February 11, 1928
PRESTO-TIMES
SCHUMANN SHOWROOMS
OPEN IN CHICAGO
Full Line of Uprights, Grands and Period
Models Appropriately Displayed in Room
500, Fine Arts Building.
The Schumann Piano Co.. Rockford, 111., has
opened an exhibit of its full line of quality-built
grands, uprights, and Period models, at Room 500 B,
Fine Arts Building, 410 South Michigan avenue, Chi-
cago. It is under direct personal supervision of V.
when he recalled that period this week in a visit to
V. Hrdlicka, midwestern states representative, who
Presto-Times offices that he could fail to see oppor- will cordially receive out-of-town visitors, local deal-
tunity in any disguise; that he never once suggested ers and their prospects. The display is but a step
the setting aside of the old reed instrument and the from the famous New Stevens Hotel, where last
substitution of a good piano like one of those he sold. year's national convention was staged and where
He never did. Perhaps it was because he forgot
numerous out-of-town dealers stop while passing
everything else when the dear performer was nigh.
through Chicago or visiting there.
But one evening the girl confided to Hazen that
The large and newly decorated room is especially
she had about persuaded her father to replace the adapted to the showing of pianos. Prior to Schu-
ancient and asthmatic instrument with a modern
mann's acquisition it was used by station KYW for
piano. And she also suggested that the amorous
radio broadcasting purposes. The formal opening ex-
salesman might mention the matter with good effect hibit will contain all Schumann grand and upright
in a special visit to papa's office.
models in both plain and period cases.
Papa was a self-made man, a barrel and box man-
A distinctive feature of the exhibit is a large char-
ufacturer, who clung to Spanish-American wartime acteristic figure of Iwantokno, the artful little spirit
grizzly mustache and a wartime gruffness acquired who exploits the exclusively built-in qualities of
in commanding a troop in Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Schumann craftsmanship each month to the trade
In making staves and barrels and selling them with through the columns of the interesting little house
profit against strong competition he considered time organ bearing the same name. Detailed samples of
was money. Hazen knew this when he appeared to construction which have time and again demonstrated
talk piano.
their immense value to Schumann dealers in talking
"Major, could I have a few seconds' talk with
to retail prospects will be shown.
you?" was the brisk request of Hazen as he entered
"Closer factory contact with an expanding clien-
the stave and hoop man's office.
tele of midwestern dealers is the chief reason for this
"You've got it. Now clear out!" snapped the Chicago display," said Willard Van Matre, president
major. Hazen got out. He knew the major. Next of the Schumann Piano Company. "It will be a big
day the salesman again appeared.
and much-needed improvement over the facilities we
"Major, I want to talk with you for about fifteen used to have in our old warerooms in the North
minutes."
American Building.
"Fire away," said the old soldier with a meaning
'•Repeatedly we have felt the need for a place like
glance at the clock.
this, but, perhaps, never more strongly than the pres-
"Well, it's about a
" bashfully stammered the ent which is due to the unusual changes which have
usually self-possessed piano salesman. "You see I been going on in the trade. These bring so many
was talking with Ethel a few nights ago and
"
interested wholesale buyers to Chicago and other
"Here, what do you want bothering me with this large centers that there is the necessity to keep up on
mushy affair. Fix it up and get married and let me the latest offerings, trade information, etc.
alone. The fifteen minutes are up. Get out!"
"We will also have comfortable facilities for con-
* * *
veying visitors to and from Rockford desirous of
Some men's credit is no good, even while their going through our factory and seeing the kind of
quality and workmanship that is being put into Schu-
money lasts.
mann instruments."
* * *
.
THINGS SAID O R SUGGESTED
DEAR OLD NUMBERS
Some of the oldest users of motor cars are in the
music trade and industry. The Comstocks and the
Cheneys of Comstock, Cheney & Co., Ivoryton, ;
Conn., for instance, have had cars from the very be-
ginning and many visitors to the plant will recall see-
ing the little old curved dashboard Oldsmobile road-
ster in which Crawford Cheney used to run to the
factory from his home at Essex, three miles away.
A. W Comstock and R. H. Comstock hold low Con-
necticut state license numbers, the former number 9
and the latter number 27. These numbers they have
had from year to year continuously a score or more
years.
'•
* * *
ALL RIGHT, BUT—
Thorwald E. Andresen, owner of Thors Music
Shop, Manistee, Mich., looks forward every year to
the educational and social allurements of the annual
conventions of the national music trades associations.
But while the cities of New York or Chicago have
thrills of their own outside of the conventions held
there, he would prefer to have the meeting this year
take place in his own town. In a letter to Presto-
Times he makes an attractive bid for them, citing
the fishing, scenic joys, enticing eyefuls of bathing
nymphs and other inducements.
He makes a good plea for Manistee's attractions as
a resort and a correspondingly poor one for the place
as a convention location. Luring small-mouth bass
is seductive, but only remotely suggests the pursuit-
of-piano-prospect problem. The broad, smooth high-
ways of Michigan would make a convention in Man-
istee a motoring joy instead of trade duty in the con-
vention hall and the one-piece bathing suit sylphs
of the Manistee beaches and bobbed-haired dryads
of the Manistee County woods are decoys too dan-
gerous to be risked by the discreet and grave officials
of the trade associations. He interests us strangely,
but there seems little hope for realizing Mr. Andre-
sen's proposition.
* * *
The road to success is studded with toll gates.
* * *
A
COUXTER-1RRITANT.
"Last Christmas eve we were working frantically
to get all the Santa Claus pianos delivered oppor-
tunely and all our moving forces were working man-
. / TIMED PROPOSAL.
fully except Dan Kennedy, our huskiest and best
In his piano selling activities through a group of
piano mover and general stockroom factotem," told
counties in the northwestern part of the state, for the
R. S. Smith of the Pacific Music Co., Modesto, Cal.,
Hollenberg Music Co., Little Rock, Ark., Gaines H. recently to a group of piano travelers at the St.
Hazen made his headquarters at week ends at the Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
Log Inn at Birdseye. It was a convenient arrange-
"Amidst all the excitement Dan lay around groan-
ment, inasmuch as the town was both central and the
home of the dearest girl in the world to Gaines H. ing and grunting from a toothache, with his jaw
swollen. At last one of our salesmen persuaded him
On tired evenings, after a day of piano prospect
chasing, it was restful to sit on the veranda of the to go to a dentist and have the troublesome molar
dear one's home or sit close to the organ in the yanked out. .
parlor while she played. Not that Hazen cared about
"Dan is as brave as a lion, but when he got into
organ music. He didn't like it a bit. But the organ
the dentist's chair and saw the gleaming forceps
music maker! Ah, well!
approaching his face, he positively refused to open
It seemed odd to the aggressive piano salesman his mouth. The dentist was resourceful and slyly
MICHIGAN STORE MOVES
The Fuller Music House, formerly of State street,
St. Joseph, Mich., has moved into new quarters
at 192 Pipestone street, Benton Harbor, in the same
state. The store opened last week with a full line
of musical supplies and instruments, it is announced.
instructed the salesman, who had gone along, to push
a pin into the patient's leg at the proper moment.
At the prick Dan opened his capacious mouth to yell.
Quick as a flash the forceps entered and the refrac-
tory tooth was yanked out.
" ' I t didn't hurt so much as you expected, eh?"
asked the smiling dentist.
" 'No,' admitted Dan. 'But,' he added, reaching
down to rub his leg, 'little did I think that damn root
went down so far.'"
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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