value developed as well as' the beauty and simplicity
of the case work. Presto-Times is pleased to be
able to show an illustration of this new studio type
model made from photograph the day before publi-
cation of this paper.
Gulbransen Officials Visit the Trade
In the early part of this year, in the zero weather
days of last winter, S. E. Zack, president of the Gul-
bransen Company, started out for a visit to the
Pacific Coast tour that he determined to make another
similar one, somewhere else, at the first opportunity.
After his return from California, E. P. Williams, sales
manager, made a ten-day tour of the Elast with ex-
cellent results in direct orders and valuable contacts.
In the meantime Secretary McDermott made a short
trip and later on quite an extended one through the
South.
These official tours became interesting and bore
good fruit. They gave opportunity to meet the regu-
lar traveling representatives of Gulbransen: J. C.
Henderson of the Eastern and Southeastern states;
Earl R. Billings, Jr.. of the Southwestern states, and
M. F. Martin, the California representative, and in
particular enabled dealers and Gulbransen officials to
meet which, as Mr. Zack says, "was our first and
prime object of getting out into the trade, as we arc
doing.''
Mr. Zack's last trip from which he recently returned,
riding along the Mexican Gulf Coast from New r
Orleans to Florida, was just about half-and-half
pleasure and business. Enroute to Florida he made
several calls on business houses and returning did
likewise and picked up another bunch of orders.
THE NEW WILKING BRANCH
STORES ARE ACTIVE
G.
A.
McDermott, Vice-President and
Gulbransen Company
13
P R E S T O-T I M E S
March-April, 1936
Superintendent,
Pacific Coast, which lie announced might be con-
sidered either as a combined "pleasure and business
trip' 1 or a "business and pleasure trip," as one might
be inclined to announce it. He was away for nearly
three weeks and enjoyed many delightful days of
pleasure and recreation and at the same time visited
Presto-Times referred a few weeks ago to plans
for state-wide extension of the Wilking Music Com-
pany's piano selling operations, throughout the State
of Indiana. These plans, carefully laid, have been de-
veloping in a conservative manner until now three
well appointed, well arranged and well carried on
branch stores have been established and are running
under successful and paying conditions.
Mr. Wilkimg's first branch store was started at Mun-
cie, lnd., and is known as the Muncie Music Com-
pany. This store, conducted by Arthur E. Wilhem.
has been doing a remarkably excellent business. Then
came the opening of the Fort Wayne store, known
under the name, Wilking Music Company, and man-
aged by Mr. Ora Dick. After these two stores were
well in operation, Thomas Riddick. who opened them
and got them well started, turned to Evansville where
the third store was opened, about the middle of Feb-
ruarv. A nartv who has visited all thru the estab-
come. It is gratifying to observe that the unit of
sale from the Wilking store during 1935 and so far
this year is practically on a par with some of the
peak years of that gentleman's ten years in business:
"And that is saying something," says Mr. Wilking,
"for we have always been recognized as one of the big
piano houses of the country doing a business of suffi-
cient volume to overshadow total sales of many stores
in cities much larger than Indianapolis and known
as big and prominent music houses."
Mr. Wilking always gives due credit to the men
associated with him in the conduct of his business.
His is the guiding hand, but he is always appreciative
of the work of his salesmen, and has built around his
business a class of men who are the best to be had.
Mr. Wilking, himself, is a supersalesman and his sales
organization is one of the most efficient anywhere and
one that he is proud of.
The Wilking Line of Pianos
The Wilking line consists of the Baldwin, the Kurtz-
mann, the Gulbransen, the Haddorff (embracing the
Bush & Gerts), and the Wurlitzer (embracing
Apollo, the Kurtzmann, and other names controlled
by Wurlitzer).
Although Mr. Wilking will spend much of his time
"in the field" visiting the Wilking branch stores and
other agencies and tie-ups and associate agencies for
his house, his main office will be at the Indianapolis
store, 120 E. Ohio Street, that city, which is one ot
the store and office attractions of the Hoosier Capital,
an elaborately arranged piano salesroom—one of the
best in the United States. Mr. Wilking has believed
for years that proper piano display is necessary for
a successful carrying on of the piano business. Piano
men who go to Indianapolis make it a rule to call and
see Mr. Walking's elaborately furnished piano selling
emporium.
