MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents a Copy
I Year
fl.25
10 Months... $1.00
6 Months. .75 cents
CHICAGO, AUGUST, 1931
Issued Monthly—
Fifteenth of Each Month
ample space for a great display of pianos and other
musical instruments. They have followed the modern
motto—"There is always plenty of room in the sky."
Here I met R. B. Beauchamp, floor manager, who
has been with Hudson's many a year, and he told a
story similar to that related by Mr. Westlake and
Mr. Jenkins—plenty of good prospects, a few weeks
or months more patient waiting for them to get their
By HENRY MACMULLAN
financial feet under them, and then the closing of
many a sale. A lot of real promises listed.
A rush-around among the music dealers of Detroit in reality bumper crops, which if sold at even mod-
E. P. Andrews is general manager of the musical
late in July brought a Presto-Times man, your erate prices would put them in much easier circum-
humble servant, into contact with one of the best stances. Similar reports of excellent crops were com- instrument department at J. L. Hudson's, and E. K.
bunches of fellows in the trade—ardent, hopeful, ing in from other counties of the region—from Shia- Andrews is the buyer. E. J\. Andrews, who has just
purchased himself a new Plymouth car, told me the
vigorous men, alert for whatever life brings, alive to wassee, Lapeer, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and
Chrysler motor plant is just opening up fine—very
opportunities and path-breakers in short cuts to new Washtenaw counties. So the whole section is bound
busy with lots of orders ahead, too.
to be a good field for selling pianos.
opportunities.
The Mason & Hamlin is the J. L. Hudson Co.'s
"There are many persons in Detroit who desire
1 found it inspiring to listen to J. B. Westlake,
leader, and they also sell lots of Chickerings, supple-
to
buy
pianos—we
have
many
such
on
our
prospect
manager of the piano department of the Wurlitzer
mented with the Knabe, the Marshall & Wendell and
store, 1509 Broadway, who probably had been draw- lists," said Mr. Jenkins, "but who are waiting until the Edward B. Healy, from the Gulbransen Co.,
ing new inspiration from Rudolph Wurlitzer of Cin- such time as they are all back at work on full time Chicago.
cinnati, who had visited the store three or four days or nearly full time. Good people, nearly all of them,
Bayley Contemplates a Return
previous to my call. And Mr. Westlake's enthusiasm to sell to, but in moderate circumstances. And they'll
buy when the tide turns in their favor."
Frank J. Bayley retired from the piano business
over the outlook in general was shared and supported
by C. W. Hendricks, Wurlitzer salesman, who told Grinnell Bros. Buy Out Bush & Lane Detroit Store on July 1 at which time the premises at 1451 Broad-
Grinnell Bros, have purchased the accounts and way were taken over on a lease to a rich corporation
me, before Mr. Westlake came in, that they expected
which, under the management of H. Cohen, has
to put on a staff of five or six additional salesmen to what remained of the stock of the Bush & Lane
stocked it up and is running it as a radio tube store
do field work as soon as the heated term of summer retail establishment and moved it across the street
from the fifth floor of 1514 Woodward avenue to as a unit in a national system.
subsides.
However, Harry E. Russell, who was with the
The trend of Mr. Westlake's remarks showed a Grinnell's, 1515 Woodward avenue. The Bush &
Lane store had not been in very active operation for
Bayley company for twenty years managing the Bay-
firm belief in the stability of the piano business, faith
ley business, is still at the store closing out the Bayley
in the continuation toward normalcy of the activities nearly a year past.
W. R. Trembly, former manager of the Bush & accounts and he says that the Bayley organization
of the gigantic automobile plants that have placed
Detroit as the foremost manufacturing city of the Lane Detroit store, is now district manager for the has a definite plan to resume business as soon as
Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. at Toledo, Ohio. A. A. general conditions "pick up."
world, and a prima facie, well-grounded belief that
many of the common people actually yearn for music Morris, who preceded him for several years as man-
Complimentary Dinner and Letters of Tribute
and a piano upon which to produce it. He intimated ager at Detroit and who later became president of
Mr.
