Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
323
the warerooms, leaving that part of the business to
his son OSCAR, who is a smart salesman, and I
think equal to his brother HENRY, who is now
traveling, with much success, for DECKER BROS.
ticularly attracted my notice. This is style of case
220. The case is exceedingly rich, and the design
something original and attractive. In addition to
the fretwork in front there is fretwork in the sides,
the advantage of this being in producing more vol-
ume of tone. In looking over the order book of the
B. S. BARRETT is ma'king a great improvement in
his warerooms by putting in a new floor, and fresco-
ing and adorning the walls with handsome and co&tly
pictures. MR. BARRETT does not intend to be out-
done by his competitors in regard to appearance, at
least. He informs me that every day he receives
shipments of HALLET & DAVIS PIANOS and WILCOX
& WHITE ORGANS, but as yet he has been unable to
OUT WEST.
BUFFALO, ERIE, CLEVELAND, NOR-
WALK, TOLEDO, DETROIT, CHES-
TERTON, AND CHICAGO.
IN our last issue, I gave an account of the trade
throughout the Eastern and part of the Southern
States; in this issue, I propose, as far as possible,
to present the true state of trade in the West.
BUFFALO.
HERE I find trade in general very quiet among
the dealers. At the factory of C. KURTZMANN there is
every indication of prosperity. MR KURTZMANN,
SR., tells me that although business is not as good as
he expected from the outlook on the 1st of January,
yet it is far ahead of last year. The firm has made
an extra effort to secure retail trade during the past
year, and they are now selling-five times as many
pianos in the city as heretofore. The KURTZMANN
PIANO has a splendid reputation in Buffalo, and in
fact in every city or town where it has been intro-
duced, and it only needs to be pushed the way the
firm is now doing to make the sales equal to
their facilities for manufacturing. MR. KURTZMANN
informs me that he is running the factory to Its fullest
capacity, with a view to getting a stock ahead, if
possible, for the Fall trade.
get the stock ahead that he would like to have. On
the whole, he says, his trade is increasing every day.
This may partly be due to the advent of a son, who
ha3 been taken at once into partnership.
WHITNEY ORGAN CO., I was pleased to see that
they have the very best of agents, and will venture to
say that there is no firm in the trade that can show
a better list. The new catalogue which the company
has just Issued is handsome in design, and shows
great care in printing. I trust the WHITNEY OR-
GAN Co. will very soon be able to get into their new
factory, as' they are now compelled to turn away
agents every day, owing to their inability to supply
them, and they are working thirteen hours a day at
that.
* *
THE
CLOUGH & WARREN ORGAN CO. informs me
H. M. BRAIN VRD & Co. have been very successful that they are now over one hundred orders behind,
from the daj- they started. This is not to be so and, judging from the way they have been pouring in
much wondered at, when a person comes to know during the past few days, they expect to be behind
for some time to come. The company state that the
MESSRS. BRAINARD&ISHAM and the energy and push
with which they are endowed. They sell as their report that they had given up the manufacture of pi-
anos is untrue. They intend to push this branch as
leaders the STEINWAY & HAZELTON PIANOS, which
has a great deal to do with their success, as the fast as consistent with good workmanship, and ex-
names of these instruments are alone a guar- pect very soon to be able to place upon the market a
antee of good workmanship and excellent musical piano that will give universal satisfaction.
qualities.
* *
TOLEDO.
AVHITNEY & KAYMOND are running their factory
right along, and seem to have orders sufficient to
warrant it, as they have accumulated but very little
WHITNEY & CURRIER do not manufacture pianos,
THERE are some people who think that MESSRS.
but in this they are greatly mistaken. I went over
their manufacturing department and saw pianos in
quired a splendid reputation throughout the country, every stage of construction, and therefore know
and no better proof of this can be given than the what I am saying to bo the truth. They make the
fact that disreputable firms are constantly trying to pianos called the PALACE and ARCADE, and they are
trade upon the name of the UNITED STATES ORGAN.
meeting with good success. At the present time
their manufacturing department is limited, and the
DETROIT.
