Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
MARCH 13,
THE
1920
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
0. K. HOUCK CO.'S NEW PURCHASE
TELEGRAM RECALLS PROPHECY
KURTZMANN fi^CO. TO EXPAND
Buy New Building on South Front Street, Mem-
phis, to House Wholesale Victor Department
After September 1—To Remodel Present
Main Street Store at the Same Time
Mark P. Campbell in 1912 Predicted the Popu-
larity of Baby Grands, Which Is Substantiated
by Recent Communication From Dealer
Four Acres Purchased by Buffalo Piano Manu-
facturers for Purpose of Building Addition to
Present Extensive Piano Factory
I'iano dealers may recall the prophecy made
by Mark P. Campbell, president of the Bratn-
bach Piano Co., early in 1912, that there was a
coming era of popularity for both the player-
BUFFALO, N. Y., March 3.—C. Kurtzniann &
Co., the Buffalo piano manufacturing concern,
has decided upon an expansion which will repre-
sent an investment of over $300,000 in site, plant
and equipment, as well as bringing to Buffalo
upward of 700 skilled workmen. The company
has bought four acres at Genesee street and
the N. Y. C. belt line tracks, including the old
Sunday baseball park and the former storage
houses of the Webster-Citizens' Ice Co. It is
understood the price paid for the property was
in the neighborhood of $100,000.
Away back in 1848 the firm of C. Kurtzmann
& Co. began on Broadway, in a small way, to
manufacture a high grade piano which suc-
ceeded so well in establishing itself in public
favor that in 1890 a new four-story factory was
erected on the corner of Niagara and Pennsyl-
vania streets and a little later another was built
on the corner of Seventh and Hudson streets.
Today the company's activities have so out-
grown their present facilities that they have
been compelled to make another addition, to
care for the increasing demands of public con-
fidence.
Through Parke Hall & Co., real estate agents,
the company has purchased four and a half acres
of land with railway connections on the New
York Central belt line and Genesee street where
they propose the immediate erection of a mod-
ern factory building for the manufacture of
grand pianos exclusively, utilizing the other fac-
tories in the manufacture of upright and player-
pianos. J. Hackenheimer, the president of the
C. Kurtzmann Company, is a Buffalo man, who,
by his energy and sound business acumen, has
achieved a well merited success, which is al-
ways assured to the manufacturer who selects
his location as the result of a well-thought-out
plan rather than as a result of tradition. Mr.
Hackenheimer says that his company has passed
the 80,000 mark in the sale of pianos of its own
manufacture and its product is to be found all
over the world.
March 8.—The O. K. Houck
Piano Co. have recently purchased the build-
ing at 100-102 South Front street, now oc-
cupied by Stewart-Gwynne & Co., and will take
possession of the premises on September 1 for
their wholesale Victor department. The build-
ing has a frontage of forty-seven feet on Front
street and extends back 148 feet, cost $42,500,
and the O. K. Houck Co. plan to expend sev-
eral thousand dollars more in remodeling the
structure to meet the special requirements of
their business.
Upon taking over the Front street property
in September, the Houck Co. will start imme-
diately to remodel the building at present occu-
pied by the company at 103 South Main street.
New elevators, a sprinkling system and a new
heating plant will be installed; the entire front
on the ground floor will be remodeled and the
interior will be re-equipped in a modern manner.
The changes include the equipment of the first
floor as exclusive retail Victor salesrooms, fitted
with booths and other essentials. September 1
will mark the 25th anniversary of the Houck
Co.'s opening at their present address on South
Main street.
MEMPHIS, TENN.,
ILLNESS HITS A. B. CHASE FACTORY
TEXAS MUSIC DEALERS TO CONVENE
Mark P. Campbell
piano and the baby grand. Trade opinion at
that time was sceptical. It could see only a de-
mand for straight pianos ahead of it.
There has been evident proof that Mr. Camp-
bell's foresight was well founded. No one any
longer doubts the lasting popularity of the
player-piano.
In 1912, when the prophecy was made, the
Brambach baby grand piano had just made
its advent in the piano trade. It was an un-
known quantity. Dealers were almost unani-
mous in their opinion that the baby grand
would not be an instrument of exceedingly popu-
lar demand. But the developments of the last
seven or eight years have caused a change in
this opinion. Dealers no longer deny the popu-
larity of this little instrument.
