Presto

10
PRESTO-TIMES
Nov.-Dec, 1932
ACTIVITIES IN RETAIL TRADE
NEW FIRMS, CHANGES, REORGANIZATIONS
THE HOUCK COMPANY CHANGE AT LITTLE
ROCK
After an executive connection with the O. K. Houck
Piano Company of Memphis, Tennessee, for the past
28 years, W. P. Hamilton, well known Southern man-
ager, has purchased the Little Rock, Arkansas, branch
house of the Houck concern and will continue to oper-
ate the business as the Houck Music Company there.
Mr. Hamilton, who had managed the Houck inter-
ests in Arkansas for the past 20 years has been active
in the advancement of music in that State and has
taken an interested part in religious, social and fra-
ternal work in the Louisiana capital city. In making
the announcement of his purchase of the Houck
branch in Little Rock, Mr. Hamilton expressed confi-
dence in the future of not only his own business but
of the industry as a whole. He said, "Music in some
form will play a most important part in all our lives
as long as civilization lasts, and every one of us has at
one time or another been affected by this magic influ-
ence. It is my prediction that a not-so-far-distant
change in our moral and spiritual structure will bring
the music business back to a standing as high as that
of any other type of constructive human effort."
The personnel of the company was retained in its
entirety after the change in ownership, Mr. Hamilton
stated. The new Houck Music Company plans an
aggressive new business program, it was said.
Mr. J. F. Houck, president of the O. K. Houck
Piano Company, pays a handsome tribute to Mr. Ham-
ilton on his taking over the business with which he
has so long been connected, saying that, "We wish
for him and his associates the rich rewards of service,
and openly acknowledge his unqualified fitness to
'carry on.' "
MUSIC TRADE PICK-UPS
The Schmoller & Mueller puzzle contest which took
place recently at the Sioux City (Iowa) store was
an interesting event. "The judging of the entries,"
said H. H. Rhoades, manager of the Sioux City store,
Mr. W. R. Bennett, manager of Grinnell Bros.' "of which there were over 4,000, was a tremendous
Grand Rapids, Mich., store, who attended the Annual task. First thep rizes were divided into classes and
Autumn convention of Grinnell Bros.' Managers held then the best ones selected by the judges."
at Holly, Mich., where the factory is located, says
The Schmoeller & Mueller Piano Co. branch store
that the reports of most of the managers were decid- at Sioux City, Iowa, is planning to change its location.
edly optimistic and to the effect that the piano in-
The show window of the Joosten & Jenkins Music
quiries and sales indicate a rejuvenated interest in Store
at 639 Main street, Peoria, Illinois, was occupied
home music making other than mechanical, which for a week
Coy in a Piano Marathon Ex-
means greater interest in piano music, in contradis- hibition. In by an Norman
endeavor
break a continuous per-
tinction to piano music. Mr. Bennett, in referring to formance on a piano for a to
week.
the new Grinnell Bros, apartment size grand piano
shown at the gathering said that it was received en-
The Hockett Music Company store at Bellefontaine,
thusiastically by store and department heads at its Ohio, which was closed sometime ago, has been pur-
premier showing.
chased by Roscoe Bewley and reopened for business.
Mr. Bewley has been in the music business in and
Arthur Schultze of the Butler Music Company, But- about Bellefontaine for nearly a quarter of a century.
ler, Mo., in an interview with a Kansas City daily
"Jenkins No. 2," is the rather odd name given to a
paper, said concerning the present condition of the
piano business that good used pianos are hard to get new Jenkins Music Company store at Wichita, Kansas,
as these have constituted the main sales of dealers the located at 4009 East Kellogg street, that city, which
past year or two. He said he thought there would be store is under the management of E. L. McCormick.
a shortage of good new pianos before long as many
The Benson Music Shop, 5223 West Chicago ave-
piano factories have been shut down from work for nue, Chicago, has been incorporated by Andrew and
months past. Mr. r Schultze said that his observations Evelyn M. Benson and Lionel G. Thorsness, with
were that there w ere very few new pianos on the capital stock of $20,000.
floors of music stores today.
H. M. Hershey, who was in the music business at
The Stone Piano Company of 564 South Salina Litchfield, Minn., several years ago, has again resumed
street, Syracuse, N. Y., is planning to enlarge its business there, opening a store on one of the principal
piano department very materially, and along this line streets.
Mr. M. G. Arbogast has been placed in charge of the
Dudley C. Hitte has opened a music shop in the
enlarged merchandising division. Mr. Arbogast has Farrell
Building at Jacksonville, Illinois, the
been connected with several music houses in central business Bank
to be known as the Hitte Book and Music
New York State which has given him wide acquaint- Shop.
