Music Trade Review
Issue: 1925 Vol. 80 N. 12 - Page 5
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MARCH 21,
THE
1925
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Ins and Outs of Music Store Leases
Once the Location is Thoroughly Investigated, the Long-Term Lease Is the Best for the Retail Music Mer-
chant—What Some Leading Baltimore Music Merchants Have to Say on This Important and Vital
Question in the Development of a Steady Trade—An Article by J. H. Duncan
N the music store one of the most impor-
tant things to aim at from the beginning
is to become as widely known as possible
for all the things you deal in, and it follows that
the next thing in importance to strive for is
to keep fixed in the minds of those who know
your business that you can always be found in
a certain place. If you don't stay put your-
self, if you make it too much trouble for people
who know you to fin4 you, then you can ex-
pect them to deal in places which give them
less trouble of this sort."
This was the way William A. Eisenbrandt,
manager of the big establishment of H. R.
Eisenbrandt & Sons, Baltimore dealers in gen-
eral musical merchandise, summed up his views
on the question of whether the long or short-
term lease should be sought by the music
dealer. On anything connected with the music
business it may be said the opinion of the
house of Eisenbrandt is backed by experience,
for it is among the oldest musical instrument
houses in the United States, having been found-
ed in Baltimore in 1811 by the great-grand-,
father of the present members of the firm,
Alexander and William A. Eisenbrandt.
"Before a music store is established in any
location," continued Mr. Eisenbrandt, "the
owner should have so well informed himself
on all points that might affect the business in
future that when he is ready to close the lease
he also is prepared to take it for as long a
period as he can get it. After he gets it for as
long as possible, whether he secures renewal
privileges or not, it would be best for him to
begin at once making plans to hold that location
throughout his business career. If he has
chosen well and the business grows, it will be
far better for him to accept stiffly advancing
lease terms than to give up a location with
which he has become identified in the public
mind. On the other hand, if he has miscalcu-
lated the trend of the busiest retail section of
the city and the future of the location does not
look promising, then he should begin to think
of moving elsewhere.
"In Baltimore today, however, no one need
fear that he might get too long a lease on any
desirable store property. The tendency with-
in the last five or ten years has been to re-
strict them to short periods, like three or five
years, with possibly, in some cases, a renewal
privilege at advanced terms. The Maryland
lease laws are fair enough, but the whole ques-
tion is governed by the steadily increasing
value of real estate. Naturally, landlords are
not going to bind themselves for long periods
under such circumstances.
"Like ourselves, many Baltimore music es-
tablishments own their own buildings, mostly
the older ones, but in recent years the rapid
advances in the prices of business property
have precluded the purchase of their locations
by the newer concerns. But still, when you
consider the question of the advisability ; of
holding a location, even under a lease, there! is
no doubt that it is best to hold it, if it is a
good one, at least until the price of holding
it becomes prohibitive."
L. W. Essig, manager of the Knabe Studios,
which deal in general musical merchandise, is
no less an advocate of the long-term lease on
a music store location.
"When you get a good one, sit tight," said
"i
Highest
Quality
Mr. Essig. "More mistakes are made by shift-
ing about than by staying where you have built
up a business, even if you have to accept, with
what cheerfulness you can, the landlord's gentle
getting of a higher rental out of you with each
renewal. You can figure that if the lease
terms are being raised it is a pretty good sign
that the location is becoming more valuable
and desirable for a retail business, and that if
you vacate another retail business will move
in, perhaps another music store. Furthermore,
if you move to another location in a city like
Baltimore, where rents have been going up for
the last ten years with unusual rapidity, you
will be confronted by the same problem soon-
er or later, and perhaps in a new location you
will not have built as good a foundation under
your business as you had in your former one.
"In the music business you must consider,"
continued Mr. Essig, "that a great deal of your
year's business comes from casual buyers, per-
sons who may not have patronized you before,
but were shopping in the neighborhood and
chanced to think of something in the music
line they wanted to take home or inquire about.