The photograph accompanying this account of the
doings and operations of the Wilking Music Company.
120 Ohio Street, Indianapolis, was taken at Fort
Wayne and shows, left to right, Frank O. Wilking.
President; Paul Smiley, Wholesale Representative of
the Baldwin Piano Company, Cincinnati, Ohio; O. W.
Dick, manager of the Wilking Music Company, Fort
Wayne: H. P. Williams, manager of the Wilking
Music Company, Evansville, lnd., and T. M. Riddick,
Jr., general wholesale manager for the Wilking Music
Company.
STRAUBE PROGRESS
Since the reincorporation and reorganization of the
Straube Piano Company, Hammond, Indiana, marked
acivity has been shown from week to week, month
to month, in a manner that indicates that the Straube
piano is favored by the best dealers today as it has
been for years past. The new models placed on the
market this season are marked in design and superior
in quality, both constructively as well as musically,
and today the instrument is sold at an exceedingly
Photograph taken at Wilking Music Company's store,
Fort Wayne branch.
Left to right: Frank O. Wilking,
attractive price, a price which enables the dealer to
Pres. Wilking Music Co.; Paul Smiley, wholesale rep.,
make of this instrument a business-builder and money-
Baldwin Piano Co., Cincinnati; O. W. Dick, mgr. Wilking
store, Fort Wayne; H. P. Williams, mgr. Wilking store,
maker.
Evansville; T. M. Riddick, Jr., wholesale mgr. Wilking
Music Co.
Lem Kline, one of the best known piano men of
lishment writes to Presto-Times that they are attrac- the country, now the general manager of the Straube
tive establishments and kept up in a manner to please
Piano Co., has been going after business in an aggres-
any city or community. Newspapers, business men, sive way and in a manner that is bringing many new
y
and others w ere very friendly in their cooperation in dealers to handle the Straube piano. Numerous car-
seeing the Wilking enterprises join them, and the load orders have been filled and shipments of three,
Chamber of Commerce of each city cooperated whole
six, nine and a dozen are quite a common occurrence
heartedly to make the people in their respective local- at the Straube factory at Hammond, lnd.
ities acquainted with the fact that they would h<:
Mr. Kline's longest and most extensive tour was
served by active and representative gentlemen in
the Pacific coast from which territory he recently
whom they could place entire confidence. The Evans- to
This embraced Texas, New Mexico and
ville store takes the home-town name, "Wilking Music returned.
the entire state of California from south to
Company." This business is conducted by H. P. Wil- Arizona,
north, several points in Oregon and Washington, re-
liams, a wellknown figure in the piano business and
by way of Spokane, Salt Lake City and
who was a traveler for a prominent piano manufac- turning
Denver.
turing concern before joining the Wilking enter-
prises.
It is plainly seen by these advancing strides by
Lost—Found
Mr. Wilking and his able associates that continuous
and far-reaching activities have been going on and
In a rush to get off several motor truckloads of
are now well formed and in proper shape for the ag-
gressive campaign which the Wilking Music Company pianos from the Wurlitzer factory at De Kalb, 111.,
is making in all advantageous sections of the Hoosier and to be delivered at various points in Indiana for
E. P. WILLIAMS, SALES MANAGER, THE GULBRAN-
the Wilking Music Company for their branch stores
State.
SEN CO.
A recent interview by a Presto-Times representative and special sales, a lot of rubber covers were minus,
numerous deals to and fro and up and down the
with Mr. Wilking in Indianapolis, which city, of course, which brought out a letter from Mr. Wilking to Cyril
Coast bringing back a good bunch of orders on his
remains the headquarters of the Wilking Music Com- Farny, general manager of the Wurlitzer Grand Piano
Co., that in this shipment twenty-four pianos were
return to Chicago, some being, as he admitted, "com-
pany and the Wilking Company operations, says that
plimentary" orders, but others which he said were
he looks forward to a very lively year in the piano minus covers, all of which indicates that piano ship-
really earned by good salesmanship with a salable business for 1936 and a continued betterment in thi> ments for the Wilking business in various parts of
go Museum
out by (www.arcade-museum.com).
dozens and scores these days.
particular
line Society
of the
music (www.mbsi.org)
industries for
years
to Indiana
article. So Enhanced
interested
was
President
on by this
content
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and Zack
presented
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