October 1, 1929
P R E S T O-T I M E S
Ed. Eysell, the veneer expert with C. L. Willey,
Chicago, has just returned from a successful southern
trip.
Mr. Jas. M. Starr, vice-president of the piano com-
(From The Presto, September 27, 1894.)
pany that bears his name, celebrated his seventieth
E. W. Furbush, of the Briggs Piano Company, was birthday last week.
expected to reach Chicago last evening.
Mr. Edwin P. Carpenter has arrived in Paris and
Frank A. Lee, of The John Church Company, Cin- is stopping at the Hotel Des Deux Mondes.—Paris
cinnati, is at Petoskey, Mich., where he is seeking edition New York "Herald," September 8.
surcease from business cares for a few days.
The Harmony Company, manufacturers of musical
A. G. Cone, of the W. W. Kimball Company, is instruments at 285 North Green street, Chicago, will
taking a holiday at Colorado Springs. E. S. Conway remove on October 1 to 173 South Canal street.
Mr. Reinhard Kochman, traveling representative
has returned from Chattanooga, Tenn., where he was
of Hardman, Peck & Co., is on the road for his house
attending the conclave of Odd Fellows.
The passing of the fortieth anniversary of P. J. and is finding the business prospect more hopeful.
Business with the Bush & Gerts piano is brisk,
Healy's connection with the music trade has drawn
attention to others who have been at work in the every day bringing increased orders from agents and
fame field longer than the average business life. Mr. inquiries as to territory. Mr. Will Bush says that if
Healy is still comparatively a young man and there collections were better there could be nothing at all
are many who hsve been in the trade much longer to complain of this fall.
Mr. D. D. Luxton, who has been connected with
than he, but who can lay claim to the place of patri-
arch-in-chief in this direction? Where is the member the Julius N. Brown Company, this city, for some
of the trade who has been in it longer than the rest? time, will hereafter represent the Colby piano on the
road, with headquarters at Erie. Mr. Luxton is a
It would be interesting to know.
Mr. Decker, Jr., of Decker & Son, dropped into highly successful salesman and will undoubtedly
The Presto office on Monday on his way eastward make as good a record in his new position.
from a three weeks' trip among the agents of his
(From The Presto, October 4, 1894.)
popular piano.
The last of Chicago's music trade wanderers in for-
It would be interesting to know what proportion of
the music business is done by houses outside the eign lands to turn their backs on European joys and
regular trade. Of late years the growth of the "de- seek the safe haven of home are those two deacons,
partment store" idea has doubtless absorbed no little Camp and Kimball. Deacon Kimball starts for home
part of the business which legitimately belongs to tomorrow, and in due time will shed the light of his
the sheet music dealers, and the introduction of low- countenance on "his boys" who have been doing so
priced music publications has aided in the general nobly in his absence. With these two stalwart sup-
demoralization of that branch of the trade. Nor is ports of the trade (and church) safely home, we can
this encroachment confined to sheet music; in a few feel that every one of the fold will be accounted for.
instances it has even touched the piano trade, in some
The editorial matter in the "Courier's" trade de-
cites, where installment furniture houses have added partment appears to have descended to a series of
pianos to their lines.
paid paragraphs of the puff-ball order. However, we
Mr. J. P. Simmons, of Louisville, Ky., who is in are not sure but that this is an improvement on the
the city this week, informs us that his business so old style.
far this month has been better than in the entire
Wm. Brooks, a piano workman at Oregon, 111.,
months of July and August.
while working a buzz saw one day last week lost the
Mr. R. A. Rodesch, of Dixon, 111., was in Chicago second and third fingers of his right hand and badly
yesterday and tells us that his business is steadily injured the others. The old rule not to monkey with
improving in Dixon. Mr. Rodesch may make a the buzz saw should not be forgotten.
change of considerable importance soon.
Mr. Reichenbach, of Oregon, 111., will probably
It is the same with all of the enterprising manu- open a branch house in Byron, 111.
facturers. All along the line the cheerful cry of busi-
Reports came to us that the parlor grand piano
ness revival is heard. Mr. George P. Bent reports recently completed by the Pease Piano Company is
that never before was the demand for "Crowns" so something above the ordinary and an instrument of
urgent as now. Last month was the busiest August which they may well be proud. The new instrument
Mr. Bent has known, and his only trouble now is to (the scale of which was drawn in the Pease factory)
supply the demand.
is described as very handsome in appearance, has
Referring to the item in a recent issue of The a beautiful tone and is in every way a superior
Presto about the new factories of the Starr Piano instrument.
Company at Richmond, Ind., it should be said that
Mr. E. P. Hawkins, a well-known music trade man,
the buildings are not yet sufficiently along toward has sailed for England to look after an estate belong-
completion to make a good illustration of them pos- ing to his family.
sible. A second story is now being added to the
Pcrter & Son, of Lima, Ohio, are handling a fine
building devoted to the finishing and tone-regulating line of pianos, including Steinway, Weber, Steck,
departments, and an entire new structure will soon Gildemeister & Kroeger, Everett, Kurtzmann and
be erected for the exclusive production of the "Pull- Schaeffer.
man" piano, also a product of the Starr Piano Com-
W. B. Wilson, traveling representative of Messrs.
pany.