Either from being attracted by a display or
card in your show-window, or from knowing
for a long time that you were located just
across or just down the street, they stepped in.
Not infrequently such casual buyers become
regular customers. But when you move to a
new location it takes a good while for you to
become known in it, and a good volume of busi-
ness goes by you. The difference it makes in
your year's receipts might more than have paid
the advanced rental that scared you out of your
old place. Then, too, many regular customers
may have been lost because of your changed
location. All things considered, it is better
to stick where you start, if you can."
M. Mazor, manager of the Mazor Piano Co.,
which has been for twenty-five years one of
Baltimore's leading music houses, shares with
most other music dealers of the city the view
that the long-term lease is preferable for the
music store.
"Leasing conditions in Baltimore to-day make
it almost impossible to secure a lease on desir-
able business property for a longer period than
three or five years," said Mr. Mazor. "In some
instances renewals may be obtained for two,
three or five years, but, in most instances, at
sharply advanced terms. So, the matter of a
long or short-term lease on a location he seeks
is scarcely left wholly to the decision of the
music dealer. Under present Maryland leasing
laws the question of period and renewal privi-
leges is a matter for agreement between him-
self and the landlord. Usually the first period
will be for two, three or five years.
"At all events," continued Mr. Mazor, "I be-
lieve experience has shown that when the pro-
posed location has been studied from all angles
and found to be desirable, the music dealer's
interests will be best served if he obtains his
lease for the longest term possible. Removing
an established music store from one location to
another, unless the new store be in the imme-
diate neighborhood, is bad business, save when
it cannot possibly be avoided."
Booklet Sets Forth History
Baldwin Baby Grand
of Siegling Music House
Placed in Oldest Church
3tyle H Baldwin Baby Grand Installed in Mt. Established in 1819 Business Is Declared to Be
Zion Presbyterian Church, Rose Hill, N. C—
the Oldest of Its Kind in the United States
Praised by Congregation
—Pays Tribute to Lines Handled
The oldest church in North Carolina is now
equipped with a Baldwin. This is the Mount
Zion Presbyterian Church of Rose Hill, and
the ancient place of worship was built more
than seventy-five years ago. Not long ago N. B.
Sellars, local representative of the Baldwin, sold
the. congregation a Style H Baldwin Baby
Grand. An unsolicited testimonial letter from
E. McN. Carr, clerk of the session, says:
"After a great number of competitive efforts
on the part of the agents of several other piano
manufacturers your local agent here, N* B.'
Sellars, was awarded the contract for supplying
our church with your Style H Baby Gra,nd
Piano.
•'•'?)•
'
"Your piano was duly installed in our chtirch.
Last Sabbath it was tried out both in eur
Sunday School and regular preaching services.
And nothing but the very highest praises for
this instrument are. no% heard from every mem-
ber., of ovir church and Sabbath School. It is.
remarkably artistic in design and outer .ap-
pearance." •'MoreovCr, it possesses fully fifty per
cent n^o^fr-yolume than any upright instrument;
a.nd all our church auditorium, seating about
four hundred persons, was filled and running
over with the musical tone of this piano. It
has a remarkably soft and sweet tone that, to
our knowledge, far surpasses the tone of any
other instrument."
• ,
0NKRE
NCH
The Siegling Music House, Inc., Charleston,
S. C, has recently issued a booklet entitled:
"Test of Time" in which is outlined the history
of the firm, which was founded in 1819, 106 years
ago, and claims the distinction of being the
oldest music house in the United States. At
the present time the business is in the hands
of the third generation, with Rudolph Siegling
as president and treasurer.
The new booklet throws an interesting light
upon the high business standards that have in-
sured the success of the Siegling house and
grateful tribute is paid the various instruments
handled by the company, for some of which
they have been representatives for many years.
The Shoninger piano, for instance, has been
handled by the Siegling house for 74 years.
