January 7, 1928
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
ANNUAL MEETING OF
GULBRANSEN SALESMEN
Advertising, Manufacturing and Credit De-
partments Also Participate in Business and
Social Events of Occasion.
THINGS SAID OR SUGGESTED
A PIANO ACT.
The wide-awake piano dealer is ever ready to iden-
tify himself with civic and social functions in his
territory and among the roster of piano retailers are
none more happy to do so than A. H. Budahn, the
active proprietor of the Budahn Piano Co., La Valle,
Wis. If the event is of a literary and musical nature
Mr. Budahn is all the more keen to be amongst those
participating'. It is good advertising and personally
popularizes a man in a very effective way.
Mr. Budahn had a call recently to be a "number"
in an entertainment for some local laudable purpose.
When the day came he loaded a playerpiano on his
wagon and proceeded to the school house to do his
turn at playing several selections upon it.
He naturally considered his performance one of a
serious nature. But all gravity was dispelled when a
German farmer who was master of ceremonies intro-
duced him thus:
'"Ladies undt chendlemans, I haf the Measure to
introduce to you Mr. Budahn of La Valle, who vill
now play the biano mit his feets."
* * *
Sometimes enthusiasm is arrested by the sheriff for
exceeding the speed limit.
* * *
Too often a piano's popularity isn't worth the price.
* * *
DISAPPEARING
PA YMENTS.
In a Chicago wholesale piano wareroom this week
two salesmen and two visiting dealers were discuss-
ing piano trade affairs in intervals between the busi-
ness of showing the line and booking the orders. The
claims of the interest and the carrying charge meth-
ods of selling pianos at retail were discussed. The
topic generally reminded E. J. Carnes, the Oak Creek,
Mo., dealer of a colored genius named Patch Skelton,
who created a financial system that was original if
not legal.
"One day the white foreman of a big railroad
tie camp on the Osage River toted in a piano for his
wife," said Mr. Carnes. "The lady could play enough
to give St. Vitus' dance to every colored dweller in
the camp, and of evenings the well-tamped mudbank
in front of the foreman's shack was a lively place.
There was trouble, though, when the more ambitious
of the colored women got envious and pestered their
men for pianos for their shanties. There was little
chance of satisfying the ambition, with the price of
making ties fixed at the rate of 'a bit a stick.'
"Then Patch Skelton saw an opening for his
crooked abilities. Patch was a card and crap sharper
who infested the camp about every pay-day. He
had some vague notion of the workings of a building
and loan association and considered that such a plan
app'ied to pianos might bring nigger dollars his way
quicker than by crooked gambling. For four weeks
the t.e-makers swarmed around Patch on pay-day
to put up their dollars for the alluring chance of
being winners in a promised drawing. Then the
sheriff stopped his easy game and before handing
him over to the postoftice authorities, made the
sharper return the money of his dupes.
"But in the meantime, Jeff Hewitt, who had paid
in four dollars for a gambling chance to win a piano
for some black or tawney beauty, had followed a
boat-load of mules to a railroad loading point farther
down the river. He continued as valet to the long-
eared animals to a point in Cuba. In due course of
time Jeff got back to the camp and the first he sought
out was the genius, Patch Skelton.
" T guess I want mah fo' dollahs, Patch,' was the
request.
"'What fo' dollahs yo' talkin' 'bout?'
" 'Why, de fc' dollahs I done big yo' fo' the piano
drawring.'
" 'Well, I ain't got dat fo' dollahs. Yo' done stayed
away so long de interest natchally eat it all up.' "
* * *
Tact is merely the art of getting what you want.
* * *
For an industrious stunt trust the idle rumor.
* * *
CO 11L DN' T CHA NGE.
Frank Weems, who was a well-known Pacific
coast salesman before going East to the piano de-
partment of the Wanamaker House in Greater New
York, naturally acquired a personal knowledge of
hundreds of good, bad and indifferent hotels in the
territory over which he had traveled so long. Cali-
fornia is a progressive state in ways other than polit-
ical, but it has some hotels where the progressive-
ness is a negligible quality and where comfort for
the weary drummer is conspicuously absent.
