October 1, 1929
PRESTO-TIMES
18
been done so that the artistry and acoustical perfec-
tion of the large room will not be lost.
To Open a Radio Hall.
Mr. Wille will create an innovation by the opening
of a radio hall soon. This salon will be so equipped
that every radio instrument can be played before it
is sold so that customers may select their own instru-
ments according to their own conception of radio
reception. Opening of this department will give the
Wille company the largest space for the retailing of
radio merchandise in this section of the state.
When the Wille company inaugurated a radio de-
partment the only employes available for this depart-
ment were boys 16 years of age, boys who tinkered
with radios in their own homes and who knew enough
about them to repair their own folks' radios. There
were at that time few men enough interested in radio
to even think of making a livelihood from their
knowledge. Today this store boasts of a skilled
force of radio technicians, all experts in their particu-
lar lines.
Almost the entire basement is given over to the
radio repair department and machinery and equip-
ment has been installed here making the department
as efficient as it is possible to equip. Complete radio
testing equipment has been installed and every set is
thoroughly tested before it is sent to the home. The
company's service department has equipment for re-
pairing all makes of radio and many sets other than
those merchandised by the concern.
Mr. Wille has been in the music business in Canton
for thirteen years, going there from Dunkirk, N. Y.,
where he was in the same business. He opened his
store in Market avenue North and expansion made
necessary the present enlarged store.
LOU ATKINS, THE LAST OF THE GIANTS
By MARSHALL BREEDEN
At the California State Fair, just closed, Lou Atkins
sold eleven pianos and seventeen radios. Last year he
sold fifteen pianos and no radios. In 1923 Lou disposed
of 45 pianos to the people who came from the country
districts to view the exhibits at the California State
Fair. This showing his pianos at the state fair has been
a hobby with Atkins for several years. He has never
yet failed to more than pay expenses; indeed, he makes
a good profit on the fair business. It is known also that
other piano men have exhibits and sell much less. The
Later he undertook the retail distributing of the Wiley
B. Allen piano lines in all Northern California. He hired
other men and together they drove over the surrounding
country with a team and wagon and the wagon was
"loaded to the guards when we left Sacramento," said
Lou, "and empty when we came back.
In about 1898 the itching foot got the best of Lou
and he journeyed to New York city. Here he joined
the sales force of the Weber-Wheelock Co., 108 Fifth
avenue, where he remained for more than a year. Lou,
DINE TOGETHER; EXCHANGE IDEAS.
Seven RCA dealers in Richmond, Va., have worked
out an unusually effective merchandising arrange-
ment, which has brought excellent results for each.
All seven dealers handle RCA products, and in addi-
tion are engaged in selling motor service, electrical
specialties, furniture, electrical contracting and musical
goods, respectively. Once each month they dine to-
gether. They discuss the business happenings of the
preceding month and analyze conditions. One of
these dealers was asked, "Why are you willing to
divulge your selling ideas to these six competitors
of yours?" The answer was, "Because I am sure
that these men know as much about selling radio
as I do. They have been in business a long time;
some of them as long as I have, others much longer.
Every time I go to one of our meetings with a good
Lou G. Atkins, representative of the Jesse French & Sons' Piano Company in Sacramento, Calif., is shown in
progressive sales or service idea, I am pretty sure
attractive exhibition booth he arranged for the California State Fair at Sacramento in September, 1929. Mr.
to come home with five or six additional ones that are the
Atkins is seen at the left leaning- against a radio. The young man with the fiddle was hired to amuse passersby
just as good as mine."
and the other good folks are friends or kinsmen of Atkins, who helped to make the merry-go-round go 'round.
This is only one example of the enterprise that has made Mr. Atkins' business a success.
RADIOS IN POLICE CARS.
to this day, declares that the friendship of Mr. William
reason is just this—Lou Atkins is the last of the piano
The fifty automobiles of the New York police depart-
Wheelock is one of his cherished memories. In fact, he
ment are to be equipped with radio receivers following giants. He knows how to sell pianos and he sells pianos.
the approval of radio for constant communications by
Atkins, then a handsome young fellow over twenty, goes so far as to say that in all of his piano experiences
he has met two big piano men. That is, men who were
Police Commissioner Grover Whalen of that city. Com- entered the piano business in 1889. That was the year
missioner Whalen has tested out one of the sets in his of this writer's appearance in Santa Fe, New Mexico. human beings as well as business men. These men were
William Wheelock and the late Jesse French.
departmental limousine and has ruled that they are prac- In 1889 Lou found something. Well, let us let him tell
After departing from the East, Lou worked in Los
ticable for police work. Messages will be sent in code it in his own words: "In the very first piano job I ever
Angeles for the original Bartlett Music Co., and then
from the broadcasting station at police headquarters tackled," said Lou, "the average piano salesman was just
went to Oakland where he was for ten years the manager
after the drivers of the cars have been trained in the as much of a plugged nickel as I find them today."
of the Oakland store of the Wiley B. Allen Co. Sacra-
special code.