New Story & Clark Branch
SOUTH BEND, INU., March 16.—A new local
branch of the Story & Clark Piano Co. has re-
cently been opened at 121 North Main street,
handling the full line of pianos made by this
company. The store is in charge of L. K. Lip-
ton.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.
Highest
Quality
MARCH 21,
THE
1925
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Ins and Outs of Music Store Leases
Once the Location is Thoroughly Investigated, the Long-Term Lease Is the Best for the Retail Music Mer-
chant—What Some Leading Baltimore Music Merchants Have to Say on This Important and Vital
Question in the Development of a Steady Trade—An Article by J. H. Duncan
N the music store one of the most impor-
tant things to aim at from the beginning
is to become as widely known as possible
for all the things you deal in, and it follows that
the next thing in importance to strive for is
to keep fixed in the minds of those who know
your business that you can always be found in
a certain place. If you don't stay put your-
self, if you make it too much trouble for people
who know you to fin4 you, then you can ex-
pect them to deal in places which give them
less trouble of this sort."
This was the way William A. Eisenbrandt,
manager of the big establishment of H. R.
Eisenbrandt & Sons, Baltimore dealers in gen-
eral musical merchandise, summed up his views
on the question of whether the long or short-
term lease should be sought by the music
dealer. On anything connected with the music
business it may be said the opinion of the
house of Eisenbrandt is backed by experience,
for it is among the oldest musical instrument
houses in the United States, having been found-
ed in Baltimore in 1811 by the great-grand-,
father of the present members of the firm,
Alexander and William A. Eisenbrandt.
"Before a music store is established in any
location," continued Mr. Eisenbrandt, "the
owner should have so well informed himself
on all points that might affect the business in
future that when he is ready to close the lease
he also is prepared to take it for as long a
period as he can get it. After he gets it for as
long as possible, whether he secures renewal
privileges or not, it would be best for him to
begin at once making plans to hold that location
throughout his business career. If he has
chosen well and the business grows, it will be
far better for him to accept stiffly advancing
lease terms than to give up a location with
which he has become identified in the public
mind. On the other hand, if he has miscalcu-
lated the trend of the busiest retail section of
the city and the future of the location does not
look promising, then he should begin to think
of moving elsewhere.
"In Baltimore today, however, no one need
fear that he might get too long a lease on any
desirable store property. The tendency with-
in the last five or ten years has been to re-
strict them to short periods, like three or five
years, with possibly, in some cases, a renewal
privilege at advanced terms. The Maryland
lease laws are fair enough, but the whole ques-
tion is governed by the steadily increasing
value of real estate. Naturally, landlords are
not going to bind themselves for long periods
under such circumstances.
"Like ourselves, many Baltimore music es-
tablishments own their own buildings, mostly
the older ones, but in recent years the rapid
advances in the prices of business property
have precluded the purchase of their locations
by the newer concerns. But still, when you
consider the question of the advisability ; of
holding a location, even under a lease, there! is
no doubt that it is best to hold it, if it is a
good one, at least until the price of holding
it becomes prohibitive."
L. W. Essig, manager of the Knabe Studios,
which deal in general musical merchandise, is
no less an advocate of the long-term lease on
a music store location.
"When you get a good one, sit tight," said
"i
Highest
Quality
Mr. Essig. "More mistakes are made by shift-
ing about than by staying where you have built
up a business, even if you have to accept, with
what cheerfulness you can, the landlord's gentle
getting of a higher rental out of you with each
renewal. You can figure that if the lease
terms are being raised it is a pretty good sign
that the location is becoming more valuable
and desirable for a retail business, and that if
you vacate another retail business will move
in, perhaps another music store. Furthermore,
if you move to another location in a city like
Baltimore, where rents have been going up for
the last ten years with unusual rapidity, you
will be confronted by the same problem soon-
er or later, and perhaps in a new location you
will not have built as good a foundation under
your business as you had in your former one.