Last August when Mr. Weems was making the
journey from California to New York he got into
conversation with a fellow traveler and was the more
pleased when he learned that California was his
native state and Chink Camp, Calaveras County, his
abiding place.
"Well, well," said Mr. Weems, delightedly, recall-
ing the picturesque and historic region, "and so
you're from old Calaveras. Why, I was time and
again in Chink Camp. Say," he asked with interest,
"is the hotel in Chink Camp as rotten as it used
to be?"
"I guess it is," replied his fellow traveler p'eas-
antly, "I'm running it yet."
The Gulbransen Company held its annual sales
meeting Thursday and Friday, December 29 and 30,
at the big Chicago factory. Gulbransen wholesale
salesmen who cover the country were in attendance
together with members of the sales, advertising,
credit and manufacturing departments.
The meeting opened Thursday morning with the
keynote talk by A. G. Gulbransen, president of the
Gulbransen Company, who pledged continuance of
the distinctive and progressive policies of the com-
pany, which have proved their value to Gulbransen
merchants in every part of the country during the
past decade. Included in these Gulbransen principles
are constant improvement and modernization of the
product itself; large scale, efficient production, steady
national advertising, national prices, short time and
quick turnover. The chairman of the meeting was
John S. Gorman, sales manager.
Thursday evening the company was host at a din-
ner at the Lake Shore Athletic Club, 850 North Lake
Shore Drive, one of the newest and finest clubs in
the country; to the wholesale salesmen, principals of
various departments of the organization, and a few
invited guests. There were piano music and com-
munity singing, the piano being played by Jack Wehr-
lin, who records for Gulbransen music rolls; Henry
D. Sulcer, of the Gulbransen Company's advertising
counsel, obliged with a few well rendered sales.
Mr. Gorman set forth the policies of the company
and the plan of operation for 1928 in a way that was
indicative of a sound, substantial and broad-minded
attitude on the part of the company and an attempt
to influence Gulbransen dealers to work with their
piano competitors and in the interests of the piano
industry as a whole.
With the development of new selling angles there
was a great deal in the way of unique literature and
promotional plans to place before the men and this
was done by Walter Kiehn, the advertising manager.
L. W. Peterson, the credit manager, discussed
financial problems of the piano dealer in the light of
modern developments in the field of business.
The out-of-town men in attendance were as fol-
lows: G. E. Corson, L. Matson, W. G. Karmann,
Howard Hi 1, W. A. Holmes, J. E. Albineau, T. W.
Perkins, Al Lucas, A. W. Musser, G. C. Girardin,
Clark Gross, W. J. Eden and C. W. Ruby.
NEW CHRISTMAN WAREROOMS.
The Christman Piano Co., New York, has issued a
printed notice announcing the location of a new
Christman Studio sales office and show rooms, at
200 West 57th street, corner Seventh avenue, on the
second floor of the Radio Studio Building. The no-
tice, addressed to "Our Friends," says: "This latest
Studio was inaugurated for your own convenience,
and your first visit is keenly anticipated. You will
find a hearty welcome awaiting you."
ETHEL BARRYMORE BUYS AMPICO.
CHOOSES CHICKERING.
Ethel Barrymore, well-known theatrical star, has
purchased a Knabe Ampico grand for use at her
Mamaroneck, N. Y., home. The sale was made by
the Knabe Warerooms, Fifth avenue, at 52nd street.
Tarnuel W. Reyburn, president of Lord & Taylor,
I"c-v York, has purchased a Chickering grand at
Chicker.Yg Hall New York. This is the third Chick-
ering purchased by Mr. Reyburn.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER HELPS SALESMEN
Outside Salesmen must be equipped so as to "show the goods." The season for country piano selling is approaching. Help your sales-
men by furnishing them with the New Bowen Piano Loader, which serves as a wareroom far from the store. It is the only safe
delivery system for dealers, either in city or country. It costs little. Write for particulars.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER CO.,
Winston-Salem, N. C.
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