Presto

June 23, 1928
SALES ACTIVITIES
IN NEW YORK CITY
Evidences of Greater Spirit in Piano Pur-
chases Pointed Out in Every Music Store
and Optimism Tinctures the Conver-
sation of Managers and Salesmen.
By HENRY MAC MULLAN.
In all parts of the Metropolitan district the music
goods houses arc evincing greater energy in pro-
moting sales. The piano departments are especially
active in evoking interest in the new model grands,
particularly those of the Period type. But every-
where the favor for the uprights in the smaller
and daintily finished styles.
Tonk's Best May.
"Our 1928 May sales foot up the biggest May we
have had in three years," was the cheerful report
given by Edwin G. Tonk, of William Tonk & Co.,
Inc., 10th avenue, 35th and 36th streets. William
Tonk, who is Hearing the age for retirement, still
sticks to his beloved piano business in which he has
achieved much of his life's successes. The Tonk
warcrooms on Tenth avenue have one of the finest
displays in New York. And just now Edwin G.
Tonk is justified in the great pride he takes in their
new model Italian Period piano which has just been
put on display in that splendid suite of warerooms.
About Actions.
It takes intelligence plus much experience to make
a piano action just right, and these are two of the
many reasons why the Wessell, Nickel & Gross
actions excel at the start and endure in their excel-
lence. Fernando Wessell and his brother, Arthur
Wessell, do their work intelligently. In one of the
latest books (sorry I can't think of the title), this
sentence appears: "Intelligence is not discredited,
for it has not been applied on any large scale except
in the realm of national science." In other words,
what that writer means is that most of the intelli-
gent things that the world will do are still untried;
still unapplied. All of us know the shortcomings
of religions, of politics and diplomacy, of the theater,
of sanitation, of charity, yet all of us admit the ar-
rival of the mechanical and scientific age and use its
production without giving them a thought. What
passenger realizes the true inwardness of the power
that carries him across the country; what piano
player recognizes the perfections in the mechanism
of his or her piano when that instrument is equipped
with a Wessell, Nickel & Gross action?
All Hands Busy at Celco Corp.
The Celco Corporation, whose headquarters are on
the fifth floor of the Salmon Tower Building, 11 West
42nd street, New York, is now in full swing with its
staff adjusted and at work in their several depart-
ments. Seth B. Foster is in charge of the office.
J. H. Shale, president of the company, is on a trip
west, and Stuart H. Perry is on a trip in the far-
west. E. D. Button is at Norwalk, Ohio, running
the Celco factory, where are being produced the
A. B. Chase, the Lindeman & Son, and the Emerson
pianos. These will-be the permanent places for the
leaders during the summer. Mr. Button is to be chief
of the factory right along.
Hermann Irion Now on the Ocean.
Hermann Irion, of Steinway & Sons, accompanied
by Mrs. Irion and their daughter and a maid, left
New York on Wednesday of last week on the SS.
Mauretania for Europe. They will visit points in
England, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Hun-
gary, the main purpose being for a rest cure at
Carlsbad. Mr. Irion will combine pleasure and busi-
ness with Steinway & Sons' various representatives
and establishments in London and Berlin. He will
visit with William R. Steinway, who represents the
Steinway interests in all of Europe, Asia, Mexico and
the Dominion of Canada. He will also talk over busi-
ness matters with Director Theodore Ehrlich, in Ham-
burg.
Strenuous Work at Ludwig & Co.
Frank E. Edgar was found very busy in the office
of Ludwig & Company, Willow avenue and East
136th street, New York, this week. Mr. Edgar is
going to make a trip to Chicago and other points this
week. General manager Will T. Brinkerhoff was in
Chicago last week, but he was due back before Mr.
Edgar started. "Very busy" was the report that Mr.
Edgar handed out.
Ernest Urchs Getting Well.
Ernest Urchs, of Steinway & Sons, who has been
ill, is improving rapidly and his many friends in the
trade will be delighted to hear that it will only be a
short time now until he will be able to appear at
the office and resume his duties. Alexander W.
Greiner, who is Mr. Urchs' assistant, said this week
that he had called on Mr. Urchs on June 13 and found
PRESTO-TIMES
FLIERS WELTE=MIGNON GUESTS
Probably
the most
unique of all honors that
have been showered on
the German-Irish crew of
the trans-Atlantic air-
plane, Bremen, Baron
Guenther von Huenefeld,
Captain Hermann Koehl
and Major James Fitz-
maurice, was bestowed
upon them Tuesday af-
ternoon, June 5, when
they visited the Welte-
Mignon Studios at 665
Fifth avenue, New York,
and were later received
by the Honorable, Big
Chief W h i t e H o r s e
Eagle, of the Osages,
into his tribe and were
made honorary chiefs of
all the tribes of the
American Indians.
The heroes of the oc-
casion were received in
the beautiful Organ Sa-
lon of the Weltc-Mignon
Corporation, which had
(1) BARON VON HUENEFELD. (2) CAPT. KOEHL. (3) MAJ. FITZMAURICE.
been beautifully prepared
(4) CHTEF WHITE HORSE EAGLE. (5) BIG CHIEF'S QUEEN.
with settings and drap-
eries of American, Ger-
exhorting them to devote their lives to the uplift of
man, and Irish Free State flags.
