P R E S T 0-T I M E S
that favored climate. Mr. Grebe was met by Presto-
Times' eastern representative on Monday of this week
and the well-known piano man, who has been with
Kranich & Bach for 31 years, expressed himself as
confident that piano trade is on the upturn in many
places.
Edward Lyman Bill Marries.
Edward Lyman Bill, described in society reports
in New York as "millionaire publisher" of the Music
Trade Review, and Miss Dorothy Smart were united
in marriage at 4 p. m. Tuesday of this week in Hitch-
cock Memorial Church, Scarsdale, N. Y. The bride
was the loveliest of five American beauties chosen by
Jean Patou to model his gowns in his Paris atelier.
Laffargue Company Finds Business Good.
"Business with us has been good since the begin-
ning of the year," said Max J. de Rochemont, vice-
president and treasurer of The Laffargue Company,
this week. He said art was the leading feature in
external designs in pianos today, and the average
person is better educated in tonal qualities of instru-
ments than they were a few years ago. President
Joseph Oktavec, who has charge of production at the
factory, is more particular than ever about having all
pianos made just right in the plant.
Hy. Eilers' New York Enterprise.
Hy. Eilers, who at one time had 45 branch stores
running on the Pacific Coast as auxiliaries of his
bigger store in San Francisco, was among the guests
at the New York piano merchants' dinner on Tues-
day night this week. He has started the Associated
Piano Manufacturers at 130 West 42nd street; his
telephone number is Wisconsin 6194. The business
so far has been wholesaling with some retailing, but
Mr. Eilers is organizing for larger development. In
recalling former acquaintance with this writer he
reminded him of incidents in Fort Wayne, Ind., when
Eilers wrote all the advertising for A. A. Fisher,
general salesman for W. W. Kimball Co., and they all
lived in the Arcade Building in Fort Wayne, including
Bud Fisher, then a small boy, and who made his
fortune later creating Mutt and Jeff. Mr. Eilers
knows the originals of Mutt and Jeff—one is dead,
the other w ? orth more than $100,000, so it would not
be fair to mention either of them here.
Old Instruments Used at Concert.
Rodman Wanamaker entertained friends from
Philadelphia and elsewhere Wednesday evening this
week at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York,
where instruments from the Wanamaker collection
of old Italian instruments were played at the con-
cert. In the party were Mr. and Mrs. George Whar-
ton Pepper, Mr. and Mrs. Henriques Crawford, Mr.
and Mrs. Charles Louis Borie, Jr., Mrs. William B.
Elliott, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel L. Hutchinson, Jr.
Kranich & Bach at Loeser's.
Over at Loeser's department store in Brooklyn,
where Loeser's 67th anniversary sale is in progress,
and where E. Paul Hamilton is once more in charge
of the piano department, the instrument in the lime-
light is the Kranich & Bach two-tone exclusive early
American Period model grand, which the ads say "has
never been shown to the public before this anni-
versary."
Wm. Knabe & Co. Move.
William Knabe & Co. moved at midnight on Feb-
ruary 29 from their temporary quarters at Fifth ave-
nue and 52nd street to the new Ampico Tower Build-
ing at Fifth avenue and 42nd street, New York. The
new home of the company is 33 stories high and was
designed by Warren, & Wetmore.
Presto-Times
correspondent found Advertising Manager Byrne on
the ninth floor, but the other officials of the company
will be located mostly upon the third floor.
At Kindler & Collins Headquarters.
A call was made this week at the office of Kindler
& Collins, 520 to 524 West 48th street, New York,
by a Presto-Times eastern representative, where he
found William P. Collins, vice-president and treas-
urer, in charge. The concern is still handling pianos
from former stocks and is buying some instruments,
but has ceased to manufacture for a time. After they
get their warerooms cleared out somewhat Mr. Col-
lins intimated they will very likely re-engage in man-
ufacturing pianos.
Buying Thrills at New Place.
'"W T hat a thrill to select the piano of your dreams in
the new Knabe salons!" is the manner in which the
advertising of the opening sales in the Ampico Tower
Building at 47th street and 5th avenue, New York,
is worded. "Hundreds of new instruments, as beauti-
ful in finish as they are in tone—worthy of the music-
loving homes into which they will go. Every piano
we sell bears the full Knabe guarantee.."
