Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
June-July, 1937
Gulbransen's Exhibit at the 1937 Down Comes Chicago's Oldest Loop
Music Trade Landmark
Convention of National Associ-
ation of Music Merchants
Just after the big Chicago fire the building at Dear-
by smaller towns and cities wheh would be operated
from these two headquarters.
Concerning Mr. Riddick, he was connected with
Philip Werlein, Ltd., New Orleans, for several years
as sales manager. He moved to Indianapolis in 1933
and became associated with the Wilking Music Com-
pany in distributing the Baldwin and V\ urlitzer lines.
When the Indiana Piano Company was formed in
October last year he joined that combination. Mr.
Riddick is now the general manager for the Indiana
Piano Company with headquarters at the Indianapolis
.-tore, No. 28 S. Pennsylvania St., where they have a
very beautiful establishment.
born, Van Buren and Federal streets, on the south
side of Van Buren, was built for Alonson Reed, who
established there Reed's Temple of Music, for years
an important piano house in Chicago. This building
is soon to be razed to make room for a skyscraper.
The old building is a three-story structure, sixty foot
frontage on Van Buren street from Dearborn to
Federal street, a short street lying between Dearborn
and Clark.
JUST A DIVERSION FROM THE MUSIC BUSI-
In the early forties Alonson Reed landed in Chi-
NESS BY PROMINENT MUSIC
cago from a lake steamer and brought with him
BUSINESS-MEN
among various salable articles a Chickering piano to
try to sell to the wild and woollies. The instrument
was heralded as the first Chickering piano taken A Personal Interview by a Presto-Times Reporter.
west of Detroit and the first one in Chicago. The
instrument was exhibited in a store window for
The recent visit of Sam and Max Targ. president
several days after it arrived and on which was a card and treasurer respectively of Targ & Dinner, Inc.,
reading: "Orders taken for pianos; delivery within prominent musical merchandise wholesalers in Chi-
two months." As the story goes and as used to be cago, divulges that their interests are quite diversified
related by the late John Reed, who lived at Hinsdale outside of the musical scope. During their brief visit
at the time of his death some fifteen years, the profits to France, Germany, Czecho-Slovakia, Poland and
on these first sales were used to start their first music
England they made observations of the economic,
store venture. F*or a long time John and Henry Reed, social, educational and political phases of these coun-
sons of Alonson, kept track of this piano and it was tries and their peoples.
exhibited several times in the Reed Temple of Music
Literally, the air throughout Europe is quite tense
Store. It should have been given to the Chicago because of unrest and dissatisfaction with activities
Historical Society or have been preserved in some and labor disturbances, making the task of a decent
other way. It would be a valuable Chickering dis- living very difficult. The countries have not yet re-
play relic.
gained the losses suffered during the world's war. In
An incident covering the physical condition and the spirit of patriotism, the people are asked to de-
general arrangements of the building was often told prive themselves of mediocre necessities. Govern-
by Edw. Ambuhl, who was the general sales manager ments are imposing an innumerable variety of taxes
and principal traveler for Chickering & Sons. This which keeps the workers in dire circumstances.
story related of how, when the Chickerings were
Fascist propaganda is spreading noticeably in the
arranging to take a mortgage on the building to secure now democratic countries, which adds considerably
an account which had become of good proportions, to the fear of enduring peace. The working con-
Mr. Ambuhl and three other men spent an hour one ditions of the employed and wage scale are pitiably
dark cold night working secretly and by the very
low. The standard of living of the average European
dim gas light of the streets to get particulars about family is much inferior to that of the average Amer-
the construction and exact measurements of the build- ican family. It must be acknowledged that the de-
ing. There were doubts about these things that was mands of the Europeans are not comparable to ours.
necessary to be cleared up for court proceedings, Their social characteristics are more composed and
and the four men took this opportunity three hours sedate.
after midnight to gain the information in advance of
The cultural facilities of Czecho-Slovakia and Po-
others which was necessary to have in court to offset land are very limited due to the economic status of
certain other data which had been brought up. Mr. these countries. Children of both sexes begin to work
Ambuhl kept guard while the other three experts did at an early age. Women share the burden of pro-
the actual work issued them to do.
viding for their families equally with the men.
For a long time in the early days of the music
Almost immediately upon the arrival on European
One of the outstanding social events of the con- business in Chicago Reed's Temple of Music was the shores the average American is imbued with a super-
Chickering
representative
and
later
on,
when
square
vention will be Gulbransen "open house" which will
iority complex and throughout the travels in Europe
be held on Tuesday evening. The many hundreds pianos were being turned in as part payment on up- cannot help being conscious of the many natural ad-
who thoroughly enjoyed a similar evening at last rights, it was said that on half the pianos offered was vantages this country affords. Americans finding fault
year's great show will look forward to this event with the rubber stamp mark "Reed's Temple of Music."
with this country should be sent to Europe and they
anticipation.
are certain to return loyal, and loving the dear old
U. S. A. more than they did before. "There is no
All in all, this year's Gulbransen exhibit will be the
AN ACTIVE BALDWIN SET-UP IN
country like it on the globe," is the unanimous ex-
most pretentious and interesting the progressive Chi-
INDIANA
pression of Americans on their return board of ship.
cago concern has ever put on. This may be hard to
believe, especially in view of last year's great exhibit
The Indiana music establishment, the Indiana Piano
at the Stevens in Chicago, but all Gulbransen Com-
RAY MILLER GOES SHOPPING
pany asks is that the dealers come and see for them- Company, which for sonic years past has been op-
erating at two important points in that state, Fort
selves.
