Music Trade Review
Issue: 1915 Vol. 60 N. 23 - Page 10
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
10
TRADE CONDITIONS IN MILWAUKEE.
Twenty-one Days of Rain in May Put Damper
on Piano Sales—A Few Concerns Make
Gratifying Reports Despite This Handicap.
MILWAUKEE,
(Special to The Review.)
WIS., May 31.—The Milwaukee
piano trade has been handicapped during the month
of May by the excessive rains which have seri-
ously interfered with all lines of business. Exactly
twenty-one days of rain were experienced and the
amount of rainfall was abnormal. It was hard
under the circumstances for salesmen to get out
and call on their prospects, while it was still harder
to get prospective customers to come out in the
rainy weather and visit a piano store.
A few of the local piano houses met with a sat-
isfactory business, despite the unfavorable weather,
but they were the exceptions. The Edmund Gram
Piano House, carrying the Steinway, Everett,
Weber, Steck, Edmund Gram, Hardman and
Aeolian lines, was especially fortunate and made
some good sales during the month. During the
last two weeks of May Mr. Gram and his sales
force disposed of six Steinway grands to promi-
nent people in Milwaukee and about the State.
The styles sold included Styles B, O, A and M.
Some fine sales of Aeolian instruments were made
also.
The outlook for the next few weeks is bright
and dealers in all lines are looking for a good
irade. The industrial situation in Milwaukee is
showing considerable improvement and hopes arc
entertained that general business will show more
life. Crop prospects about Wisconsin were never
brighter than they are at the present time, and this
has gone a long way in making dealers more op-
timistic regarding the future than they have been
in some time.
RURAL STORES PAYING ATTENTION TO WINDOW DISPLAYS.
This Is Especially True of Piano Stores on Outskirts of Detroit—Value of Advertising Proven
by Success of Grinnell House—Bad Weather Decreased Business Total for May.
(Special to The Review.)
DETROIT, MICH., June 1.—Another month is gone
and with it goes memories of what was not the
best month in the music trade, although there
have been many months when business was a
whole lot worse. Averaging the thirty-one days of
May with other months of this year, business was
at least normal. It lacked the snap that comes in
other months of the spring, and yet no dealers will
say that business was actually poor. The unani-
For a "Talking Point
the Splendid Tone
of the Cable-Nelson
T
I 'HERE is no selling argument
for a piano equal to a good tone.
And you can't get a better piano
tone than you get in the CABLE-
NELSON.
T h e fine tone of a CABLE-
NELSON is not an accident. Back
of it is a musically accurate scale
and a scientific design and accurate
construction in all the details of
piano building.
The result is a tone which makes
its sure appeal to the prospective
customer and whose permanence
can be counted on.
It's easy to sell a CABLE-NELSON.
CABLE-NELSON PIANO CO.
Republic Building
Factory:
CHICAGO
South Haven, Mich.
\M
mous expression seems to be "Well, May wasn't a
bad month after all." There are two things which
gave May business a setback; one was the un-
favorable weather, it having rained at least fifteen
days out of the thirty-one; another was the street
car strike, which lasted two days, the weather be-
ing the warmest of the month and ideal for shop-
ping purposes.
The writer in making a tour of all sections of the
city during the past few weeks has noticed that
firms dealing in pianos in the outskirts of town
have fitted up very attractive, cozy and commodi-
ous stores. Attention is given to window display
and proper interior arrangement; in fact, the stores
are more on the order of the large downtown
stores. The writer can remember only a few
years back when the average outskirt store retail-
ing pianos would set them in any old way, without
the least regard for artistic arrangement or dis-
play. Jt's no wonder that most people preferred
to deal downtown, where goods were attractively
exhibited with proper atmospheric surroundings.
