Music Trade Review
Issue: 1919 Vol. 68 N. 1 - Page 9
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
JANUARY 4, 1919
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
HEAVY DEMAND FOR HIGH-GRADE GOODS IN PITTSBURGH
Close of Holiday Season Finds Local Warerooms Denuded of Stock, With Dealers Enthusiastic
Over Quantity and Quality of Business Done—Steinway Window at Mellor Store
- PITTSBURGH, PA., December 30.—The consensus
of opinion among the piano trade of Pittsburgh,
now that that holiday business is a thing of his-
tory, was that it could only have been better
had there been a more general supply of pianos
and player-pianos. As it was, practically every
piano dealer in Pittsburgh, when his place of
business closed down on the "The Night Before
Christmas" had been "cleaned out" o"f all his
high-grade stock of instruments.
Never before in the Pittsburgh music world
was there so pronounced a demand for high-
priced pianos and player-pianos as there was
this holiday session. One of the outstanding
and very happy features of the season was the
high percentage of cash sales that were made.
As an instance, the closing of a sale was told
by a dealer to The Review which gives a marked
insight into the psychology of business in the
Pittsburgh district as it affects the music trade.
A few days before Christmas a mill worker,
accompanied by his wife and two children, both
of whom were "taking music lessons," walked
into one of the downtown piano stores and said
he wanted to buy "a good piano." During the
talk with the husband and wife the salesman
learned that the children were using a second-
hand piano and he instantly proceeded to talk
a sale based on the taking in of the old instru-
ment. To this the husband demurred and said
he wanted "a good piano" without any side is-
sues. After looking at several, a $550 instru-
ment was agreed on and to the surprise of the
salesman the mill worker drew from his pocket
a "wad" of $100 bank notes and stripped off six
bills in as many seconds, with the comment, "I
want that piano in my house by Christmas."
Then he asked the salesman to arrange to have
his old piano overhauled and tuned, saying that
he knew a family where "a piano like that will
be welcome," intimating that it was to be a
holiday gift.
Brisk sales during the entire holiday season
culminating in a grand finale on Christmas eve
was the statement made to The Review repre-
• sentative by Lechner & Schoenberger. The firm
deal in the Kranich & Bach pianos and players,
Starr pianos, Apollo player-pianos, Richmond
pianos, Gulbransen player-pianos, Weser Bros.,
Remington and other pianos. In addition to
this the firm also specialize in Victor, Edison
and Columbia talking machines, being the only
music store in the city that handles all three in-
struments.
The C. C. Mellor Co. sales for the holiday sea-
son far surpassed those of any similar period
for many years, according to the statement of
General Manager Dierks. He stated that there
was a "clean sweep" of all instruments, and that
the only handicap to larger sales was the in-
ability of the factories to furnish pianos and
player-pianos as fast as they were shipped out
from the local store. "Our trade was very sat-
Krell
Duchess, Mervyn
Royal
The Auto Grand
The Krell Auto Grand
The Krell Player
Quality products that will enable the dealer to close
a quality business at a substantial profit.
Write for Catalog
THE WERNER INDUSTRIES CO.
9th and Harriet Sts.,
CINCINNATI, O.
isfactory," said Mr. Dierks, "and there is much
of hopefulness to be seen in the business that
is bound to come with the advent of the New
Year. December, as a whole, has been a very
busy month with us, in fact, we were so en-
grossed with the trade that we neglected to
properly celebrate our anniversary, which oc-
curred on December 1, and which marked an-
other milestone in the many years that the house
of Mellor has served the music-loving public
of Pittsburgh."
One of the notable displays of the Christmas
week was the fine Steinway grand piano that was
in the Mellor show window. There was a num-
ber of Yuletide decorations artistically placed
that served to enhance the Steinway exhibit.
"Our sales far exceeded our expectations" was
the statement of G. W. Watkins, sales manager
of the W. F. Frederick Piano Co., to The Re-
view representative. Continuing Mr. Watkins
said: "This Christmas, probably more than any
other, was characterized by the fact that all
piano buyers were eager to purchase high-grade
instruments and to pay cash or make large down
payment and a very short leasehold period."
A. O. Forney, sales manager of the John
Church Co. in the Pittsburgh district, said:
"Our sales were very good for the Christmas
season, and 1 firmly believe that had we had a
large stock of pianos and player-pianos on hand
we would have easily disposed of every one.
The fact of the matter was that there was plenty
of money in circulation in this city for the few
weeks before Christmas and of this a large
share went for musical instruments. There is
no doubt that this is a good sign for future
business."
