Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
The Men Who Sell the Pianos are Optimistic.
we see no reason but what we ought to do a
good conservative business this fall. Most of our
factories are running on full time. We hope re-
possessions will be lessened from now on. Col-
lections are improving and the general business
of our city seems to be on tne increase.
Since our great fire of 1904 there have been a
great many millions of dollars spent for all
kinds of improvements. Most of this money has
been spent with the mechanics, so with all this
we ought to reap some benefit locally. We have
greatly improved our city and have great faith
in the future.
GERMAIN PIANO CO.. Saginaw, Mich.
We take pleasure in viewing the future opti-
mistically. Our business from July 1 has been
very gratifying in the sense that our sales have
been as large as a year ago and our initial pay-
ments better. A greater demand exists in this
locality for the higher grade goods than ev«r
before.
Our fall prospects are really bright In the
cities. We feel apprehension that the farm and
small town trade will be considerably lessened
owing to the continued dry spell and numerous
forest fire losses.
Regarding the repossession of pianos, I believe
that it rests entirely with the management of
the piano concern. Day after day we turn people
away who we really know cannot afford a piano,
but nevertheless they purchase one elsewhere.
It naturally means a repossession. We believe
in being conservative and get all the good deals
that we possibly can, and let our competitors
have all the poorer ones they want. The more
they get the quicker they are out of business.
All of our factories in this locality are now
running full time, but a good many of our pros-
pective purchasers are considerably behind owing
to their layoff and have deferred buying for the
time being.
Collections are coming along nicely at the
present. Our customers are showing the desire
to pay, and we find no cause to complain in this
regard.
We feel that the financial depression is slowly
blowing over and we look for a renewed wave of
general prosperity. Our optimism is well founded
by weighing trade and business conditions in
general, and we fully trust and believe that our
expectations will be well fulfilled.
GEO. D. JARVIS & SON, Burlington, Vt.
In our section, the fall trade will be up to the
normal. The first six months of the year trade
was not very brisk, but after the first of July
there was a decided change and August was a
very good month. We did more business in the
month of August than we have done in any
August before since we have been in business.
Our stock is clean and repossessed pianos are
sold.
The most of our trade has been from farmers,
as they seem to be guilty of having the money
this year.
Our percentage of cash sales is larger this
year than ever before. Collections have im-
proved since July 1 very decidedly.
Election does not seem to influence business
any in our territory, and nearly every one is em-
ployed at the present time.
If all the piano dealers' stock throughout the
country is in the same condition that mine was
July 1, they will simply snow the manufacturers
under with orders this fall.
more than half the business we did last year. I
think, however, that from this time on business
will steadily improve, but that the improvement
will be very slow, so far as the piano business is
concerned. I believe that repossessing pianos is
about over, as compared with the past several
months. There are very few men in our vicin-
ity who cannot get work of some kind if they are
anxious enough to secure it.
We have noticed no material improvement in
collections so far, although I hope and believe
there will be a steady improvement along this
l.ne within the next sixty days.
The hard times have made the buying public
in this part of the country very slow to invest in
anything in the way of luxuries, and I think it
will be some time before they will "loosen up"
and buy as readily as they did previous to one
year ago.
j
STERCHI BROS., Knoxville, Tenn.
We are expecting about such a fall business
as we had in 1906. There are quite a number of
idle men in this city yet. Repossessing pianos
has practically ceased. Collections are improv-
ing slowly.
THE MORRISON BROS. CO., Hickory, N. C.
We are expecting as large a trade this fall as
we had in 1907. The prospect for fall business
is right encouraging and we believe that the re-
possessions of pianos and organs will be a great
deal less than the dealer expects. All the labor-
ing men of this section seem to have employ-
ment. Collections in this state are getting bet-
ter, but we don't expect very large collections
until the latter part of November. Our trade is
improving and at the present time is good.
OLSTAD, MARKUS & CO., Minneapolis, Minn.
In reply to your circular letter we will say
that ours is largely an out-of-town business. We
find it easier to do business now than four or
five months back. The crops generally are good,
and we have the best of hopes for a good fall
business.
In this city we think that work is not as plen-
tiful as it might be, but our impression is that
dealers generally are doing a fair business. We
have not been troubled at any stage of the game
with repossessions.
BOLLMAN BROS. PIANO CO., St. Louis, Mo.
Business in our section of the country is
spasmodic. Some days there is a considerable
improvement and the next day it is just the
opposite. However, we are firm in the belief
that the fall trade this year will equal, if not sur-
pass, last year.
Our repossessions have practically ceased, and
in and around St. Louis, especially in East St.
