Music Trade Review

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MUSIC TRADE: REVIEW
Business Shows Improvement During Week—Both Manufacturers and Dealers Busy—Some
Cunningham Advertising—The Forrest Piano—Increase Space Devoted to Strawbridge &
Clothier Department—Heppe & Sons Give Away Old Squares—General News of the Week.
(Special to The Review.*
Philadelphia, Pa., April 26, 1910.
The piano business in Philadelphia is showing
still more improvement this week over last and
the gradual increase one week over the other is
bringing business into a very good shape, and if
anything above the normal. This is notice-
able all around, not with the department stores,
nor with the regular dealers, nor with the big
and not the little fellows, but all alike seem to
be moving ahead in a most satisfactory way.
Philadelphia seems again on a fair road of
prosperity and every dealer should touch wood so
that nothing may transpire to stop this forward
movement. All three of the big Philadelphia
manufacturers report that they have never been
more busy than at the present moment. They
are working their factories to capacity. The
Lester Co., following the recent trip of Mr. Miller
and Mr. Pressey to the West, are clogged with
orders that must be gotten out this Spring, and
they expect to be able to keep their promise, but
they will be required to do some tall hustling.
The Cunningham factory has also been cover-
ing itself with glory so far as output is concerned,
making more instruments than they have ever
done before. They are selling them and have not
heen able to get but very little stock ahead.
Cunningham Publicity.
And in spite of all this hustle Mr. Cunningham
has time to take his mind off of his work long
enough to give his neighbors a little joke this
week:
"Exaggerated Ego" he heads his advertisement.
"Carry-all houses claiming to surpass the world
in the piano business, boasting of record-breaking
performances in 'semi-annual' sales, loudly pro-
claiming charges of but 4 per cent, interest on
deferred payments when some were known to be
begging for funds; and at the same time, willing,
yet anxious to pay 10 per cent, for the use of
money, convey the impression that the proverbial
Senegambian is occupying a cozy corner some-
where in the wood pile.
"The claim of doing more business than your
competitor is but an empty boast at best, as there
is no means of accurately ascertaining what
others are doing. Swagger and enormous ex-
penditures, together with pretentions of fair deal-
ings ought to be taken cum grano salis. If buy-
ers studied the Missourian 'show us' methods,
they would find their purchasing powers very
much enhanced," etc.
The Forrest Makes Its Debut.
By the way, the Cunningham company have re-
cently added a new name to their piano makes,
the "Forrest," which is the most popular priced
of the pianos they manufacture, the Girard hav-
ing previously held that position. The Forrest
starts at $235 and runs up to $275, and if you
want anything a little better you will have to
start with the Girard piano at $300 and reach-
ing up to $360. And if you want the best that's
made—and Patrick offers $10,000 for anything
better, you must buy the Matchless Cunningham,
beginning at $450.
Strawbridge
& Clothier
Expansion.
Strawbridge & Clothier have added very mate-
rially to the space formerly occupied by their
piano department. They have increased the floor
space to almost double its former size. This
shows the way the wind is blowing about the
Eighth and Market street corner. They have
added two additional salons and a large un-
enclosed section for their grands. One of these
rooms will be devoted to the new Aeriola Player-
Piano. They have also been compelled to enlarge
considerably the space they have to devote to
the sale of the Edison and Victor talking ma-
chines.
The Strawbridge & Clothier department have on
display a fine line of instruments, headed by the
Steck and Krell.
Heppe
Distributes Old Squares.
C. J. Heppe & Sons celebrated their forty-fifth
anniversary last week and on Wednesday made a
distribution of close to fifty old square pianos
to poor families of this city. From the hundreds
of applications received they selected the prize
winners through a committee of men, one from
each of the newspapers of the city. It has been
an annual anniversary feature for several years
at the Heppe house.
CHANGE IN CANADA.
C. W. Lindsay, Ltd., Montreal, Can., have
bought out the piano and music business of Cord-
ingly Bros., of Brockville, Ont., and will continue
that store as a branch. Cordingly Bros, were
well known in the Canadian trade.
PIANO CLUB GROWING.
The membership of the Piano Club of New
York is growing apace, and since the last meet-
ing, when the roster totaled 130, Secretary R.
C. Rogers has posted 15 new applications, and
these will be acted upon at the next regular
meeting, May 10 next. The attendance at lunch
hour is increasing daily, and quite a few of the
members even drop in after business hours.
PIANO DEALER ROBBED.
E. M. Habersham, who has been manager of
the Augusta, Ga., branch of the Ludden & Bates
Southern Music House, has been transferred to
the Atlanta store of that company and appointed
general adjuster.
R. A. Smith succeeds Mr.
Habersham as manager of the Augusta store.
THE VOUGH PIANO
([ No expense has been spared in
making the Vough Piano first-class
in every respect.
(J Then again, it has the decided
advantage of the Changeable Pitch
Device which at once gives this prod-
uct an added value to professionals.
THE VOUGH PIANO CO.
WATERLOO, N. Y.