Presto

April-May, 1934
DEALERS* RECOGNITION OF GUL-
BRANSEN VALUES REASON OF
INCREASED BUSINESS, SAYS S.
E. ZACK, SECRETARY-TREASUR-
ER, GULBRANSEN COMPANY
"Good and getting better" was the reply of S. E.
Zack, Secretary and Treasurer of the Gulbransen
Company, Chicago, in answer to the question "How
is business?" propounded by a Presto-Times repre-
s. E. ZACK
Seo'y-Treas., Gulbransen Company
sentative a few days ago, and the greatly increased
activity witnessed in the great Gulbransen plant gave
additional emphasis to his remarks.
"In the first quarter of 1934," continued Mr. Zack,
"we were shipping at a rate of somewhat more than
twice as many pianos as we were a year ago. It is
the outgrowth of an improvement that began to as-
sert itself as far back as last July and the length of
time which this upward trend has now sustained itself
leads us to believe that it will continue. This also
seems to be the opinion of our dealers who are report-
ing in a much more favorable way now than they have
at any time during the past few years. Accordingly,
we have enlarged our production schedule for a still
further increase.
"As a matter of fact, I think the Gulbransen plan of
selling through dealers exclusively aided us in main-
taining a pretty safe course throughout the depression
as well as kept us in line to experience quickly any
pick up in trade. It compelled us to be alert; also, it
necessitated keeping ourselves in a constantly flexible
condition to adopt promptly those recommendations
and suggestions which came to us so that we could
meet the market instead of waiting for the market to
meet us. As a result, we were never obliged to shut
down on account of lack of business. On the contrary,
our factory has been quite active right along although,
of course, our operations are on a much larger scale
now.
"As you probably know, on our plan of procedure,
we do not assume to know what features are most
preferred by the public or what will permit our pianos
to meet the market more favorably. We get that
information from our dealers and adjust ourselves ac-
cordingly. By adopting suggestions as they come to
us, we are enabled to concentrate our efforts upon
rather a limited number of models, each one of which
possesses a marked degree of salability. This keeps
our factory inventory costs down and helps us in of-
fering exceptional values."
In reviewing with Mr. Zack a considerable volume
of Gulbransen dealer correspondence showing those
points from which business is being received, it was
interesting to notice the names of many prominent
houses also the particularly cordial relationship ex-
isting between the Company and its dealers. One
large eastern merchant stated that the Gulbransen
Company is now furnishing the greatest piano value
he has seen in the past 30 years. This letter, in con-
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
junction with the quality and beauty of the pianos
seen upon the factory floor, caused the Presto-Times
representative to conclude that remarkable value,
equally as much as improved conditions, is responsible
for the activity going on at the Gulbransen Company
at this time.
PERSONAL
In the report of the Federal Trade Commission
the name of Carl C. Conway, president of the Con-
tinental Can Co., appears, as drawing a salary of
$60,000 in 1929 with a bonus of $13,000 and salary of
$62,910 in 1932 with a bonus of $32,081.
Pretty good for a former piano man, and shows
that his training, experience and ability in the piano
field, proved a fine stepping stone to greater things.
Mr. Robert N. Watkin, of the Will A. Watkin Com-
pany, the pioneer music house of Dallas, Texas, and,
as they advertise, "oldest and best music house in
North Texas," who has been reelected a director of
the Dallas Retail Merchants' Association, is also a
member of the retail code authority NRA for Dallas.
The Will A. Watkin Company is one of the houses
of the country that continues to have some consider-
ble business in sales of the reproducing piano, the
Ampico reproducing instrument being the instrument
to meet these requirements.
L. C. Wagner, general manager retail department,
of the Baldwin Piano Company, Chicago branch
house, gives an optimistic reply to a Presto-Times
inquiry on the season's piano sales by saying that the
first quarter of this year was quite satisfactory.
"March," he says, "was especially good, as business is
considered these days, but April, as a whole, has not
shown up so well. There have been some calls for
pianos that could be sold at a price to meet certain
competition along our piano row and we have had to
buy a considerable quantity of this class of sellers
from Eastern factories so as to be able to meet these
requirements. However, oar general trade so far this
year has been mainly of higher priced models having
enjoyed numerous sales running from $900 upward
and a good many above $1,000 and this I consider
indicative of better conditions in the piano trade."
The Roussellot Music Company, Inc., Milwaukee,
is making strenuous efforts to unload stock and uses
for a striking headline this "scary" announcement:
"Manufacturer Forces Sale; Orders Us to Sell."
The Biedrzycki Music Shop has been incorporated
for doing business at 2100 N. Damen Ave., Chicago.
Jack Adamson, who is manager of the band instru-
ment department of the Rudolph Wurlitzer store,
Dayton, Ohio, is also the director of the Wurlitzer
studios for the advancement of music, and it is said
that he has been responsible for the organization of
several accordion ensembles and a marimba group of
about a hundred pieces. Mr. Adamson also makes
the Wurlitzer radio announcements at the Dayton
studio.
