business at Newman Bros. Company's piano man-
ufactory, Chicago avenue and Dix street, Chicago, is
very active just now. It came with a rush, according
to L. M. Newman, head of the house.
"Many telegraphic orders have come in as well as
by mail," said Mr. Newman to a representative of
Presto. "Some of our former customers have come
back to us, having discovered that it does not pay
permanently to handle the cheaper goods. Our regu-
lar stand-by customers are giving us bigger orders
in many cases than ever before, and new customers
are starting in with us from various quarters; so
that we are very busy."
Sanger Bros., D. L. Whittle and the Baldwin Piano
Co. were among the Dallas houses that had display
booths at the recent Texas State Fair.
BOOK MADE THOUSANDS
FOR THIS PIANO HOUSE
Music Merchant Writes that "Presto Buyers' Guide"
Overcomes Cheap Order of Competition.
Here is a remarkable testimonial to the usefulness
of the "book that sells pianos." Presto Buyers' Guide
no longer needs special commendation to impress the
trade with its usefulness or to convince the piano
buying public that its judgments are accurate to fol-
low in selecting instruments. Nevertheless, such as-
surances as the one following must prove helpful to
any piano dealers who may not be fully informed as
to what the book is designed to do—and is doing,
almost everywhere.
Canton, Pa., Nov. 11, 1925.
Presto Publishing Co.
Chicago, 111.
Gentlemen: Please send us two Presto Buyers'
Guides at once as our old ones are very w r ell worn.
These books have made thousands of dollars for vis,
as we sell only the very best pianos, and we easily
overcome any competitor who may have an inferior
grade piano selling around the same price. We have
loaned this book, time after time, with the desired
results. In fact one is out now, and we think we will
be successful in selling this party a York piano in
competition with a New York piano that is not so
good.
It might interest you to know that we handle the
Gulbransen, Weaver, York, Chickering, Marshall &
Wendell, Mason & Hamlin, and several others.
Very truly yours,
G" KEAGLE & SON.
just
what you are
looking for?
LEON J. KEAGLE.
GOOD TRADE AT DAVENPORT.
Carl C. Schmidt, of the Schmidt Music Company,
Davenport, Iowa, was in Chicago on Friday of last
week. Mr. Schmidt, when asked about trade condi-
tions in his territory, said that it had been good,
and that he must hurry back to attend to his cus-
tomers' demands for service. He has found that the
Fall is the best season every year in which to sell
pianos and playerpianos, and he is gratified that
this year business of the better sort is on the increase
beyond that of any other year.
CLUB HEARS JUNIOR PRESIDENT.
Wm. D. Saltiel, president of the Junior Associa-
tion of Commerce, who was scheduled to address the
noonday meeting of the Piano Club of Chicago on
November 2, very kindly consented to do so on Mon-
day, November 23. E. E. Lapham was the sponsor
for Mr. Saltiel and urged members to hear his mes-
sage. There was a large attendance at the luncheon
at the Illinois Athletic Club.
AMERICA, GIVE THANKS!
America, this day give thanks to God:
Thank Him for thy brave sons and daughters true,
Who always have at heart the nation's good;
Thank Him who maketh righteousness increase,
That men in common brotherhood shouldst live;
Thank Him for thy abundant life and wealth,
That thou mayst minister to all the earth;
Thank Him for all the harvests of thy land;
That thou canst feed the hungry, needy world.
Look up, and give thy joyful heart full sway;
Thy thankful voices in unison raise
To Him for many gracious mercies shown,
The endless blessings now on hand.
Forget not God on this Thanksgiving Day;
America, give thanks!
—Bert Morehouse, in American Economist.
When you read this booklet you'll want
to map out an entirely new program of
sales for your piano department.
Remember these two facts: 1.- The
little Miessner creates new business—
widens your markets for piano sales. 2.
The Miessner is the original small piano
with prestige behind it. Through its big-
ger, broader service it has built up a repu-
tation in the schools, churches and homes
of the nation. Mail the coupon for free
booklet.
A complete copy of Mr. Miessner's
address delivered before the Illinois
Music
Merchants'
Association
at
Rockford, recently reported in Presto,
will be mailed on request.
Miessner Piano Co.
126 Reed St.
Milwaukee, Wis.
THE LITTLE PIANO WITH THE BIG TONE
MTESSNER PIANO CO.,
126 Reed St., Milwaukee, Wis.
Please send me your successful sales plan, Miessner
catalog, and your booklet, "How to Get Business in
New. Untouched Fields With the Miessner."
Name
Firm
Name
Address
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/