Wm. Tonk & Bro., is having a successful trip for his
With enterprise as commendable as the results were house in the South. At last reports he was in New
faulty, our eastern music trade contemporaries told Orleans.
of the celebration by Mr. P. J. Healy of the fortieth
Mr. L. Osborn, who has been for thirteen years
anniversary of his connection with the music trade. past connected with the Moline Pipe Organ Com-
This was right enough as far as the forty years is pany, has taken a position with Hinners & Albertsen,
concerned, but the celebration did not come off. On at Pekin, 111. He is an expert workman.
the contrary, Mr. Healy, fearing that some demon-
Mr. George Reicbmann, of Sohmer & Co., was
stration might be made to remind him of the passage the recipent of congratulations on Wednesday of last
cf time, hied him to his home at Lake Geneva, and week, for that was his fortieth birthday. His host of
remained there.
friends wish him many happy returns.
Mr. Lucien Wulsin, of D. H. Baldwin & Co., Cin-
F. W. Weber, an expert tuner with the Brambach
cinnati, is expected back from his trip to England Piano Company, Dolgeville, N. Y., was married on
soon.
Saturday to Miss A. Ruek of New York.
THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
PIANO AND RADIO
IN SAME MARKET
Roy S. Dunn, cf the Pacific Coast, Declares
Radio Is Best Sold in
Piano Stores.
Roy S. Dunn. Western sales manager for the radio-
phonograph division of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., has
just completed his quarterly visit to the Western
Edison branches and to the Edison Jobbers on the
west coast. During the six weeks spent on his trip
Mr. Dunn came in contact with numerous piano, radio
and phonograph dealers, whom he found most opti-
mistic regarding the outlook for the coming season.
When interviewed by a Presto-Times correspond-
ent at his western headquarters in Seattle, Mr. Dunn
said:
"1 have talked to many piano men from Seattle to
San Diego. They have experienced a decided uplift
in piano sales this summer. Record sales due to the
increased popularity of the combination and supported
by the ever increasing popularity of the movietone
have doubled, and doubled again. Songs made pop-
ular overnight stimulate the sale of phonograph rec-
ords, and bring additional profit to the music house.
•'One dealer said to me, 'GIVE T H E PIANO
D E P A R T M E N T T H E SUPPORT I T DESERVES
AND ]T W I L L GIVE YOU T H E P R O F I T YOU
EXPECT.' 1 asked what he considered support. His
reply was, 'Support the piano department with items
enjoying quick sale, radio, records, or even electrical
items, anything affording a quick profit to share the
overhead." In looking over his sales records I find
lie sold 37 pianos in August.
"The music house in this country seems to he the
huh of the radio industry, at least the radio market.
Now that radio can be delivered complete in one unit,
the piano man is coming into his own and in many
cities dominates the radio market.
"A great many piano dealers have passed out of the
picture, but don't make any mistake, gentlemen, the
strong music merchant is still very much alive, and
w'.ien he handles radio with the punch he uses on
pianos and still retains his piano enthusiasm he is the
merchant we want to sell the Edison. There is plenty
of room for lifters in the music field today—the lean-
ers are out."
Mr. Dunn had this tip for dealers handling the pop-
ular combination radio-phonographs:
"To dispose of the old phonograph that has been
trailed in on an Edison combination, many dealers
loan the phonograph to some individual on the fol-
lowing contract: The customer buys two records per
week over a period of a year; at the end of the year
the dealer gives the customer the phonograph. This
creates a record buyer, disposes of an old instrument,
and in many cases even a hundred records are pur-
chased. This is far better than allowing the old
trade-in phonograph to rest in the basement and 'ball
up' the inventory.
"I find, too, that instead of demonstrating records
on phonographs the dealer is demonstrating through
the use of a radio-phonograph combination. The
customer hears the new instrument, and in many
cases a sale is made ''
MORE ORDERS FOR FRANCIS.
E. A Francis, proprietor of the Francis l'iano Co.,
Galesburg, 111., is very proud these days of several
achievements in the way of special sales during the
last couple of weeks. These special sales to promi-
nent people and to institutions, in the face of stiff
competition, have confirmed his often expressed opin-
ion that the piano business is as good as a man will
let it lie.
THE PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
PRICES
EDITION OF 1929
Is now ready for distribution
Send your order at once and copies will go
forward by first mail after receipt of order
PRESTO
417 S. DEARBORN ST.
One Copy Potspaid 50c
Three copies postpaid $1.40
Six copies postpaid $2.50
Twelve copies postpaid $4.50
Special prices for larger quantities.
Subscribe for Presto-Times with tbe Buyers' Guide as a
Premium.
Address—
PUBLISHING CO.
CHICAGO, ILL. U. S. A.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/