Russell, or "Harry" as his friends all call him,
Bush
&
Lane
at
Holland,
Mich.,
is
still
selling
Transi-
that the notion that everybody must save and hide
was deeply touched by the many tributes he received
money was breaking up; that people were getting tone radios, manufactured by Bush & Lane.
Grinnell Bros, are handling the RCA-Victor line from them when they learned that the Bayley con-
tired of hugging their fears, but, instead, were getting
of
radios, the Sparton, the Stromberg-Carlson, the cern was retiring from the music trade arena. They
around to the point where they desired to indulge in
a few of the things that make life worth living—a Philco, and in refrigerators the Williams Ice-O-Matic, gave him a great dinner, and since the dinner he has
received many letters from jobbers, advertising men,
made by the Williams Co., Bloomington, 111., which
piano in particular.
concern manufactured oil burners for the past 18 manufacturers and others in praise of the manner in
which he did business with them.
Cable Piano Co.'s Good Prospects
years.
Some "Live" Piano Businesses
Walter S. Jenkins, manager of the Cable Piano
In pianos, Grinnell Bros, represent the Steinway,
C'o.'s interests in the Detroit area, 1264 Library ave- the Aeolian line, the Vose line and the M. Schulz Co.
Other piano concerns in Detroit that are doing
nue, is feeling quite encouraged over the outlook, as line.
more or less business are Marvin Simons, 2040 Park
he says there are many prospects on their lists who
Inasmuch as the Grinnell Bros, house handles the avenue, who has the Baldwin agency; John P. Becker,
will buy pianos as soon as they get their feet under
Williams refrigerators in its main store at Detroit, 2262 Monroe avenue; City Music Co., 7412 Mack
them and see their way clear to indulge that desire. the Starr-Freeze refrigerators are handled only in the avenue; W. VV. Kimball Co., 1425 Broadway; Levine
Detroit is a city that recovers rapidly from setbacks Grinnell stores at Toledo, Ohio, and at Monroe, Ad- & Black, 5666 Grand River avenue; Marquette Musi-
or reverses of fortune, and the municipality, with the rian, Hillsdale, Mich., and their adjacent territories. cal Co., 1216 Beaubien street; A. E. Noble Piano &
aid of Henry Ford and other far-sighted leaders, is
1 called on J. E. Harvey, manager of the sheet Polish Co., 12858 Woodward avenue; Peoples Out-
setting its house in order for much happier and more music department of Grinnell Bros., and he was fitting- Co., 150 Michigan avenue, with a branch store
prosperous days.
at 13025 West Warren avenue; Schilling Piano Co.,
reluctant to admit that there was much doing in
sheet music just now. He is the type of man who 37 West Elizabeth street; Standard Piano Co., 219
Mr. Jenkins says encouraging news has come in
John R street; P. A. Starck Piano Co., 1546 Wood-
from the Cable Piano Co.'s branch stores in different casts up a slight smoke-screen in front of the wonder-
ward avenue; Starr Piano Co. Sales Corporation, 149
parts of Michigan—Pontiac, Flint and other places. ful energy and pep that is the main characteristic of
He had had a conversation with their Flint manager such men. The National Association of Sheet Music East Elizabeth street; Wellensiek Music House, 3343
Gratiot avenue.
a day or two before I interviewed him and this man Merchants knew what it was doing when it elected
had told him that recovery at Flint and the neighbor- him as a member of the board of directors at the
Plenty of Chances for Tuning
hood around that manufacturing center was well recent convention.
Places to order piano tuning in Detroit include the
under way, with very bright prospects for good fall
The J. L. Hudson Co.'s music store was moved Alhambra School of Music, 8242 Woodward avenue;
and late summer trade. Farmers in Genesee county, some time ago from its separate location on Library
Wurlitzer's, 1509 Broadway; Stuart Watson, 14883
of which Flint is the metropolis, were elated, the avenue to the 13th floor of the immense Hudson de- Coyle street; Grinnell Bros., 1515-21 Woodward ave-
Flint manager said, over their most excellent crops— partment store. Here on the 13th floor they have nue; A. William Scharringhausen, 408 West Grand
HOPEFUL CONDITIONS PREVAIL
IN PIANO TRADE OF DETROIT
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