January, 1930
PRESTO-TIMES
16
CONDITIONS IN THE DETROIT TRADE
By HENRY MAC MULLAN
Detroit, which holds the reputation of being the
greatest industrial city in the world, does a tremen-
dous business when the annual figures are computed,
but its largest volumes of sales are seasonal. This
seasonal trade in automobiles, auto accessories and
airplanes manufactured at Detroit and its suburbs
affects piano selling directly due to the volume or
lack of volume of the vast payrolls.
A good many men are out of work in Detroit at
the present time, despite the fact that Ford and some
of the other large manufacturers have been recently
increasing their working forces. This condition has
affected piano business to a degree. However, C. H.
Kessler, manager of the J. L. Hudson Music Store,
lays the blame for the slackening of trade to the stock
market bubble-burst rather than to slack employment
in the giant factories.
Eight Years' Rapid Growth.
Since 1920, a city the size of St. Louis moved in!
An eight-year-old metropolis. Detroit has grown from
993,739 to 1,790,869 during eight epochal changing
years. Eight hundred thousand new people. That's
something the 1920 census does not tell.
Generally speaking, Detroit is prosperous. New
business men's associations have been organized in
different parts of the city. Construction work for the
past eleven months reached a sum of $307,837,800.
Approximately $1,045,842,000 in real estate has been
subdivided in Greater Detroit in the last twenty years,
with 1925 the banner year. The Chevrolet Motor Co.
in 1929 manufactured 1,350,000 automobiles, making
it by far the greatest year in Chevrolet history. De-
troit is planning for a new $5,000,000 federal building
on the site of the present building.
Never have I seen charity work performed on a
more liberal scale than at Detroit during the recent
holiday period. Miss Betty Stubbs, an 18-year-old
girl, impersonated "The Spirit of Detroit" in a tab-
leau on the balcany of the City Hall when the mu-
nicipal Christmas tree was lighted. Forty thousand
needy children received presents. The Old News-
boys-Goodfellows relieved 39,264 children of the less
fortunate with packages. The record-breaking snow
that fell gave work to many of the unemployed for
the holidays.
Grinnell Bros. Are Active.
At a dinner of the Exchange Club of Detroit on
December 23 in the Book-Cadillac Hotel, which a
Presto-Times representative attended as a guest of
one of the members, the song sheets that were dis-
tributed on the tallies were complimentary from
Grinnel Bros. Music House. These songs were "The
Star Spangled Banner," "Dixie," "Carry Me Back to
Old Virginny," "Old Black Joe," "America," "Michi-
gan, My Michigan," "Love's Old Sweet Song,"
"Mother Machree," "A Perfect Day," "Peggy O'Neil,"
"Call Me Back, Pal o' Mine," "Let the Rest of the
World Go By," "Down by the Old Mill Stream,"
"When Good Fellows Get Together," "The Sidewalks
of New York," "That Old Gang of Mine," "In a
Little Spanish Town," "Get Together," "Gypsy Love
Song," "Hello Bluebird," "Remember," "Hoosier
Sweetheart," "Looking at the World," "I'm Sitting
on Top of the World," "All Alone," "I Want a Girl,"
"Yes, Sir, That's My Baby," "I'm Looking Over a
Four-Leaf Clover," "We're Here for Fun," "My Wild
Irish Rose," "Smiles," "It Isn't Any Trouble,"
"Reuben and Rachel," "Howdy," "Old MacDonald
Had a Farm," "Grasshopper," "Auld Lang Syne,"
"Onward Christian Soldiers," "Lead Kindly Light"
and "Abide with Me."
Grinnell Bros, main store is at 1515-21 Woodward
avenue. Its Detroit branches are at 1231 Broadway
avenue, 12832 East Jefferson avenue, 10454 West
Jefferson avenue, 13753 Woodward avenue, 10308
Joseph Campau avenue, 4858 Michigan avenue, 9248
Grand River avenue, 9620 Gratiot avenue and 8021
West Vernor highway.
Tuning, Regulating, Adjusting.
I had a chat with D. S. Farmer, vice-president of
the National Associat J on of Piano Tuners, whose
work at Grinnell Bros, puts him in charge of the
tuning, regulating and adjusting departments. Many
a time Mr. Farmer's regulating and adjusting consists
of making a sale stick. Salesmen are not always
aware of the good work done by an experienced ad-
juster like Mr. Farmer. If a lady says "I don't like
this piano; I'd like to exchange it for another," Mr.
Farmer will say "We'll gladly exchange it. for we
want you to be satisfied; we have scores of pianos,
and so come on down and pick out one." The more
Mr. Farmer urges the lady to exchange her instru-
ment, the more she wants to keep it, for it is a prin-
ciple in human nature to want to hang on to that
which one has begun to like very much.
Jay Grinnell on Business.
"We are doing a piano business," said Jay Grinnell,
president of Grinnell Bros. "We are not satisfied
with it, but the piano business is holding up about the
best of anything in our whole institution." The
Victor line of radio is the only radio handled by
Grinnell Bros.
I also had a chat with Mr. Rapp, the office manager
of Grinnell's.
Starck Playerpianos Going Well.
"Pianos are going very well," said R. H. Pizor,
assistant sales manager at P. A. Starck Co.'s Detroit
store. "The surprise is that playerpianos are selling
away beyond our expectations. Of course, we ex-
pected grands and uprights to sell well before Christ-
mas, and they did, but the remarkable thing was the
way our players went."
I also talked with Van Scarlett, one of the Starck
salesmen.