Krakauer Traveler in Ohio;
A. S. Zeisler, general traveler for Krakauer Bros.,
Cypress avenue at East 136th street, New York, is
making a successful trip in Ohio at present. Arthur
Hahn, treasurer of the company, said that the best
business at present is coining in from California and
March 10, 1928
H. EDGAR FRENCH SELECTS PIANO
JESSE FRENCH & SONS' SPANISH RENAISSANCE GRAND IN HI-OTED WALXUT
The president of a piano factory must have a dis-
tracting time when lie picks a new instrument for
his home. 11. Edgar French, of the Jesse French &
Sons Piano Company, New Castle, Ind., looked over
the twenty-odd styles in his line and decided on the
new Spanish Renaissance Grand in Hi-lited walnut.
But when you note the beauties of design and con-
struction of the piano in the accompanying cut you
will realize the greater charms that made it a prefer-
ence over the other nineteen.
The Spanish Renaissance, one of the three new
Jesse French Period grands which have caused such
a sensation in the industry, is a thing of exquisite
beauty. Delicate panels decorate the sides of the
case. Beautifully designed mouldings form the base
of the key bed and are repeated on the music rack
and on the capitols which surmount the legs. The
legs, which are triple, are of two designs, each group
consisting of two of the fluted design with a spiral
between. Intricately carved medallions decorate the
centers of the panels, the upper corners of the music
rack and the ends of the case at each side of the key
board. The lyre and pedal box are of hand-carved
solid walnut. The design is very pleasing and has
been pronounced authentic of the period.
right around New York. Mr. Hahn says there will
always be piano business for the people who are en-
terprising enough to get out and find it.
On Pennsylvania Trip.
Gottlieb Heller, vice-president of Winter & Co.,
849-863 East 141st street, New York, is on a successful
Irip in Pennsylvania, while his son, William G. Heller,
president of the company, is at the main offices taking
care of the orders that come in by mail and otherwise.
"Our best trade just now is coming from California,"
said Mr. William Heller to the Presto-Times repre-
sentative on Friday. "Fads and fancies come and go
among the young people of today, but 1 am glad to
see that the girls are taking to the piano more and
more lately. We have an enormous number of young
people in New York City who understand a great deal
about the best in music; they can play; they under-
stand much about musical authorship and musical
productions—far more than some of the piano manu-
facturers of the last generation could have told them,
so we are sure that the piano business, so far from
dying down, as some pessimists would have us think,
is just catching its breath for a longer and better race
than ever before."
OLD WISCONSIN FIRM
OCCUPIES FINE NEW STORE
A Call at Ricca & Sons.
It is always a pleasure to meet Hugo F. Ricca,
president of Ricca & Son, 89-99 Southern boulevard,
New York. Presto-Times man had a chat with him
on Friday of last week. Mr. Ricca said that while
he could do more business, he was finding some trade
by sending out letters direct to his customers and
he had five men on the road, all of whom were doing
fairly we'l. He declares that the piano business is
bound to get better before long.
Good Bureau Report.
Interesting replies have been received by the Na-
tional Bureau for the Advancement of Music in re-
sponse to its questionnaire on the operation of school
piano classes recently sent to twenty citie^
Among the eighteen cities w r hich have .i'ready re-
plied are Evanston, 111., Racine, Wis., Birmingham,
Ala, and Kansas City, Mo. From Evanston comes
the information that there are two class lessons per
(Continued on Page 12)
Paulus Music Co., Manitowoc, Founded by Herman
C. Paulus, Celebrates Thirty-second Year.
The Paulus Music Company, Manitowoc, Wis.,
the oldest concern of its kind in the city, held a
formal opening in its new quarters at 912 South
Eighth street, just tw T o doors south of the old location
in the Wood Block last week. There was a special
display of pianos, radios and phonographs and the
day was devoted to giving the customers an oppor-
tunity to make an inspection of the new home which
provides larger display rooms for all of the depart-
ments.
The company, which is owned and managed by
Herman C. Paulus, has been in business in this city
for thirty-two years and the greater portion of that
time has been located on Eighth street. It has quar-
ters in the Wood Block at Eighth and Franklin
streets from the time the building was completed
twenty years ago until three weeks ago when the
removal to the new quarters was made. The new
quarters were remodelled to meet the special needs
of an up-to-date music store, provides a repair depart-
ment in the basement and boasts a second floor which
is to be eventually fitted out as a special radio dem-
onstration room. For the present the front end of
the store is devoted to the display of pianos, the
sheet music and record stock with a cabinet contain-
ing musical instruments and accessories. Spec:al
booths are provided where the customers can try out
the new arrival in records with a special department
devoted to the display of phonographs and radios.
The office is at the extreme rear of the building.
CANADIAN COMPANY MEETS.
Orme, Ltd., at 175 Sparks street, Ottawa, Ont.,
held its annual general meeting for 1928 recently, and
Frank L. Orme was re-elected president, Matthew
Orme, a member of the original Orme firm, was re-
elected director.
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