Burt Hengeveld, piano sales manager of the
S. Hamilton Co., said: "Our Christmas sale
was a record-breaker, and we disposed of almost
every piano in the house. There was a marked
demand for high-grade pianos, more so than ever
before at a holiday period. This was especially
true of the Mason & Hamlin pianos, of which
we sold quite a number. Even now there are
inquiries being made from out-of-town places
for pianos."
C. J. Roberts, Pittsburgh manager of Chas. M.
Stieff, Inc., and who is also Commissioner for
Pennsylvania for the National Association of
Piano Merchants, was confined to his home for
several days, due to illness, the past week.
Arthur Love, of the sales force of the Lech-
ner & Schoenberger Co. piano department, and
who is well known as a song writer and enter-
tainer, gave a series of entertainments during
Christmas week for school children, which
proved very popular.
Chauncey C. Mellor, son of W. C. Mellor, of
the C. C. Mellor Co., who was in the service at
Washington University at St. Louis, Mo., and
Barry C. Dierks, son of W. C. Dierks, general
manager of the Mellor Co., who was in the serv-
ice at Camp Gordon, Atlanta, Ga., have been
honorably discharged. E. B. Hulley, advertis-
ing manager of the Mellor Co., who was as-
signed to Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Ky.,
has also been mustered out. All three of the
men have returned to Pittsburgh.
To Dealers
who do business in
Dry Territory
Here is an instrument
built "X"pressly for
your trade. It is
The
SEE6URG
"It
Fits in
Nicely!"
If you don't handle it
look over your trade.
You'll convince yourself
that if you pass up this big
Business "X'pander you
will lose many
$
$
$
Start the
New Year
Right
Write us today,
and let us tell you
how to connect!
AIDS TRADE IN NEW SOUTH WALES
The Piano Retailers' Association of New
South Wales is doing some excellent work on
behalf of the music trade in that part of Aus-
tralia. In addition to watching legislation
which may affect the industry, it acts as a gen-
eral clearing house for the interchange of ideas
concerning commissions, cash discounts, and
other important trade subjects.
The Schmidt Music Co., progressive music
house of Davenport, la., sent out to its friends
in the trade New Year greetings in the form of
a most attractive folder.
J. P. SEEBURG
PIANO CO.
Leaders in the Automatic Field
Republic Bldg., 209 So. State St.
Factories: Seeburg Bldg., 419 W. Erie St.
CHICAGO
THE
JANUARY 4, 1919
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
HEAVY DEMAND FOR HIGH-GRADE GOODS IN PITTSBURGH
Close of Holiday Season Finds Local Warerooms Denuded of Stock, With Dealers Enthusiastic
Over Quantity and Quality of Business Done—Steinway Window at Mellor Store
- PITTSBURGH, PA., December 30.—The consensus
of opinion among the piano trade of Pittsburgh,
now that that holiday business is a thing of his-
tory, was that it could only have been better
had there been a more general supply of pianos
and player-pianos. As it was, practically every
piano dealer in Pittsburgh, when his place of
business closed down on the "The Night Before
Christmas" had been "cleaned out" o"f all his
high-grade stock of instruments.
Never before in the Pittsburgh music world
was there so pronounced a demand for high-
priced pianos and player-pianos as there was
this holiday session. One of the outstanding
and very happy features of the season was the
high percentage of cash sales that were made.
As an instance, the closing of a sale was told
by a dealer to The Review which gives a marked
insight into the psychology of business in the
Pittsburgh district as it affects the music trade.
A few days before Christmas a mill worker,
accompanied by his wife and two children, both
of whom were "taking music lessons," walked
into one of the downtown piano stores and said
he wanted to buy "a good piano." During the
talk with the husband and wife the salesman
learned that the children were using a second-
hand piano and he instantly proceeded to talk
a sale based on the taking in of the old instru-
ment. To this the husband demurred and said
he wanted "a good piano" without any side is-
sues. After looking at several, a $550 instru-
ment was agreed on and to the surprise of the
salesman the mill worker drew from his pocket
a "wad" of $100 bank notes and stripped off six
bills in as many seconds, with the comment, "I
want that piano in my house by Christmas."
Then he asked the salesman to arrange to have
his old piano overhauled and tuned, saying that
he knew a family where "a piano like that will
be welcome," intimating that it was to be a
holiday gift.
Brisk sales during the entire holiday season
culminating in a grand finale on Christmas eve
was the statement made to The Review repre-
• sentative by Lechner & Schoenberger. The firm
deal in the Kranich & Bach pianos and players,
Starr pianos, Apollo player-pianos, Richmond
pianos, Gulbransen player-pianos, Weser Bros.,
Remington and other pianos. In addition to
this the firm also specialize in Victor, Edison
and Columbia talking machines, being the only
music store in the city that handles all three in-
struments.
