November, 1930
PRESTO-TIMES
14
president of the company. Edward Paterson, former-
ly with Sears, Roebuck & Co., will be manager, while
Hugo Marxer will be assistant manager.
The Reed Music Co., 719 Main street, Little Rock,
Ark., styles itself "distributor of the famous Baldwin
pianos."
The Swingle Music Co., Newark, Ohio, which is
located in the Arcade building, has had 35 years of
existence. It handles the Steinway, Vose, Stultz &
Bauer and Lester pianos. Charles W. Dowling is in
charge of the piano tuning department.
The Mayfield Music Co., 16 North Main street,
Hutchinson, Kan., says it has 100 pianos in its store to
choose from, and "$4 is all you need" as a payment.
Mrs. Mamie I. Doney of 548 Fairwood avenue,
Columbus, Ohio, took a few piano lessons when 12
years of age but was forced to quit. Now, at 67,
fifty-five years later, she practices on the piano from
10 to 12 hours a day under a competent teacher.
"Pianos to loan, free," is the caption of the latest
advertisements of the Avery Piano Store, 256-258
Weybosset street, Providence, R. I. "We reserve
the right to select the homes in which these pianos
are to be placed," is added.
The Thearle Music Co., 640 Broadway, San Diego,
Calif., says it has "the greatest assembly of noted
pianos in any California music store," and names the
Steinway, Knabe, Chickering, J. & C. Fischer, Mar-
shall & Wendell, Gulbransen and Ampico to prove it.
CONSIDERABLE TRADE ACTIVITY
AT INDIANAPOLIS JUST NOW
Business is gradually showing an improvement, and
while the change is slow and requires more sales
effort on the part of the salesmen, it is gradually
weeding out the unfit, and is nothing more than a sur-
vival of the fittest. Music merchants are optimistic
over the near future of the piano business, and reports
from traveling salesmen are very encouraging. Busi-
ness in general is showing an increase in sales volume.
The House of Baldwin is planning some extensive
improvements in its first floor. The entire space is to
be rearranged and remodeled. Phil Wynian, retail
sales manager of the company, was in Indianapolis on
Tuesday of last week. He arrived late on Monday to
address the usual dinner given by the company to the
employes, and acted as master of ceremonies. Re-
ports from Ray Coverdill, manager of the company,
are very good and prospects are excellent.
The special style G-20 Apollo built by the Wurlitzer
Grand Piano Co., and on exhibition at the Wilking
Music Co.'s store, was sold recently and occupies the
place of honor in one of the city's fine homes. Busi-
ness is reported satisfactory by Frank Wilking, pres-
ident of the company, and prospects good.
The Marion Music Co. continues to place the Schu-
mann piano in many of the foremost homes of Indian-
apolis, especially where quality is desired and price is
a secondary consideration. The company reports an
active demand for used pianos and says that branch
of business is good. The Brinkerhoff piano is com-
ing in for its share of the business, and sales are
showing a decided increase.
C. B. Mclntosh of the Schumann Piano Co. was
in Indianapolis recently and reports business improv-
ing in many parts of the country. Mr. Mclntosh is
rather optimistic over the future of the piano business.
The Carlin Music Co. reports conditions better and
pianos in more demand. Several Cable and Kingsbury
grands were among the sales of the past month.
Recent visitors calling on Indianapolis music mer-
chants were: George Mansfield of the Everett Piano
Co., South Haven, Mich.; William Longacker of
C. Kurtzmann & Co., Buffalo, N. Y.; Thomas
Pritchett of the Aeolian Co., Charles E. Howe of the
Wurlitzer Grand Piano Co., and H. Edgar French of
the Jesse French & Sons' Piano Co., New Castle, Ind.
When H. Edgar French was last seen in Indianap-
olis he wore an unusually broad smile. This being un-
usual, in fact very unusual for a piano manufacturer
of today, Maud Kerr, in charge of the office of the
Wilking Music Co., proceeded to find out "why the
broad smile" and was informed that the big plant at
New Castle is working nights to keep up with
radio orders. She also was told that orders for pianos
were coming in better than usual.
F. M. HOOD GETTING MANY
r ORDERS FOR SCHILLER GRANDS
Frank M. Hood of the Schiller Piano Co., Oregon,
111., and Chicago, is on the road this week in Michi-
gan and is having success in getting orders for Schil-
ler instruments. Mr. Hood came into Chicago from a
successful trip through Ohio a few days ago, but
left again for his present trip, so eager was he to meet
his many customers in the Wolverine state. His
orders run to grands more than ever.