Now I argued, to the effect that 1 had found piano mento, called again and in 1911 he returned to Sacra-
retailers rather more than average. Lou agreed to some mento on his own. He has been there since then and
HAZELTINE-ATWATER SUIT ENDS.
extent, but argued that even in 1889 piano salesmen were is known far and wide. He has sold the parents on their
The trial of the suit by the Hazeltine Corporation and not real salesmen. They depended too much upon knock-
wedding day and later the children and declared that he
the United Radio Manufacturers, Inc., against the ing the other fellow's goods and too much selling on will yet sell the grandchildren.
Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company and a cross suit terms, rather than quality. And methinks Lou is about
There is no fooling about Atkins. He sells pianos.
by the Kent concern came to an abrupt end before right on that score.
Radios are incidentals, necessary evfls he calls them. His
Judge O. B. Dickinson in the United States District
Atkins' first real sales experience was on the road with method is personal solicitations. Not so long since he
Court at Philadelphia on September 17 when counsel a wagon. He actually continues the same principle to
shipped a car of Jesse French goods into the little town
for both sides agreed to allow litigation to lie in abey- this day. Perhaps that is why he sells a whale of a of Woodland. He employed a high-powered boy to go
ance pending the outcome of a somewhat similar suit in lot of pianos. He drove all over the Sacramento Valley
there and run a sale. The high-powered salesman spent
Brooklyn against an Atwater Kent dealer.
and often spent the night in some farm house while he
lots of money and sold two used pianos. Lou went to
entertained the folks with comic songs and piano playing.
Woodland and by ringing door bells and renewing old
On this job he sold Knabe, Haines Bros., and other lines
acquaintances sold 24 in two weeks. And the vast ma-
APPROVE VICTOR CAPITAL CHANGES.
jority of his sales stay sold.
Stockholders of the Victor Talking Machine Com- for the Bancroft Piano Co., of San Francisco.
pany at a special meeting approved a reduction in the
total authorized capital stock by all of 203,040 shares of
EDISON RADIO IN CINCINNATI
7 per cent cumulative prior preferred stock and all of
ADD STEWART-WARNER TO LINE.
122,115 shares of cumulative convertible preferred stock,
The expansion of the Edison radio business in the
In a special section of the Minneapolis Journal of
These stocks were called for redemption by the company Ohio and Kentucky territory has made it necessary September 23, announcement was made of the ap-
August 1, 1929.
to establish an additional distributing outlet in that pointment of Foster & Waldo as Minneapolis repre-
district, according to a recent announcement by B. W. sentative for Stewart-Warner radio. Robert Owen
Smith, Inc., Cleveland distributors of Edison radios,
THE NEW KELLOGG RECEIVER.
Foster, nresident of Foster & Waldo, often referred
Three screen-grid tubes plus a power detector, a phonographs and records. The new Edison radio to as "Dean of Radio Merchants," is very proud of
his connection with Stewart-Warner radio.
powerful push-pull audio amplifier, automatic volume distributing uotlet is the Edi-Radio Mart, located at
control and a balanced dynamic reproducer are an- 622 Broadway avenue in Cincinnati. It will operate as
RADIO GETS OHIO INNINGS.
nounced as the distinctive features of the new Kellogg a division of B. W. Smith, Inc. T. R. Boring will
As reported in last issue of Presto-Times, the Music
be in charge at Cincinnati.
receiver.
and Radio Trades Association of Ohio is the new name
of the former Music Merchants Association of Ohio.
PROBABLE TRIPLE RADIO MERGER.
AUTOMATIC TUNING.
Thus does radio get its inning as a musical transmitter,
Plans
are
under
way
to
merge
the
radio
engineering
A year ago Zenith introduced automatic tuning, and
if not actually a musical instrument.
according to Paul B. Klugh, vice-president of the Zenith departments of the General Electric Company and the
Radio Corp., "listeners are still rubbing their eyes in Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Company with the
"Fada amazes experts with Vibra-Control radio" is
amazement." The 1929-30 receivers feature the auto- engineering department of the Radio Corporation of
an announcement just made by the Fada Radio Com-
America, it was learned a few days ago.
pany, Long Island City, N. Y.
matic tuning levers.
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