The C. C. Mellor Co. sales for the holiday sea-
son far surpassed those of any similar period
for many years, according to the statement of
General Manager Dierks. He stated that there
was a "clean sweep" of all instruments, and that
the only handicap to larger sales was the in-
ability of the factories to furnish pianos and
player-pianos as fast as they were shipped out
from the local store. "Our trade was very sat-
Krell
Duchess, Mervyn
Royal
The Auto Grand
The Krell Auto Grand
The Krell Player
Quality products that will enable the dealer to close
a quality business at a substantial profit.
Write for Catalog
THE WERNER INDUSTRIES CO.
9th and Harriet Sts.,
CINCINNATI, O.
isfactory," said Mr. Dierks, "and there is much
of hopefulness to be seen in the business that
is bound to come with the advent of the New
Year. December, as a whole, has been a very
busy month with us, in fact, we were so en-
grossed with the trade that we neglected to
properly celebrate our anniversary, which oc-
curred on December 1, and which marked an-
other milestone in the many years that the house
of Mellor has served the music-loving public
of Pittsburgh."
One of the notable displays of the Christmas
week was the fine Steinway grand piano that was
in the Mellor show window. There was a num-
ber of Yuletide decorations artistically placed
that served to enhance the Steinway exhibit.
"Our sales far exceeded our expectations" was
the statement of G. W. Watkins, sales manager
of the W. F. Frederick Piano Co., to The Re-
view representative. Continuing Mr. Watkins
said: "This Christmas, probably more than any
other, was characterized by the fact that all
piano buyers were eager to purchase high-grade
instruments and to pay cash or make large down
payment and a very short leasehold period."
A. O. Forney, sales manager of the John
Church Co. in the Pittsburgh district, said:
"Our sales were very good for the Christmas
season, and 1 firmly believe that had we had a
large stock of pianos and player-pianos on hand
we would have easily disposed of every one.
The fact of the matter was that there was plenty
of money in circulation in this city for the few
weeks before Christmas and of this a large
share went for musical instruments. There is
no doubt that this is a good sign for future
business."
Burt Hengeveld, piano sales manager of the
S. Hamilton Co., said: "Our Christmas sale
was a record-breaker, and we disposed of almost
every piano in the house. There was a marked
demand for high-grade pianos, more so than ever
before at a holiday period. This was especially
true of the Mason & Hamlin pianos, of which
we sold quite a number. Even now there are
inquiries being made from out-of-town places
for pianos."
C. J. Roberts, Pittsburgh manager of Chas. M.
Stieff, Inc., and who is also Commissioner for
Pennsylvania for the National Association of
Piano Merchants, was confined to his home for
several days, due to illness, the past week.
Arthur Love, of the sales force of the Lech-
ner & Schoenberger Co. piano department, and
who is well known as a song writer and enter-
tainer, gave a series of entertainments during
Christmas week for school children, which
proved very popular.
Chauncey C. Mellor, son of W. C. Mellor, of
the C. C. Mellor Co., who was in the service at
Washington University at St. Louis, Mo., and
Barry C. Dierks, son of W. C. Dierks, general
manager of the Mellor Co., who was in the serv-
ice at Camp Gordon, Atlanta, Ga., have been
honorably discharged. E. B. Hulley, advertis-
ing manager of the Mellor Co., who was as-
signed to Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Ky.,
has also been mustered out. All three of the
men have returned to Pittsburgh.
To Dealers
who do business in
Dry Territory
Here is an instrument
built "X"pressly for
your trade. It is
The
SEE6URG
"It
Fits in
Nicely!"
If you don't handle it
look over your trade.
You'll convince yourself
that if you pass up this big
Business "X'pander you
will lose many
$
$
$
Start the
New Year
Right
Write us today,
and let us tell you
how to connect!
AIDS TRADE IN NEW SOUTH WALES
The Piano Retailers' Association of New
South Wales is doing some excellent work on
behalf of the music trade in that part of Aus-
tralia. In addition to watching legislation
which may affect the industry, it acts as a gen-
eral clearing house for the interchange of ideas
concerning commissions, cash discounts, and
other important trade subjects.
The Schmidt Music Co., progressive music
house of Davenport, la., sent out to its friends
in the trade New Year greetings in the form of
a most attractive folder.
J. P. SEEBURG
PIANO CO.
Leaders in the Automatic Field
Republic Bldg., 209 So. State St.
Factories: Seeburg Bldg., 419 W. Erie St.
CHICAGO
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