N. D. Giles has opened a store on North New
Madrid Street, Sikeston, Missouri, to be known as a
P. A. Starck Piano Company store. Mr. Giles has
recently put in an entirely new stock of grands and
uprights and he says that trade prospects are favor-
able.
Loeser's Department Store at Fulton and Bond
Street, Brooklyn, New York, say that although they
have featured the Kranich & Bach piano for a long
time nevertheless they carry other distinguished
makes.
On the wall next to his desk in the office of the
general sales manager of an important Western piano
manufacturing establishment a plus sign in heavy
penciling is marked across the section of that calen-
dar on the twentieth day of the current month and
indicates, as the manager referred to explains, that up
to that date in April orders for as many pianos had
been received as came in during the entire month of
March. "So you see," remarked this G. S. M., "we
have yet one-third of the month in which to make up
a good fat surplus of orders over last month and we
are doing it. This increase in business, month after
month, since last December explains how we can
boast of the very great increase in orders over a year
ago."
NOT CAUGHT IN THE MARIETTA FIRE
In the big Marietta (Ohio) fire which destroyed a
good part of the furniture section of the Wainwright
Music and Furniture store, the George W. Morris
store—a block away—came near being destroyed
with others in that vicinity but fortunately the fire
was gotten under control.
Mr. Morris, known as "Uncle George," tells a cor-
respondent of Presto-Times that he is beginning to
sell a few pianos again and that he has put on his
"selling harness" and is ready to push trade as busi-
ness gets better, and he says he is "sure it will get
better."
John C. Deagan, founder and late president of the
John C. Deagan Company, retired from business about
ten years ago and had been living in Hermosa Beach,
California, where he died April 29.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MUSIC
COMPANY PLEASED WITH
CHANGE OF LOCATION
The officers, management and entire force of the
Southern California Music Company, at Los Angeles,
are greatly pleased with their change of location from
South Broadway, where they had been for several
years, to the beautiful and attractive building at 737
South Hill Street, a change which was made "only
after the most careful analysis of the present trend
in the down town business district," said one of the
officials of the company. Hill Street, the new loca-
tion, one block west of Broadway, is constantly in-
K. H. U!IL
Pres. Southern California
Music Co.
P. L. GRANNIS
Vioe-l'res. Southern Cali-
fornia Music Co.
creasing in importance as a trade center location in
Los Angeles for up-to-date business and attractive
warerooms. The store has a sixty-foot front and
splendid window display space and foyer.
Mr. E. H. Uhl, president of the Southern California
Music Company, speaking of this new store occupied
entirely by the Southern California Company, says:
"the interior of the store was carefully arranged to
permit a maximum of efficiency in all operations. The
basement will be occupied by G. Schirmer Music
Stores, Inc., wholesale stock department which
is being expanded to provide an improved Western
service on standard materials. G. Schirmer Music
Stores, Inc., has also purchased and will operate the
wholesale and retail published music departments
formerly conducted by the Southern California Music
Company itself. All Schirmer retail departments are
located on the main floor. Mr. Gustave Schirmer and
Mr. Robert Schirmer spent a month in Los Angeles
consummating the deal with the Southern California
Music Company and arranging for their own future
Western activities which will continue under the di-
rection of Mr. J. J. Apffel.
"Also located on the main floor are the departments
of Phonograph Records and Plectrum instruments and
strings—as well as a Concert Ticket Office. On the
second (mezzanine) floor are located the Radio de-
partment and general offices. The five specially built
rooms provide splendid lacilties for radio demonstra-
tion. The offices are so arranged as to permit the
greatest efficiency. The piano department occupies
the entire third floor which is impressively high-
ceilinged, permitting proper tone and decorative
demonstration. Beautiful large studios have been pro-
vided for the Baldwin and kindred lines for which the
Southern California Music Company is exclusive rep-
resentative. One large room has been reserved for
use as an intimate recital hall.
The officials of the Southern California Music Com-
pany are: E. H. Uhl, president; F. L. Grannis, vice-
president; E. M. Hovey, treasurer, and Scott William-
son, secretary; and they are all extremely optimistic
as to future conditions and the improved opportunities
for the Southern California Music Company to forge
ahead and eclipse all past records of their business.
DEALERS USE P-T TO ADVANTAGE
Miss Mayme Zechmann, enterprising piano dealer,
Sioux City, Iowa, is the subject of an interesting story
in the "Tribune" of that city telling about her busi-
ness career and the piano agencies which she con-
trols in that section.
Prefacing a complimentary mention of the Everett
and the Cable-Nelson pianos, the newspaper referred
to emphasizes its tribute to Miss Zechmann and to
these pianos by reproducing an editorial from Presto-
Times, headed, "What Do Piano Names Mean to the
Dealer Now."
The Zechmann story refers particularly to the
achievements of the Everett piano, stating that "it
has taken many years to attain the Everett quality of
today." Then follows the clipping from Presto-
Times, used as many other dealers are doing in like
manner, and to particularly excellent advantage in
the "Tribune's" references to the two pianos named.
Presto-Times is pleased to acknowledge receipt of the
Sioux City paper and feels rather complimented to
note how advantageously the story was used.
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