C. B. Amann of Wurlitzer's.
I met C. B. Amann, manager of the Detroit Wur-
litzer store, just as he was getting into his great fur
coat, starting for his home town, Cincinnati, to spend
Christmas Day there. He said business could be
better, but Wurlitzer's were getting their share of
what there was.
President Bayley.
Frank J. Bayley chatted pleasantly in his store. He
is now president of the Detroit Radio Dealers' Asso-
ciation, the Detroit Music Trade Association and the
Michigan State Music Dealers' Association. On Fri-
day evening, Dec 27, 300 plates were set at the
banquet of the Radio Dealers at the Book-Cadillac.
Mayor Charles Bowles was guest of honor. A. A.
McGill of the Board of Commerce made a speech.
In the Detroit Music Trade Association, Walter S.
Jenkins is first vice-president; George W. Bourke,
second vice-president; A. H. Howes, secretary and
treasurer; Dave Reddaway, chairman of the entertain-
ment committee.
Mr. Bayley handles the following lines of radio:
Edison, Atwater Kent, Brunswick, Victor, Majestic,
R. C. A.
Interview with Manager Kessler.
C. H. Kessler, manager of the J. L. Hudson Music
store, said they were doing as well as could be ex-
pected under conditions. The season had started well,
but settled down as soon as the stock market slumped.
"It was a fine year until stocks crashed," he said.
"We are looking for a good year in 1930." This
house handles the American Piano Co.'s line entire.
Cable Store Piano Selling.
Walter S. Jenkins, manager of the Cable Co.'s
store, told me they were selling pianos—getting trade
by hustling for it. The dullness in Detroit is rather
slackness of production at the big auto plants than
anything else.
Young Michigan Musicians.
Michigan high school students won four first prize?
in the solo and ensemble playing contests at the 1929
National High School Orchestra and Band Camp at
Interlochen, Mich., J. E. Maddy, musical director,
announces. Francis Hellstein of Detroit won first
prize for the French horn; Bernard Smith. Flint, first
prize for trumpet; Elizabeth Vandenberg, Grand Rap-
ids, first prize for piano, and Katherine McKee, De-
catur, Mich., first prize for conducting. In addition
Bernard Smith of Flint took second prize for his
conducting and Tom Cornell of Detroit won third
prize for xylophone.
I learned that the Ford Motor Co. is employing
about 92,000 men, 75 per cent of them working
steadily.
CHICAGO CIVIC OPERA
HAS GRAND PROGRAMS
The eleventh week of the Chicago Civic Opera
season is now on and the current announcements and
those for the coming week are of exceeding interest
to lovers of opera. This week Friday night marks
the first appearance in Chicago of "Fidelio" within a
period of thirty-five years of the one opera by Ludwig
von Beethoven, "Fidelio." The opera has been heard
but twice in Chicago. The work, therefore, ranks as
a novelty to the present generation.
The libretto, which appealed to the composer be-
cause of its pure and idealistic motives, was set to
music originally by French composers. Conscientious
to the last detail in everything he did, Beethoven,
inspired by a noble theme, appeared to put more labor
into his one opera than into any other single w r ork.
"Fidelio" not only brings into the Chicago com-
pany's German repertoire an opera outside of the Wag-
nerian classics, but it gives Frida Leider an opportu-
nity to present to the Chicago public one of her great-
est characterizations. She is reputed to be the out-
standing interpreter of the principal soprano role of
Leonore, known as Fidelio, among present-day
sopranos.
The performance of "Fidelio," above mentioned,
will be given on Friday evening, January 17 (non-
subscription). Frida Leider will sing the role of
Leonore, called Fidelio. Kathleen Kersting, Wichita,
Kan., girl, will make her debut in the role of Mar-
zellina. Rene Maison will sing the music of Florestan,
Robert Ringling that of Pizarro, Alexander Kipnis
the Rocco, and Edouard Cotreuil the Fernando. Egon
Pollak will conduct.
GRIGSBY-GRUNOW ANNOUNCEMENT.
Quite an important announcement has been made
by the Grigsby-Grunow Co., Chicago, concern-
ing its financing department. Some time ago the
Majestic Corporation, with offices in Chicago, was
formed for the purpose of assisting dealers in Majestic
radio financially. Now, the present announcement is
that the Gr'gsby-Grunow Co. has entered into
an agreement with the commercial Investment Trust
Co. of New York to take over the financing of time
purchases of Grigsby products which was formerly
handled by the Majestic corporation, a Grigsby sub-
sidiary. Commercial Investment Trust within the
next 30 days will take over the $5,000,000 worth of
paper now held by Majestic and the latter firm will
discontinue business. The Commercial Investment
Trust will extend the same services to Grigsby deal-
ers which Majestic formerly provided, it was stated.
Rosselot & Son is the style of a new firm that will
conduct a radio sales and accessories business at
Shawneetown, 111. L. Rosselot has charge of the
store. Crosley radio is handled.
"CLARK ROLLIANS" IN PICTURES
AT THE LEFT IS A
PICTURE OF THE
WORKING FORCE OF
THE CLARK ORCHESTRA
ROLL CO., DE KALB,
ILL., TAKEN LAST
SUMMER IN FRONT
OF THE OFFICE OF
THE FACTORY.
A picture that is becoming famous is being used
with each outgoing roll irom the Clark Orchestra
Roll Company, De Kalb, 111. It is the one seen on
this page of Presto-Times, and it shows a representa-
tive group of "Clark-Rollians," as Mr. Clark fondly
refers to his employes. These people are all experts
in their respective branches of service. Each Clark
Orchestra Roll carries the whole-hearted efforts of
careful and experienced experts. This is pleasing to
the trade.
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