JESSE FRENCH RADIO DOES FLY
The October issue of
Presto-Times contained an
interesting story about H. E.
French, Jr.'s trips by air-
plane, and a cut showing the
plane before leaving New
Castle, Ind., for Birming-
ham, Ala., and other points
in the South.
Now it is the arrival of
the plane at Montgomery,
Ala., on that trip that is
shown in this picture, where
Mr. French is being met by
a reception committee of
prominent Montgomery citi-
zens, headed by Jesse B.
Hearin, president of the
Montgomery Chamber of
Commerce.
On the side of this plane
the reader will see part of
the words "Jesse French Ra-
dio."
This does not show
very well, but it shows that
IT. E. FRENCH. Jit., LANDING AT MONTGOMERY, ALA.
the Jesse French radio is
flying—a fact very interesting to those handling Jesse September before the month of October was out.
French radios.
"We hardly expect November shipments to double
The Jesse French radio really does fly, for in Au- October's output," said President H. Edgar French,
gust the radio shipments were double those of July;
in September the shipments doubled those of August, "but we do feel that November business will total
while in October the shipments were double those of ahead of October."
BANNON HEADS GULBRANSEN
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
The Gulbransen Co. of Chicago, manufacturers of
Gulbransen pianos and radios, announces the appoint-
ment of W. A. Bannon as advertising manager. Mr.
Bannon assumed his new duties at the Gulbransen
office on October 1.
Mr. Bannon has been associated with the radio
industry since 1921. " He spent six years with the
Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. of Chicago as assist-
EMINENT PIANISTS ARRIVE
The accompanying picture showing three eminent
pianists—Iturbi, Paderewski and Schilling—taken
aboard the steamship Paris at about the time of its
LKFT TO RIGHT—PADEREWSKI. SCHILLING,
ITURBI.
W. A. BANNON
ant to the Chicago district manager and the general
sales manager. In this capacity, Mr. Bannon devoted
a considerable amount of his time to the various
phases of advertising.
He spent two and one-half years as assistant adver-
tising manager of the radio department with the Kel-
logg Switchboard & Supply Co. of Chicago. He later
accepted a position with the Capehart Corporation of
Fort Wayne, Ind., where he concentrated his efforts
on advertising and sales promotional work with most
satisfactory results.
The many friends Mr. Bannon has made in the
trade during the past nine years will be glad to know
of his promotion to a position in which his ability
will be thoroughly tested, and Presto-Times and his
many other friends are confident that he is more than
capable of crowning his work with success.
THE MANTOLA RADIO.
The B. F. Goodrich Co., through its sales subsidiary,
Goodrich Silvertown, Inc., 302 Taylor street, Chicago,
has started the sales of a small radio unit in its com-
pany-owned stores. The unit on sale is marketed
under a Goodrich trade name, Mantola, derived from
the fact that the unit is small and compact enough
to be placed on a mantel. The radio is a five-tube
unit, screen grid with a dynamic speaker.
arrival in New York recently is remarkable as a trie
of talent. These noted figures in the musical worlc
had arrived in New York on tour—Paderewski usinj
the Steinway piano and Iturbi and Schilling the
Baldwin.
WATKIN'S RADIO CHRISTMAS CLUB
The Will A. Watkin Co., 1207 Elm street and 120(
Pacific avenue, Dallas, Texas, has started a Christ
mas Radio Club that will run until November 30. I
is based on the same principle as the Christmas sav
ings clubs run by the banks and should meet with ;
hearty response from the public. The Watkin Co
is now in its 48th year as a retail house. It also an
nounces Majestic electric refrigerators. The piano
now handled by the Watkins are the Mason & Ham
lin, the Knabe, the Chickering, the Brambach, th'
Fischer, the Marshall & Wendell, and the Milton
Piano class recitals are frequent at the Watkin head
quarters.
LESTER FOR TEACHERS COLLEGE.
The Francis Piano Co., E. A. Francis, presideu
244 East Simmons street, Galesburg, 111., has jus
sold a Lester 6-foot grand piano for the use of Pro
Grilly at the State Teachers College at Macomb, II
Mr. Francis' slogan is "It pays to see Francis first.
Gulbransen pianos arc the leaders in the store c
the Gastou Music Co., Kearney, Neb.
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