He did not have to go far nor travel long, just out
Wayne and Muncie, has extended its operations to of one county of northern Illinois to the adjoining
Indianapolis and established what might be termed one—from Dixon to DeKalb. Mr. Miller said to a
THE STORY & CLARK DISPLAY
a Baldwin chain of selling operations. Indianapolis representative of Presto-Times, when the two met at
being the largest city for these operations will logical- the Wurlitzer factory, that he had rushed over that
The Story & Clark exhibit at the Hotel New
Yorker will comprise five good size rooms and suites ly be the main store, but Fort Wayne has so far been day to secure a certain grand model of which there
the point where the bookkeeping and accounting have was just one at the factory in readiness for shipping.
occupied by an array of something like a score of
magnificent examples of the art of piano mak'ng, been done.
It had been made ready for a rush order. By some
musically, mechanically, and all charming specimens
The territory carried on by the Indiana Piano Com- hook or crook Mr. Miller got that piano, and the
of artistic beauty. Two rooms will probably be given pany took over the Baldwin line several months ago last word from him as he was starting back to Dixon
over to an elaborate showing of the new Story & but it was not until February of this year that the was, "1 got it all right!"
Clark consoles, the Dynamic Spinet. The Story &
Indiana Piano Company was given the Indianapolis
Miller & Sons Music House at Dixon is one
Clark achievement in a grand, the S&C 54, will be agency, which had been in the hands of Wilking Piano of The
a good many long-established music concerns that
a very important unit in this ensemble, regarded by
Company. Mr. T. M. Riddick is in charge of the has gone in for exclusive agency. "Our line now is
the manufacturers and heralded by them (see Story
Indianapolis store. Mr. O. W. Dick remains at Fort solely and exclusively Wurlitzer. We find that with
& Clark announcement and the illustration of the Wayne, which is his native city and where he has
a house owning and manufacturing several
54 Grand at back inside cover page of this paper) as carried on business for many years and for several such
high and medium grades, that such a varied
"unquestionably the finest piano we have ever years a Baldwin representative prior to the forming pianos,
assortment
is a greater convenience than purchasing
created.'
of the Indiana Piano Company. Mr. A. E. Wilhelm through as many different firms as we secure direct
As a parting word before going to press with this of Muncie is also a native of that city and he, too, from Wurlitzer."
issue of Presto-Times, our editors insist that every before joining in with the Indiana Piano Company,
Mr. Miller voices the sentiment of the day that the
visitor to the New York convention when at the was the Baldwin dealer at Muncie.
piano business is improving rapidly, and he says that
Story & Clark display not only see and hear, but
Mr. Dick, therefore, is in direct charge of the Fort he is on the alert to have his share, as the Miller &
EXAMINE carefully and minutely the product there Wayne store, Mr. Wilhelm at Muncie. and each of
Sons Music House has always enjoyed in that ter-
to be shown.
these stores for a radius of many miles is surrounded ritory.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
In view of past performances at previous conven-
tions, it is to be expected that this year's display of
Gulbransen products at the forthcoming convention
of the National Association of Music Merchants,
which is to be held at Hotel New Yorker in New
York City, July 26-29 inclusive, will be indeed out-
standing. A representative of the Presto-Times paid
a visit out to Gulbransen's great factory at the corner
of Kedzie and Chicago avenues in the "windy city,"
and from what he learned in conversation with various
Gulbransen executives, it would appear that there will
be no question of Gulbransen Company putting on
not only a great show, but an even greater one than
they have ever put on before. In the opinion of
Presto-Times there are many reasons why every
dealer should make it his business to visit the East
Room on the fourth floor of Hotel New Yorker dur-
ing the convention.
In the first place, Gulbransen's display will be com-
plete in every sense of the word. Every one of the
highly salable models in the line will be represented
at the show. In addition there will be a number of
special models in several new styles and designs and
finishes, along with other innovations which Gulbran-
sen executives promise will make it of extreme im-
portance to every dealer that he visit and spend much
time in the Gulbransen display rooms.
One of the most important and interesting phases
of Gulbransen's 1937 exhibit will be the most preten-
tious display of new sales promotion and advertising
helps which the company has ever put on. Among
these will be attractive new window displays, new
posters, new types of descriptive literature and other
innovative selling helps of various kinds. Outstand-
ing among these very important selling helps with
which Gulbransen supplies its dealers will be a com-
plete and all-inclusive selling plan devised by the
company and centered around the famous Fowler
Easy Piano Method. This selling plan will be com-
plete in every way and will include more than a dozen
thoroughly proved ideas which are guaranteed to
produce highly satisfactory results for Gulbransen
dealers. The plan, along with the Fowler method, is
to be made available to Gulbransen dealers exclusive-
ly and will be demonstrated at intervals throughout
the four days of the convention.
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