Louis and Granite City, where thousands have
been idle, conditions are fast getting back into
normal and each day more men are put to work.
We are very well satisfied with our collections,
as they are up to the average.
KOERBER-BRENNER MUSIC CO., St. Louis.
We find a steady improvement and look for-
ward to having a better fall trade in 1908 than
we did in 1907.
As to collections, we do not find any material
improvement, in fact, our collections for the
month of September, 1908, have been less than
those of 1907.
MALONE'S MUSIC HOUSE, Columbia, S. C.
On account of short crops caused by a severe
drouth in July, the very disastrous floods in
August, the decline in the price of cotton, and
the cotton mills running on such short time, we
do not consider the outlook as favorable as it
was last year.
Repossessions will never cease as long as
pianos are sold on long time, which is usually
the case here in South Carolina.
JESSE FRENCH PIANO CO., St. Louis.
It gives me pleasure to place myself on record
as believing that we are at the beginning of
highly improved conditions.
The daily papers of this section bear testi-
mony to the employment of great numbers of
wage earners and while money is not moving
as freely as we might hope for, yet the constant
increase in daily wages paid is improving; col-
lections also. We notice marked improvement in
the cash installments and cash sales.
Business is better and we are very optimistic
over the outlook for the coming season.
ROANOKE MUSIC CO., Roanoke, Va.
So far a we are concerned, we have not done
CONROY PIANO CO., St. Louis, Mo.
I certainly believe fall trade for 1908 will far
surpass 1907. I think the returns on pianos are
practically over, and there seems to be a much
healthier condition of affairs in general. I find
collections are improving right along, and it ap-
pears there are not so many out of employment.
Strange to say, speaking of the late depres-
sion, our business so far for 1908 is ahead of
1907 for the same period, although, of course, it
would have shown a much greater increase, if
the condition of the times were different.
W. J. BAILEY, Madisonville, Ky.
The piano business is exceedingly good with
me just now and the other agents here are look-
ing prosperous, as one of them just received a
carload of organs the other day and all looks
good. I sold a little Columbia Sunday night and
Monday morning I traded a Braumuller for a
house and lot even, and Tuesday I sold a Bennett
on easy payments, so I have no kick, and, in fact,
I never kick. I ordered two Columbias last
night and one Braumuller, and one Smith, Barnes
& Strohber.
LELAND B. GORTON, Paw Paw, Mich.
The trade outlook in this section is very en-
couraging. My books show a gratifying increase
in sales for this month as compared with the
same period in 1907 and collections which have
been steadily improving for several months are
now practically normal. Repossessions are be-
coming very infrequent and in view of the re-
sumed activity in manufacturing industries and
the unusually large crops in this vicinity I am
looking forward to fall trade in a most optimis-
tic manner. Sales of the better class predomi-
nate and unusually substantial payments are be-
ing secured with little difficulty. From every
viewpoint the outlook is most satisfactory and
I anticipate the closing of an excellent year.
H. J. TURNELL & CO., Jackson, Mich.
On the whole, trade is not as good as it was in
1907. Of course, it is better now than it was
earlier in the season, but it needs to be. We find
trade very sensitive to every adverse influence.
A few hot days, the closing of a small factory, a
run on an obscure bank and such things are
seized upon by communities not directly affected
and used to drag business down still further.
Our own trade is so concentrated that we have
not found much difficulty in making collections,
so our repossessions have been few, but In some
cases we have been assured by dealers that their
repossessions had ceased because they had
reached the capacity of their warerooms.
Do we look for better times and will we have
them?
"I doubt it not and all these woes shall serve
as sweet discourses in our time to come."
WM. S. HOLLENBACK & CO., Reading, Pa.
I would say in answer to your first question
that our business in September already shows
an increase over last September of nearly twice
as many sales, and more than twice as much in
cash receipts.
Answering your second question, would say
that we are glad to report very few repossessions
—with possibly one in prospect now.
As to the third question, must answer that
many are without work and nearly all factories
are on short time.
Our answer as to collections is decidedly "yes."
As to the future, we think "it looks good," al-
though we are not taking big chances on time
sales.
THE J. T. WAMELINK & SONS PIANO CO.,
Cleveland, Ohio.
From present indications we are inclined to
believe there will be a 40 per cent, decrease in
business this fall, as compared with that of last
year. There have been a great many unemployed
during the last year and it will no doubt be a
hardship for such to meet their monthly pay-
ments, although the percentage of repossession
will be considerably less than during the months
of June, July and August. According to our
daily newspapers about 35 per cent, of the un-
employed have returned to work, which fact is