As if to substantiate further the proof of the
fulfillment of Mr. Campbell's prediction, below
is a telegram recently received by the Brambach
Piano Co.:
"We are losing sales daily owing to the lack
of grands. Have no record of invoices for ship-
ments promised January 26. The demand for
grands is abnormal and greatly in excess of
players or uprights. Won't you please do some-
thing for us along these lines, as the grand
piano business we are losing is enormous?"
First Annual Gathering to Be Held in Waco
on May 11 and 12
BOARDMAN & GRAY IN SYRACUSE
Production of Grands Greatly Curtailed by Ill-
ness of Employes—25 Per Cent Stricken With
Epidemic—Embargoes Also Delay Orders
The A. B. Chase factory at Norwalk, O., has
been laboring under great difficulties during the
past month and only through sustained efforts
of members of the organization has it been pos-
sible to get instruments through to the dealers
at all. Warren C. Whitney, president of the
A. B. Chase Piano Co., Inc., said to The Re-
view that over 25 per cent of the factory force
had been absent through illness and the grand
department especially was hard hit. In view of
the general shortage of grands it was unfortu-
nate that the force should be depleted just at
this time. Freight embargos also hindered ship-
ments to some extent, but it is hoped that deal-
ers may obtain their supply of pianos in" the
near future.
The retail store which was recently estab-
lished in the factory warerooms is proving a
success and in the first week two pianos were
sold to two of the leading musicians of
Norwalk.
The H. C. Barney Co., one of the largest piano
concerns in Schenectady, N. Y., have recently
taken on the Boardman & Gray piano. They
carry a complete line of the Boardman & Gray
instruments and will feature this line of mer-
chandise to considerable extent. S. H. Becker,
who formerly represented the Boardman & Gray
line in Schenectady, has connected himself with
the H. C. Barney Co.
DALLAS, TEX., March 6.—The first annual con-
vention of the Texas Music Dealers' Associa-
tion will be held in Waco on May 11 and 12,
according to an announcement made this week
by B. Heyer, the president of the Association.
It is stated that plans are being prepared for
an educational program along constructive lines
that will serve to make the sessions of real
interest and benefit to the visiting dealers from
all sections of the State.
The Texas Music Dealers' Association has
been one of the most active bodies in the coun-
try in forwarding the; cause of music generally
and has been responsible for a great mass of
propaganda for music advancement. Plans for
continuing this great work on a larger scale
for the ultimate benefit of the trade as a whole
will be discussed and decided upon at the forth-
coming convention.
The many friends throughout the piano trade
of Charles A. Dall, president and treasurer of
the Warde Piano Co., Inc., of New York City,
will be gratified to learn that Mr. Dall has re-
covered from a recent attack of influenza and
an operation which he underwent in a local hos-
pital. Mr. Dall has returned to his home and is
convalescing rapidly.
Z7/ie Pert Known
muficaf/mme
i / World.
E5TEY PIAND COMPANY NEW YORK CITY-
C. A. DALL IS CONVALESCING
PIANOS
LABOR COMMISSIONER APPOINTED
E. M. Reulbach to Be in Charge of Employment
Bureau of New York Piano Manufacturers'
Association—Famous as Baseball Star
Walter Drew, Labor Counsel of the New York
Piano Manufacturers' Association, has an-
nounced the appointment of E. M. Reulbach as
Labor Commissioner for that organization. Mr.
Reulbach has already taken up his new duties
and has arranged to open headquarters at 123rd
street and Park avenue, where a clearing house
for trained and untrained piano workers will be
established. Mr. Reulbach will be remembered
by baseball fans as the once famous pitcher for
the Chicago Cubs, and most recently has been
connected with the Submarine Boat Corp. as
assistant department manager, in which capacity
he had much to do with employment problems.
NOW THE BAIRD-ROSS MUSIC CO.
Floyd A. Ross has purchased an interest in
the Baird Music Co. of Walla Walla, Wash.,
and the firm will in the future be known as the
Baird-Ross Music Co. New quarters will be
occupied at 27 West Main street, and the build-
ing thoroughly renovated.
Mrs. Carrie Kaufman Humes, wife of J. E.
Humes, head of the Humes Music Co., Colum-
bus, Ga., died recently at her home in Wynn-
ton, following a short illness from pneumonia.
Mr. Hume has the sympathy of his many
friends in the trade in his bereavement.
ORGANS
prodat
df