The outskirt dealer lias awakened to the fact that
ho can get his share of the business by just spruc-
ing up a little and making his store one that will
attract attention. The writer has always contended
that the business firm away from the heart of a
city lias just as great an opportunity to makes
sales, proportionate with his investment, as the
man downtown who is paying an enormous rent.
William Johnston, connected with the Grinnell
Bros, store in Detroit four years, has resigned to
become manager of the Wheelock music store in
Des Moines, la.
A retail baseball Lague has been started in
Detroit, games being played among the six mem-
bers of the league several times a week. Among
those holuing a franchise in this league are J. L.
Hudson and Grinnell Bros. On the Hudson team,
which is known as "The Hudsonians," are several
from the music department.
A great believer in advertising is C. A. Grinnell,
of Grinnell Bros., Detroit. He says that no firm in
business can expect to succeed without advertising.
The Grinnell store is at present using the news-
papers, theater programs, street cars, billboards
and direct circulars. This campaign of publicity
is kept up steadily, whether business is good
or bad. Mr. Grinnell is not the type of business
man who refuses to advertise when business is
good, saying he lias all the business he wants, or
who won't advertise when business is poor be-
cause he says people have not the money. "The
only way to get results from advertising is to
keep constantly at it," says Mr. Grinnell. "And
one must not expect direct results from advertising
because they are the hardest things to trace, par-
ticularly in a business like ours."
A. A. Grinnell, treasurer of the Grinnell Bros.,
Detroit, writes to the firm that he is having a
splendid trip West and that he is enjoying every
minute of it. He will be gone until July 15.
Although many places of business were open on
Monday, May 31, despite Decoration Day cele-
bration being put over on account of Sunday, all
the music, stores remained closed.
The Ann Arbor Piano Co., of Ann Arbor, Mich.,
announces that it will wind up its affairs and re-
tire from business. Part of the stock of the com-
pany in process of manufacture was sold to a
Toledo firm, while the finished goods were sold to
Grinnell Bros, of Detroit.
Babcock, James & Hall is the title of a new con-
cern in Marshall. Minn., which will handle the W.
W. Kimball line of pianos.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
10
TRADE CONDITIONS IN MILWAUKEE.
Twenty-one Days of Rain in May Put Damper
on Piano Sales—A Few Concerns Make
Gratifying Reports Despite This Handicap.
MILWAUKEE,
(Special to The Review.)
WIS., May 31.—The Milwaukee
piano trade has been handicapped during the month
of May by the excessive rains which have seri-
ously interfered with all lines of business. Exactly
twenty-one days of rain were experienced and the
amount of rainfall was abnormal. It was hard
under the circumstances for salesmen to get out
and call on their prospects, while it was still harder
to get prospective customers to come out in the
rainy weather and visit a piano store.
A few of the local piano houses met with a sat-
isfactory business, despite the unfavorable weather,
but they were the exceptions. The Edmund Gram
Piano House, carrying the Steinway, Everett,
Weber, Steck, Edmund Gram, Hardman and
Aeolian lines, was especially fortunate and made
some good sales during the month. During the
last two weeks of May Mr. Gram and his sales
force disposed of six Steinway grands to promi-
nent people in Milwaukee and about the State.
The styles sold included Styles B, O, A and M.
Some fine sales of Aeolian instruments were made
also.
The outlook for the next few weeks is bright
and dealers in all lines are looking for a good
irade. The industrial situation in Milwaukee is
showing considerable improvement and hopes arc
entertained that general business will show more
life. Crop prospects about Wisconsin were never
brighter than they are at the present time, and this
has gone a long way in making dealers more op-
timistic regarding the future than they have been
in some time.
RURAL STORES PAYING ATTENTION TO WINDOW DISPLAYS.
This Is Especially True of Piano Stores on Outskirts of Detroit—Value of Advertising Proven
by Success of Grinnell House—Bad Weather Decreased Business Total for May.
(Special to The Review.)