demand is fully equal to all they can make, but as
THERE is no better or pleasanter trip in the coun- their trade in pianos increases the firm intend to
try than from Cleveland to Detroit by the boat. The enlarge the factory. I think that MESSRS. WHITNEY
DETROIT & CLEVELAND STEAM NAVIGATION COM- & CURRIER have been wise in going into manufac-
PANY run elegant steamers with every convenience turing pianos. They are situated only sixty-five
possible, between these two cities, every night, and miles from DETROIT, fifty-five miles from NOR-
a trip across the lake in the summer season is very WALK, ninety-one miles from FORT WAYNE, and two
ERIE.
enjoyable, especially after several days' riding amidst hundred miles from CINCINNATI. AS their trade
reaches into all these places, it can be readily seen
THE BURDETT ORGAN CO., which is located here, the dust and cinders of the railroads.
that if they handled pianos of another make they
is one of the most highly respected houses in the
must necessarily encroach upon the territory of
West. The organs manufactured by this house have
NOTWITHSTANDING
the
labor
troubles
are
far
from
agents
who would possiblj* sell the same instru-
become known all over the country, and the reputa-
being
ended
here,
the
piano
and
organ
trade
does
ment
as
they. With their own pianos, they can sell
tion they have gained has been great. Much of the
not
appear
to
suffer
much
through
it,
as
the
two
or-
where
and
to whom they please, and interfere with
success gained by this firm is due to the untiring
gan
firms
here
report
that
they
are
away
behind
no
one,
and
as they have agents all through the
efforts of JUDGE C. C. CONVERSE, the secretary and
orders,and
yet
working
overtime.
West
whom
they
control, it is an easy matter to
business manager. I always count upon a pleas-
introduce
their
goods.
MB. CURRIER tells me that
ant chat of an hour or two with the JUDGE, and
they
are
making
arrangements
to push the BOABD-
was much disappointed on this trip to find him
THE success of the WHITNEY ORGAN CO. has been
MAN
&
GRAY
piano
(in
which
they
are largely inter-
absent. The gentleman in charge, however, stated
remarkable from the very first. They started in ested) throughout the West, and make it more popu-
that although trade was by no means what they
business right in the midst of the dull times, and lar than ever before.
would like it, yet they had no reason to complain, as
when competition was ;he strongest. In the face of
their books showed a great increase over last year.
all this, inside of one year they had worked up a
NORWALK.
The new styles of the BURDETT ORGAN are very
trade which compelled them to run their factory to
handsome, and ought to take well.
THE A. B. CHASE CO. have already scored a great
its fullest extent. Their trade has never slackened
up, but has been constantly on the Increase, and in success in manufacturing pianos, and they now have
.CLEVELAND.
order to meet the demands of their old dealers and more orders on their books than they can fill for
HERE I find the trade pretty gonerally cut up.
others who are anxious for their goods, they have been some time to come. MR. MOORE, the Superintend-
As a rule, the dealers are running one another, and
obliged to erect a new and much larger factory. This ent, showed me several letters from the dealers who
selling instruments with margin barely enough to
new factory, which they hope to have completed, have received their pianos, and they all speak in the
pay expenses. This news I got from the dealers
and move into by the 1st of September, will be three warmest praise of the A. B. CHASE PIANO. By invi-
themselves, and consequently is authentic.
stories high and 150 feet long on each side, I t will tation of MR. MOORE, I went over the entire factory,
* *
be one of the most complete in the country, and it and examined the whole material used In the con-
B. DREHER IS having a good many sales for the will contain the PULLMAN system of handling lum- struction of these pianos, and I am free to say that
DECKER BROS.'pianos, his sales for May reaching ber, which is by far the best in use. By this system it is nothing but the finest. The firm make every
twenty-six instruments. If this can be continued, I the lumber is moved direct from the lumber yards to part of their piano, except the action plates, keys,
don't see that he has much reason for complaint. the machinery, requiring no rehandling. All the strings, and hardware. These materials are pur-
MR. B. DBEHEH does not devote much of his time to styles made by this concern are pretty, but one par- chased from the most reputable houses in the trade.
stock ahead.
The UNITED STATES ORGAN has ac-