Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
M
M. A. VAN WAGONER,
Detroit.
One of the best known members of the Michi-
gan music trade is M. A. Van Wagoner, now of
Detroit. He was born in Oxford, Oakland
County, Michigan, in 1847. Started in the
music business in the city of Lapeer, L,apeer
M. A. VAN WAGONER.
County, in 1874, at which place he continued
doing business until 1881, when he formed a co-
partnership with C. J. Whitney in Chicago.
Two years later he returned to Lapeer, where he
continued his business until November, 1892, at
which time he purchased the business of the
Detroit Music Company, then run by Chas.
Bobzin. Mr. Van Wagoner still continues to
run it under the name of Detroit Music Com-
pany, which name was established twenty-five
years ago. He is handling Hardman, Fischer
and Pease pianos and Farrand & Votey organs.
His quarters are large and well appointed.
porated under the laws of Michigan in the fall
of 1887. In 1891 the company erected for their
business a handsome store 90 feet deep and three
stories in height.
tion. In 1892 he secured the agency of the
Steinway pianos for Cleveland territory and
is now selling the Steinway, Weber, Gilde-
meester & Kroeger, Wissner, Kurtzmann, and
Stuyvesant pianos and Estey Organs. He em-
ploys a force of six piano salesmen and em-
L. W. COOKE,
Huron.
I v . W. Cooke first engaged in the music trade
in Osage, Iowa, in the year 1874, covering a field
of three counties, and doing all his canvassing
himself, averaging one hundred organs per year.
During the year 1881, he removed to South
Dakota, investing in land and incidentally sell-
ing a few instruments. In 1884 he bought out
a small music house in Huron, S. D., and again
devoted his entire attention to the business. In
1887 he purchased a stock and opened a music
house in Watertown, S. D. Since that time he
has earnestly and persistently prosecuted the
business until he has justly earned the title of
being one of the greatest " Rustlers " in the
music trade of the West. He carries both at
Huron and Watertown a complete line of pianos,
organs, sewing machines and small musical
merchandise of all kinds.
Mr. W. N. Mclntyre has been the efficient
manager of the Watertown office since its initial
opening, in 1887, while Mr. Louis E. Sheets,
A. D. COE.
who has been with him for three years, is man- ploys altogether about twenty people in connec-
ager of the Huron office and store, Mr. Cooke tion with his business. Mr. Coe writes :
devoting his time to the piano trade on the road
"We are having a good trade notwithstand-
and employing from three to five canvassers to ing the talk of hard times.''
GEORGE H. WHITE,
riarshall.
George H. White, of Marshall, Mich., was
born in Walpole, N. H., in 1833. He moved to
Michigan and in 1S53 started the news business.
When the War of the Rebellion broke out he
had five newspapers per day, and at the close of
the war took up the book and music business,
under the firm name of J. S. White & Co. Dur-
ing the past twenty-five years Mr. White has pub-
lished a catalogue of over one hundred and fifty
copyrights ; among them are songs which have
become immensely popular. "Gently Down
the Stream of Time," " Gognac Quickstep,"
and many others. Mr. White has what is termed
a department store. The music department is on
C. E. SHATTUCK,
Owosso.
Mr. Shattuck commenced about a quarter of a
century ago to sell sewing machines, then added
organs and pianos and small instruments, and
since typewriters and bicycles. He has in
L. W . COOK.
look after the organ and sewing machine trade,
thus practically controlling the music trade of
central South Dakota and Western Minnesota.
In pianos he carries the Weber, Estey, Wheelock,
Emerson, Kimball and Camp. In organs the
Estey, Kimball and Camp & Co. Trade, though
somewhat dull, is exceeding expectations, and
Mr. Cooke looks forward to one of the most
satisfactory years' trade in his business history.
A. D. COE,
Cleveland.
The subject of this sketch, Mr. A. D. Coe,
is one of the younger members of the music
trade, being born in 1856. After leaving college
he became connected with the Cleveland Daily
C. E . SHATTUCK.
Herald in the capacity of local reporter and tele-
pianos the S. G. Chickering, Colby, Sohmer, A. graph editor. Afterwards he went with Col. Gray,
B. Chase, Boardman & Gray, Kimball and of the Schomacker Piano Co., where he became
Sterling, and the Sterling, Palace, Kimball, proficient as a piano-forte tuner. He followed
Lawrence, Clough & Warren, Estey, A. B. the profession of piano-forte tuning in Cleveland,
Chase, Bell, Story & Clark and Allegar organ. from 1879 to 1886, when he became actively en-
He carries sixteen makes of sewing machines. gaged in the piano business in Cleveland under
It would require too much time and space to the firm name of A. D. Coe & Co. Two years
enumerate all the different goods which he later he took the Chickering piano. The part-
handles. The Michigan S. M. and Organ Co., nership of A. D. Coe & Co. was dissolved and in
of which Mr. Shattuck is manager, was incor- 1890 he opened warerooms in his present loca-
GEORGE H. WHITE.
the 2d floor. He sells also all kinds of small
wares. In organs and pianos he has sold the
Kimball, Mason & Hamlin, Hallet & Davis,
Hardman, and others. Mr. White attributes his
success in life entirely to the music business.
GEORGE S. DALES,
Akron.
George S. Dales was born in the town of
Copley, Ohio. His store is very spacious and
commodious, handsomely fitted up and divided