THE NEW BYERLY BROTHERS STORE AT
ance. Mr. Leroy Stone, head of the Stone Piano
MOLINE
Mr. Rhodes expressed his appreciation of the con-
Company, will give his personal attention to the radio
fidence expressed in the Schmoller & Mueller Com-
The Moline, Illinois, store of Byerly Brothers Music division of the business.
pany by the great number of entries made in the
Company, which was recently opened at 1607 Fifth
The organization recently incorporated at Holland,
Ave., makes the fourth branch house of this concern, Mich., with C. L. Beach, formerly of the Bush & contest.
the home store being at Peoria and the other two Lane Piano Company, as president, is called the
The first prize was a Schmoller & Mueller baby
branch stores at Quincy and Springfield. The Moline Musical Arts Laboratories, Inc., with manufacturing grand piano; the second, a ten-tube Howard radio;
store is featuring a very complete line of band and headquarters at Grand Rapids. The vice-presidents then came a smaller model of radio and numerous
orchestral instruments and a representative display of are C. J. Noel and H. A. Yeider, of Grand Rapids, and other articles.
sheet music. The Byerly Brothers have been active in James F. Campbell, of Muskegon, Secretary.
The George O. Thain Music Co., Fort Wayne, Ind.,
organizing school bands for owners some years and
is now located in the Palace Theater building, that
There has been a strong desire to hold the Auto- city, where a grand opening was recently held.
are specializing in this work in and about Moline.
Mr. George L. Byerly informs a Presto-Times repre- matic Musical Instrument Company at Grand Rapids,
J. La Monte McLean has opened a music store at
sentative that they are enjoying an excellent trade in Mich., which went into the hands of receivers some
all departments of their business and look forward to months ago. The latest move is by the committee of Sixth and Maine streets, La Fayette, Indiana. Mr.
stockholders who agreed to take over the business at McLean was formerly in business in Syracuse, N. Y.
continued good trade.
Mr. George Byerly announces the purchase of the about fifty cents on the dollar.
The Charlotte, N. C, music house which opened
sheet music business of the Killam Music Company
Under the caption, "Music Store Head Nationally at 139 West 4th street some weeks ago has been
of Quincy, 111.
Known," the "Citizen," of Columbus, Ohio, gives an enjoying a good volume of business.
interesting item concerning that gentleman's activities
Announcement is made of the opening of the new
in Columbus. The item refers to the Heaton Music store of the Indiana Music Company at 143 East
BALDWIN AT INDIANAPOLIS
As announced some weeks ago the Wilking Music Store, located at 78 North High street, as representa- Ohio street, Indianapolis.
Company, 120 East Ohio street, Indianapolis, Ind., tives and distributors for the Steinway, Chickering
Niebuhr Brothers, Inc., has been incorporated with
having taken over the business of the Baldwin Piano and several other instruments of lesser note.
200
shares non par value stock to do business at 830
Studios, Inc., 27 East Ohio street, is now exclusive
The Baldwin Piano Agency, at 714 Fifth street,
agents for the Indianapolis territory for the Baldwin Port Arthur, Texas, have been making a special drive N. Michigan avenue, Chicago.
The Gibson Musical Instrument Company has been
line of pianos.
on the Hamilton piano, one of the units of the Bald-
The Baldwin Piano Studios, Inc., were organized in win Piano Company. This store in its advertisement incorporated at Indianapolis, Indiana, with a hundred
September, 1931, as successor to the Baldwin Piano of the Hamilton says: "Perhaps the most illuminat- shares of no par value stock.
The Congress Radio Co., 468 South State Street,
Company. The Wilking Music Company was or- ing thing that can be said of the Hamilton is that it is
Chicago, 111., has been incorporated with a capital of
ganized ten years ago and has grown from a small be- the great school piano of modern America."
$5,000.
ginning to a company of state-wide importance. Pur-
The contents of the Link Piano Company's six-
chase of control of the Baldwin Piano Studios, Inc.,
Frank G. Armbruster is now the manager of the
is the third such purchase made by the Wilking Com- story building at 83 Water street, Binghamton, N. Y., Dirksen & Son Radio Store at Decatur, 111.
were
sold
at
public
auction
by
the
assignee,
the
sale
pany in the last year. Julia M. Wilkins is vice-presi-
A. J. Emerman has opened a radio store at 115 East
being made by Herbert Action Segal & Company,
dent, and Miss Maude E. Kcrr, secretary.
liquidation specialists, of 1441 Broadway, New York Tuscarawas street, Canton, Ohio.
City.
At a radio convention held at Atlanta, Ga., recently
NEW HOUCK LOCATION AT ARDMORE,
The Hamilton, Ohio, Wurlitzer Store has been car- one of the speakers, Dr. Sutton, seemed to hit the
OKLA.
nail on the head concerning one phase of the present
The Houck Music Co. branch house at Ardmore, rying on an active and successful special piano sale depression when he said: "What this country needs
Okla., which has been located at 311 Main street for under the direction of Mr. Fred W. Wagner, a well- is a movement to increase buying. The fact that the
the past thirty-five years, is moving to 113 East known musical instrument salesman recently added to banking resources in Atlanta are $194,000,000; that
Fourth street where a building is being completed the staff of the Wurlitzer store at Hamilton. To there is $155,000,000 on deposit and nearly $200,000,000
for them. W. P. Hamilton, who purchased the Houck meet the demand of this special sale a carload of available shows that there is money in this territory
Music Co. business and is now located at Little Rock, pianos was recently received at the Hamilton store.
which the people can spend if they will. They will
has just made this announcement concerning the
The Kraft Music Company, Frankfort, Indiana, has have to loosen up to bring better times back for there
Ardmore store.
moved to 12 South Columbia street, that city.
is a definite complex against buying."
PICK=UPS
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