Music Trade Review

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8
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Varied Reports on Business Situation from Different Piano Houses—A Summary of Conditions
— D . E. Woolley's Views—Estey Exhibit at Fair—Heppe Co. News—To Sell Auto-Manual
Co. Business—Thomas A. Patten's Success—Recent Trade Visitors—Other Itemsof Interest.
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 27, 1910.
The reports from the various piano houses this
week vary considerably. With some the reports
are most excellent, with others, only medium, and
there are still others who report an unsatisfactory
business. To strike the happy medium it could
probably be expressed that September has not been
showing up as well as had been expected, or as
the first week or two of the month gave indica-
tions that it would. It does not seem to be any
better than it was a year ago, and if September
shows as good a business as last year, the piano
men say they will be well satisfied. A very great
deal had been expected this Fall, but there is
nothing to indicate that business is going to take
more than a normal turn for the better. Any one
who has made a study of business conditions real-
izes that it requires considerable more than a year
after a panic has subsided before things have en-
tirely righted themselves.
D. E. Woolley's Views on Business.
D. E. Woolley, of the Estey Co., takes a sane
and sensible view of the matter when he says: "I
look for a pretty good business this Fall if we do
not have any unexpected combustion.
If the
much-talked-of 'First Citizen' of our country con-
tinues to keep things stirred up, might it not be
expected that the big financial interests of the
country will again rise to smite him as a matter
of malice?" It must be remembered, in spite of this,
that Mr. Woolley is a great admirer of that "First
Citizen." Mr. Woolley also believes that a big
slump in the automobile business, which is now
threatened, may seriously interfere with the piano
business, bringing the prices of automobiles down
to that extent that people will buy machines in
preference to pianos.
making a notable record as an outside salesman
for the H,eppe house. Last week he made and
closed six sales in and around Atlantic City. Mr.
Gaskill attributes his success to the fact that he
always visits prospects well equipped with liter-
ature and printed matter, always carrying large
grips loaded to the muzzle. He is trying to connive
some scheme whereby he will be able to carry a
full line of instruments right along with him.
The changes and alterations at the Heppe
Thompson street store are about completed.
The entire building has been changed, both
interior and exterior. New display windows
have been made, which include a show win-
dow taking in the entire front and side of
the building. They have put down a new floor
and lowered the floors in the two buildings to
the same level. They have constructed an entirely
new repair shop in the rear. On the second floor
they have enlarged the phonograph department to
almost double the previous size and have arranged
for a special Victrola and Red Seal demonstrating
room. The entire building has been repainted and
all the signs regilded, and the finish on the front
is made to exactly conform with their Chestnut
street front.
Scarcity of Good Salesmen.
Reinhard Kochmann, a representative of Lyon &
Healy, was a visitor at the warerooms of Henry F.
Miller & Sons Co., where the Lyon & Healy stock
is handled in this city. He reports business very
good at the factory, and they are well on towards
the biggest year the firm have ever had. He went
from Philadelphia to the South. Mr. G. Dunbar
Shewell reports that the Miller business has been
very good, especially on players and lyric grands.
Mr. Shewell is looking for several good salesmen,
but they seem to be very hard to find in this city at
present—that is, good ones unemployed. There are
Estey Exhibit at Mt. Holly Fair.
The Estey Co. will have an extensive exhibit at plenty of dead ones hanging around. It has been
the Mt. Holly Fair on October 4, 5 and 6, which a subject of much discussion in Philadelphia as to
will be in charge of Messrs. W. H. and J. L. where the piano men of the future are going to find
their salesmen. No one seems to be going into the
Parker.
J. A. Coffin, of the Aeolian Company, was in field and the present staff is growing older all the
time. It wouldn't be a bad plan for the men to get
Philadelphia last week.
The Heppes report that their Christmas Club is together and form a piano salesmen's school, where
getting along very nicely. They are selling a bunch young men would be instructed in the business.
of goods and getting quite a nice bunch of inquiries It would be interesting to select a faculty for such
in addition. The club has been most successful so an institution among the different piano houses.
But how would this do :
far on the Colonial Marcellus.
August Von Bernuth, President and Lecturer on
Big Heppe Sales.
Carl Gaskill, formerly violin virtuoso, pianist Dignity.
D. E. Woolley, Professor of Amiability, Daily
and orchestral director, with the more democratic
term of musical moke also applicable to him, is Lecturer on Equipoise.
F. J. Heppe, Professor of Sounds and Juries.
J. G. Ramsdell, Professor of Rhetoric and Ora-
tory.
George Miller, Lecturer on Hustling and Coining
Money.
Patrick Cunningham, Professor of "Search-
light Philosophy," Lecturer on English Language
vs. Advertising.
How Thos. A. Patten Has Succeeded.
When Thomas A. Patten entered the piano busi-
ness on a new plan about two years ago it was pre-
dicted that it would not work out very well. He
has disappointed the trade by having made good.
He rented a large private residence on North Broad
street, converted the lower floor into piano ware-
rooms, and sublet the other parts of the building
until he pays $9 a month rent. Think of it in com^
parison with the Chestnut street rents.
Heppes to Sell Auto-Manual Co. Interests.
The Heppes have finally decided to sell their in-
terests in the Auto-Manual Co., which means that
they intend getting rid of that part of their business
entirely. This action is first class, and the company
controls about 25 to 30 very valuable patents on
player appliances, patented in Europe as well as in
America. The close connection of the Heppe house
with the Aeolian Company is the reason for their
wishing to dispose of the Auto-Manual Co. Their
contract with the Aeolian Co. is such that they can-
not handle anything but Pianolas, and have to de-
pend entirely upon outside trade for the sale of
their Automanual action. Resides, the time of Mr.
Heppe, Mr. Stratton and other members connected
with both companies does not permit them to de-
vote the proper attention to the Auto-Manual. Two
large houses, I learn, have already begun negotia-
tions for the purchase of this action, but nothing
has been closed as yet. It will be sold without any
debts or contract obligations, which the present firm
will assume. It will be a clean sale, clear of ac-
counts receivable and accounts payable.
SOUTHERN PROSPERITY
As Far as It Affects Pianos and Player-Pianos
the Subject of Some Comment by H. P.
Shearer, the Weil-Known Traveler.
H. P. Shearer, Eastern manager for the Krell
Piano Co., and secretary of the National Piano
Travelers' Association, while on a visit to Savan-
nah, Ga., recently said in an interview :
"You just can say for me that at present the
South leads in the matter of selling pianos and
piano-players. Never before in the history of our
business has there been such an increase as there
is to-day. Even with the country stores that handle
our lines we are doubling their orders. They give
the reason that the farmers had success dur-
ing the past season and now are investing
their money for pleasure."
Constant and Rapid Progress
have placed
Winter & Co. Pianos
on a higher level than has previously been achieved in generations.
WINTER & CO.
220 Southern Boulevard
New York City