Music Trade Review

THE
16
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
PHILADELPHIA TRADE LOOK FOR LARGE FALL BUSINESS
Summer Demand Is a Little Above the Average-Harry Yeager Praises Convention Work­
Brand With Snellenburg-Other Changes in Sales Staffs-North Co. Building Grows
PHILADELPHIA, PA ., Jun e 17.-A little lull in
the piano business has been noted the past
week. It is not of any alarming exten t, and
busin ess seems about normal for this period.
The dealers are only feeling a certain dulness
owin~' to the great activity throu g h which they
pass ed al l win te r and spring-an activity that
at tim es almost drov e th em to distraction in
an effort to keep themse lves supplied with in­
struments.
The d ealers look for a very large piano and
musi ca l instrument business thi s fall, and one
sc urc e o f satisfaction is the fact that they are
an le to get a big stock of instruments on hand
and of every variety. It looks very much as
if there was going to be sufficien t of a surplus
stock on hand at the beginning of the fall trade
to mee t all demands, a conditi ~ n different from
that of last year, when the output of th e facto-
'iI:Rei>E
rie s\vas so curtailed by the Government that the
d ea lers fuund a good busin ess staring them in
the face with no outlook at all promising with
which to meet it .
Harry Yeager, who ha s returned to the city
ar>d to his d esk at th e SneJlenburg store highly
elated over the success of th e Chicago nationa l
conventions, sta te s that he finds bu s iness a lit­
tle bit quiet. They are still running strong
on grands at th e Sne ll en burg store and he is at
a loss to kn ow how to meet this demand, not
being able to get the instruments fast enough .
The firm is getting along very nicely with
the musical merchandise d e partmen t that they
are installi ng. Th ey expec t to open the de­
partmen t within the next ten days. A number
of the booths have a lready been erected and
the stock of instruments has begun to arrive.
Mrs. Elizabeth McLoughlin will be in charge.
MARJ5j
Made in U. S. A.
American Felt
Comnany
At Your
Beck and Call
Let's just suppose that you yourself are
not entirely satisfied with the tone of the
pianos which you manufacture. In your own
mind you have decided just what results you
want, but when it comes to laying out plans to
bring about these results you are more or less
helpless.
This is where we can be of real and val­
uable service to you. We specialize in just
such problems. Acquaint us with your special
needs.
Then let us make recommendations
based upon your tone ideals and also make up
a trial order of hammer felt made on the basis
of meeting your particular requirements. You
will find that American Hammer Felt will
assist you in producing just the tone that you
desire.
American Felt Company
100 Summer St.
BOSTON
114 East 13th St.
NEW YORK
325 So. Market St.
CHICAGO
JUNE
21, 1919
Regarding the convention Mr. Yeager said:
"Personally, I think it was the greatest conven­
tion we ever had, in nnmbers, interest and re­
sults obtained. The whole country seems to be
int erested and centralized in the various asso­
ciations und er the Music Industries Chambe r
of Corrumerce. The work done by . the M e r- ·
chants' Association ati Chicag;o will be far­
reaching in its effects and benefits to piano mer­
chants."
The Snellenburg department has taken on
Herbert Brand, who has just returned fr om
France, as an ou tside man. Nnong th e visi­
tors to th e offices the past week were E. R.
J ones, of th e Hall e t & Davis Co., Boston ; Dan
E. Fabyan, of the Poole Piano Co., and Mr.
As hford. of the Q R S Music Roll Co. The
va.cations o f the Sne ll enb urg musical fo rce will
begin on June 21' and run through to the mid­
dle of September. Beginning thi s week th e
firm will close a t 5 o'clock each day, and all
day on Satu rday during July alld August.
Charles Moss star ted on Monda y of thi6
week as a floor man a t the Hepp e store. He
recently resigned from the Wanamaker depart­
ment. By a s ingular coincidence Mr. Moss
started in the piano business thirty -t wo years
ago in thi s city at 1119 Chestnut street. It was
then one o f the B lasius stores, but fl'lr many
years has bee n one of the two Hepp e stores.
Mr. Moss was with Blasius for more than
twenty y ea rs and since then has been wit h the
Cunnin gham and Wanamaker houses.
William Mayland, of th e sales forc e at the
Heppe store, r eturned on Monday of this week
after a mon th's rec up e ration, feeling very mu ch
benefited.
E . H. E lli s, another member of
the Heppe sales force , has gotten back from
the army and is on th e job again. He was with
the 108th Field Arti ll ery and was in France
about thirte en months. Roy Simpson, fo rm e rl y
with the Heppe house, has returned with the
marines. He was d e tain ed six months in a Ger ·
man prison camp .
Jasp er Kline, well known in the trade her e,
b ut who has r etired from business, came to this
city the past week fr om California, where he
spent the winter.
Fred Ferris, well known in the trade and of
the Heppe sales fo rc e, was married to Mi ss
McLaughlin on Saturday la st .
The Cunningham Piano Co. report that th eir.
business is fine and the factory is keeping
them fully supplied. Tom Dooley, who re­
ceived hi s release last week from U ncl e Sam ,
after a long service in France, started in as a
Cunningham salesma n on Monday.
The F. A. North & Co. building is having its
additional story placed in position in record­
breaking shape. It will be the tallest building
in the row.
\\1. H. Pine, the piano dealer of Asbury Park,
was a Philad e lphia visitor the past week. V'Iith
George Miller, of th e Lester Piano Co ., he
went to the Lester factory and made a selec­
tion of fall stock.
Manager Butler, of th e Strawbridge & Cloth­
ier piano department, says that their busine ss
has been fair and that they have been recei v­
ing a number of exce ptionally fine pianos. in­
cluding six Steck grands and several of the
new Hazelton W elt e-Mignons, but they have no
Miller stock of any moment. Thomas J. Cum­
mins, who went to France last July with the
79th Infantry, is back again on duty as the
h<:'ad of the ta lkin g machine d epartment.
- -- --
'~~Tj)~~'
Pianos and Player-Pianos
of Superior Quality
Moderately Priced and Easy to Sell
' Don't fail to inve.tigat.
444.448 West 13th St.
New York