DETROIT, MICH., June 1.—Another month is gone
and with it goes memories of what was not the
best month in the music trade, although there
have been many months when business was a
whole lot worse. Averaging the thirty-one days of
May with other months of this year, business was
at least normal. It lacked the snap that comes in
other months of the spring, and yet no dealers will
say that business was actually poor. The unani-
For a "Talking Point
the Splendid Tone
of the Cable-Nelson
T
I 'HERE is no selling argument
for a piano equal to a good tone.
And you can't get a better piano
tone than you get in the CABLE-
NELSON.
T h e fine tone of a CABLE-
NELSON is not an accident. Back
of it is a musically accurate scale
and a scientific design and accurate
construction in all the details of
piano building.
The result is a tone which makes
its sure appeal to the prospective
customer and whose permanence
can be counted on.
It's easy to sell a CABLE-NELSON.
CABLE-NELSON PIANO CO.
Republic Building
Factory:
CHICAGO
South Haven, Mich.
\M
mous expression seems to be "Well, May wasn't a
bad month after all." There are two things which
gave May business a setback; one was the un-
favorable weather, it having rained at least fifteen
days out of the thirty-one; another was the street
car strike, which lasted two days, the weather be-
ing the warmest of the month and ideal for shop-
ping purposes.
The writer in making a tour of all sections of the
city during the past few weeks has noticed that
firms dealing in pianos in the outskirts of town
have fitted up very attractive, cozy and commodi-
ous stores. Attention is given to window display
and proper interior arrangement; in fact, the stores
are more on the order of the large downtown
stores. The writer can remember only a few
years back when the average outskirt store retail-
ing pianos would set them in any old way, without
the least regard for artistic arrangement or dis-
play. Jt's no wonder that most people preferred
to deal downtown, where goods were attractively
exhibited with proper atmospheric surroundings.
The outskirt dealer lias awakened to the fact that
ho can get his share of the business by just spruc-
ing up a little and making his store one that will
attract attention. The writer has always contended
that the business firm away from the heart of a
city lias just as great an opportunity to makes
sales, proportionate with his investment, as the
man downtown who is paying an enormous rent.
William Johnston, connected with the Grinnell
Bros, store in Detroit four years, has resigned to
become manager of the Wheelock music store in
Des Moines, la.
A retail baseball Lague has been started in
Detroit, games being played among the six mem-
bers of the league several times a week. Among
those holuing a franchise in this league are J. L.
Hudson and Grinnell Bros. On the Hudson team,
which is known as "The Hudsonians," are several
from the music department.
A great believer in advertising is C. A. Grinnell,
of Grinnell Bros., Detroit. He says that no firm in
business can expect to succeed without advertising.
The Grinnell store is at present using the news-
papers, theater programs, street cars, billboards
and direct circulars. This campaign of publicity
is kept up steadily, whether business is good
or bad. Mr. Grinnell is not the type of business
man who refuses to advertise when business is
good, saying he lias all the business he wants, or
who won't advertise when business is poor be-
cause he says people have not the money. "The
only way to get results from advertising is to
keep constantly at it," says Mr. Grinnell. "And
one must not expect direct results from advertising
because they are the hardest things to trace, par-
ticularly in a business like ours."
A. A. Grinnell, treasurer of the Grinnell Bros.,
Detroit, writes to the firm that he is having a
splendid trip West and that he is enjoying every
minute of it. He will be gone until July 15.
Although many places of business were open on
Monday, May 31, despite Decoration Day cele-
bration being put over on account of Sunday, all
the music, stores remained closed.
The Ann Arbor Piano Co., of Ann Arbor, Mich.,
announces that it will wind up its affairs and re-
tire from business. Part of the stock of the com-
pany in process of manufacture was sold to a
Toledo firm, while the finished goods were sold to
Grinnell Bros, of Detroit.
Babcock, James & Hall is the title of a new con-
cern in Marshall. Minn., which will handle the W.
W. Kimball line of pianos.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).