There the Big Chief awaited the fliers. To the ac- humanity.
Following the address, the Big Chief pronounced
companiment of soft strains of American Indian, Ger-
man, and Irish music, on the Welte-Mignon Reproduc- each member of the crew an honorary chief, naming
ing Piano. Big Chief White Horse Eagle addressed Baron von Huenefeld, Chief Pas-c-na; Captain Koehl,
individually each one of "the three great white eagles
Chief Mon-ton-ta; and Major Fitzmaurice, Chief So-
tra. After the Big Chief's Queen, Wa-the-na, had
that had come through the air from where the Red
Man's white brothers had come many winters ago given the fliers their credentials, a reception was held
in ships on the water," praising their courage and in their honor.
him ever so much better. "It is only a question of
time until Mr. Urchs will be back at this office," said
Mr. Greiner, "and I am sure that this report will de-
light his friends. During convention week a great
number of his friends called upon him, and this gave
him much pleasure."
President Henkelman Predicts Business Revival.
George Henkelman, president of the Henkelman
Piano Company, 709 East 140th street, said that he
is looking forward to a revival of business generally
about August 1. He said he was confident that the
unemployment situation would be greatly relieved by
that time. But he qualified this remark by saying
that the piano business would not be the first line to
feel the impulse of the new activities; it never was.
He was satisfied that as soon as the nominees of the
two great parties were known, much greater activity
would immediately set in. And he thought the report
of a bumper crop of wheat in Kansas and other wheat
sections, giving the farmers much wealth, would help
things along wonderfully.
Doll & Sons Had Many Customers.
Otto Doll, head of Jacob Doll & Sons, piano manu-
facturers at Cypress avenue and Southern Boulevard,
said this week the company was much gratified at
the great number of visitors that had called and
inspected their great display of instruments in their
warerooms at 6 East 39th street, New York, during
the week of the convention. "We were also pleased
that in ordering they chose mostly our better grade
instruments—the instruments with our 'Steinway'
quality in them." Jacob Doll & Sons are preparing
to have their main offices at 6 East 39th street within
the next week or ten days, a more central location
than where they are now at the main factory.
Alexander McDonald's Little Joke.
A call was made upon Alexander McDonald, of
Sohmer & Company, 31 West 57th street, on Thurs-
day. When asked about his views in looking into
the piano business for the mid-summer season, Mr.
McDonald jokingly replied, "I am not looking into
the piano business, but I'm looking at it." This an-
swer was so enigmatical that the reporter did not
press Mr. McDonald for a further elaboration of
what he meant by it.
Miss Henderson as Harpist.
Margaret Louise Henderson, daughter of J. C.
Henderson, wholesale piano manager at New York
for the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., made her first public
appearance as a professional harpist at the Hecksher
Theater, 104th street and Fifth avenue, New York, on
Thursday night, June 14, and proved herself the star
of the occasion. Miss Henderson studied in Rome,
under Mine. Sassoli, who toured this country some
years ago with Melba, on Melba's last tour. At
(Continued on page 13)
'.
AMERICAN PIANO CO'.S
LINE IN BALTIMORE, MD.
J. S. Reed Piano Company Holds Formal
Opening of New Store with Full Pres-
entation of the Instruments.
The formal opening of the new piano store of
the J. S. Reed Piano Company, 29 West North ave-
nue, near Charles street, Baltimore, Md., also marks
the inauguration of a new merchandising policy
in pianos in this section of the country. For the
first time in the history of the retail piano busi-
ness, the J. S. Reed Piano Company is featuring
three pre-eminent pianos—the Mason & Hamlin, the
Knabe, and the Chickcring. No other piano store,
at least in this section, has ever before featured
these three makes of pianos. The store is also carry-
ing the Atnpico.
By carrying these three instruments in the one
store, the music loving public considering buying
a new piano, has the opportunity of making a com-
parative test in tone styles and sizes, and to con-
sider the values offered at comparative costs.
In addition to featuring the above instruments,
the J. S. Reed Piano Company is offering the
J. & C. Fischer, the Marshall & Wendell and the
Haines Brothers.
It is quite apparent that the J. S. Reed Company
is offering the music public of Baltimore, for the
first time, a grouping of instruments supplemented
by a policy of service, which will mean much to
this community's growth in music. The company
is out after the piano business in a more aggressive
way and on a larger scale than it has ever attempted
before and it should do much towards making the
piano a better known and better loved instrument
than ever before.
The J. S. Reed Piano Company has been for a
number of years the local retail distributor of the
Knabe pianos and Ampico. The Chickering is an
entirely new line, which until a few months ago
was sold exclusively in this territory by the F. Paul
Hamilton Company, trading as the Chickering Ware-
rooms.
HEINE PIANO CO. CLOSES OUT.
The Heine Piano Co., San Francisco, is advertising
a closing-out sale and the purpose is to quickly dis-
pose of its stock and contracts at the reduction
offered. The lease on its Market street location has
over two years to run and with a rent of about $1,000
a month it would not feel justified in selling its stock
in its entirety until someone takes over the lease.
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