MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents
1 Tear
a
Copy
$1.25
10 Months... $1.00
6 Months.. 75 cents
CHICAGO, SEPTEMBER, 1931
MAKING SHOW WINDOWS ATTRACTIVE
And Pressing Customers to Buy Destroys Confidence
Both in the Dealer and in His Sales Methods.
The show window of the music house should be
designed for its psychological effect. The onlooker
cannot concentrate on any particular object where
there is a hodge-podge of musical merchandise scat-
tered on the floor of the window and on elevated
platforms. Sometimes festoons of sheet music fur-
ther add to the disturbing character of the show.
Such frantic results of window dressing art depress-
ing and usually without power to create the buying
thought. Most people turn away from them with an
air of relief.
The musical merchandise dealer with taste and tht
knack of giving significance to his display of goods is
possessed of a valuable power to effect sales. There
is no music store too small to disregard the value of
proper display for the goods. Effectiveness may be
accomplished with a very meagre stock.
Purposeful Displays.
There should be a purpose to the arrangement.
Concentrating the minds of the observers on saxo-
phones, for instance, is not helped by a jumble of
every kind of instrument in the stock.
Too much cannot be said to impress this feature
of storekeeping on the music dealer. And the smaller
his stock, often the greater is the necessity for a
well planned display in his windows. The litter of
musical instruments belongs to the pawnbroker's
window, but the display in the music store should be
designed after a plan and with a definite purpose in
view.
A drum manufacturer recently induced a music
dealer in a nearby suburb of Chicago to permit the
showing of three drummers' outfits of alluring price.
The manufacturer's representative arranged the dis-
play, with proper background, accessories and essen-
tial signs. The effect of the show was amazing to the
unprogressive dealer. As a direct result, within the
week three private orchestras purchased outfits; a boy
scout camp bought an equipment for a drum corps,
and ten snare drums were sold to individual boys.
Specimen Results.
The dealer has seen the effectiveness of arranging
his window displays with a purpose. Last Christmas
lie got excellent results from a show directed at the
vounger boys and girls with harmonicas, bird calls,
toy cornets, good and practical drums of low price,
beginners' violins and other things in that category.
The display was potent for sales because it concen-
trated the minds of the children and the parents on
the particular range of instruments.
Frequent change in the contents of the window is
essential. Varying the display of goods and the man-
ner of showing prevents the music dealer's window
from getting stale in the sight of the public. A new
display should be put on every week. The growth
of the band spirit gives a splendid opportunity to the
musical merchandise dealer to show the public that
his store reacts to the spirit.
Good Examples.
A part of Presto-Tinies" service to the trade, ever
since its establishment more than forty years ago,
has been to present photographs of well displayed
store windows. They have embraced all manner of
music stores—large and small, and exclusive piano
warerooms as well as those of general music dealers.
Some of the pictures have been perfect examples of
effective window dressing. Some have been almost
grotesque in what a music store window should not
look like. But on the whole they have proved that
the music dealers know what is required and that it
is profitable to pay attention to the often difficult and
sometimes expensive feature of window dressing
Issued Monthly—
Fifteenth of Bach Month
WM. THOMSON, "SCOTCH PATRIOT"
William Thomson, head of the music hou#e of W.
Thomson & Son, Glasgow, and an alderm/n of the
city council of that city, is now in this country
pleading for Scottish nationalism; for a Scottish free
state similar to Ireland's independence. Mr. Thom-
son is captioned in some of the New York papers
as "The Scotch Patriot." He has delivered addresses
in New York and vicinity and at present has liead-
Use Modern Methods.
Many music dealers are still loath to adopt modern
methods, and continue to crowd their windows. This
is really a relic of pre-war days, when the public
used the windows, more or less, as a means of se-
lection. It was a difficult matter then for the cus-
tomer to leave a shop without purchasing. Sales-
men were expected on every occasion to effect a sale.
It is not difficult to understand why in the past the
windows were crowded. In effect, it amounted to
showing the whole stock in the window instead of
inside the shop. The progressive storekeeper today
realizes it is not policy to press a customer unduly
to purchase: it destroys confidence, both in him and
his business methods. It is no longer necessary to
crowd the windows. The modern window should
reflect the policy adopted by the dealer, help to build
good will, and occupy the position of publicity agent
to the shop.
As the expert adwriter emphasizes certain facts in
his type display, so the window dresser makes one or
two objects in a window stand out from the rest.
Sets them in large caps, so to speak. The effort of
the man who dresses a musical merchandise window
is not to produce a pretty effect but a strong one.
Sales Psychology.
The needful sales psychology is applied by the win-
dow dressers of Sherman, Clay & Co., San Fran-
cisco; Lyon & Healy, Inc., and Wurlitzer Company,
Chicago; the J. W. Jenkins Sons' Music Co., Kansas
City; Thos. Goggan & Bro., San Antonio, Tex.; O. K.
Houck Piano Co., Memphis, and other houses which
have achieved success in musical merchandise. Every
modern aid to gain attractiveness is used by the win-
flow dressers in those houses, and not the least of
these aids is the element of lighting.
The active musical merchandise dealer continues to
advertise his goods and shows them in an alluring
way after the store doors are closed and everybody
has gone home. Then the dealer makes his most
effective talks to wayfarers. Strong illumination helps
him in his purpose. The window dresser makes one
unit of a display stand out more prominently than
the others by throwing a colored spot light on it
while the other objects are illuminated by a white
light-
Make Windows Pay.
The show windows of the musical merchandise
dealer use effective means for tie-ups with visiting
artists, bands or orchestras or local events of a musi-
cal nature. Featuring a soloist appearing at a local
theater or a band leader who has achieved success
with a local organization or one anywhere in the
state for which the company has supplied the equip-
ment, is considered a most profitable use of the win-
dows. It is a compliment to the individuals and at
the same time powerfully stimulates the band spirit.
AIOIMOUX SCOTCH PATRIOT.
quarters in Yonkers. Mr. Thomson's views and the
principles he is fighting for, have been outlined in
Presto-Times. He calls for severance of the present
political ties between the two nations and the sub-
stitution of "a connection with England and the Em-
pire that truly meets the needs and requirements of
the Scottish people."
"Willie," as he is known to his friends and ad-
mirers, is really a patriot and a champion of free
thought, and freedom of soul and body. Says Willie;
"Every Scot is a patriot. Their loyalty to their
native country has carried Scotch songs and melodies
throughout the world."
THE PIANO CLUB OF CHICAGO
The first meeting of the Chicago Piano Club for
the coming season was held at the club's rooms,
Illinois Athletic Club, Aug. 24. This was a farewell
dinner in honor of ex-President Roger O'Connor, who
has gone back to New York to reside. The occasion
was a pleasant one and was greatly appreciated by
Mr. O'Connor. The regular meetings will take place
each Monday from now on. The club starts under
favorable and quite auspicious circumstances and will
certainly continue up to the standards of past years.
The matter of joining with the Chicago Piano &
Organ Association has yet to come up, but in the
meantime the Piano Club boys will meet in their
regular way and regular place as usual.
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