"In the music business you must consider,"
continued Mr. Essig, "that a great deal of your
year's business comes from casual buyers, per-
sons who may not have patronized you before,
but were shopping in the neighborhood and
chanced to think of something in the music
line they wanted to take home or inquire about.
Either from being attracted by a display or
card in your show-window, or from knowing
for a long time that you were located just
across or just down the street, they stepped in.
Not infrequently such casual buyers become
regular customers. But when you move to a
new location it takes a good while for you to
become known in it, and a good volume of busi-
ness goes by you. The difference it makes in
your year's receipts might more than have paid
the advanced rental that scared you out of your
old place. Then, too, many regular customers
may have been lost because of your changed
location. All things considered, it is better
to stick where you start, if you can."
M. Mazor, manager of the Mazor Piano Co.,
which has been for twenty-five years one of
Baltimore's leading music houses, shares with
most other music dealers of the city the view
that the long-term lease is preferable for the
music store.
"Leasing conditions in Baltimore to-day make
it almost impossible to secure a lease on desir-
able business property for a longer period than
three or five years," said Mr. Mazor. "In some
instances renewals may be obtained for two,
three or five years, but, in most instances, at
sharply advanced terms. So, the matter of a
long or short-term lease on a location he seeks
is scarcely left wholly to the decision of the
music dealer. Under present Maryland leasing
laws the question of period and renewal privi-
leges is a matter for agreement between him-
self and the landlord. Usually the first period
will be for two, three or five years.
"At all events," continued Mr. Mazor, "I be-
lieve experience has shown that when the pro-
posed location has been studied from all angles
and found to be desirable, the music dealer's
interests will be best served if he obtains his
lease for the longest term possible. Removing
an established music store from one location to
another, unless the new store be in the imme-
diate neighborhood, is bad business, save when
it cannot possibly be avoided."
Booklet Sets Forth History
Baldwin Baby Grand
of Siegling Music House
Placed in Oldest Church
3tyle H Baldwin Baby Grand Installed in Mt. Established in 1819 Business Is Declared to Be
Zion Presbyterian Church, Rose Hill, N. C—
the Oldest of Its Kind in the United States
Praised by Congregation
—Pays Tribute to Lines Handled
The oldest church in North Carolina is now
equipped with a Baldwin. This is the Mount
Zion Presbyterian Church of Rose Hill, and
the ancient place of worship was built more
than seventy-five years ago. Not long ago N. B.
Sellars, local representative of the Baldwin, sold
the. congregation a Style H Baldwin Baby
Grand. An unsolicited testimonial letter from
E. McN. Carr, clerk of the session, says:
"After a great number of competitive efforts
on the part of the agents of several other piano
manufacturers your local agent here, N* B.'
Sellars, was awarded the contract for supplying
our church with your Style H Baby Gra,nd
Piano.
•'•'?)•
'
"Your piano was duly installed in our chtirch.
Last Sabbath it was tried out both in eur
Sunday School and regular preaching services.
And nothing but the very highest praises for
this instrument are. no% heard from every mem-
ber., of ovir church and Sabbath School. It is.
remarkably artistic in design and outer .ap-
pearance." •'MoreovCr, it possesses fully fifty per
cent n^o^fr-yolume than any upright instrument;
a.nd all our church auditorium, seating about
four hundred persons, was filled and running
over with the musical tone of this piano. It
has a remarkably soft and sweet tone that, to
our knowledge, far surpasses the tone of any
other instrument."
• ,
0NKRE
NCH
The Siegling Music House, Inc., Charleston,
S. C, has recently issued a booklet entitled:
"Test of Time" in which is outlined the history
of the firm, which was founded in 1819, 106 years
ago, and claims the distinction of being the
oldest music house in the United States. At
the present time the business is in the hands
of the third generation, with Rudolph Siegling
as president and treasurer.
The new booklet throws an interesting light
upon the high business standards that have in-
sured the success of the Siegling house and
grateful tribute is paid the various instruments
handled by the company, for some of which
they have been representatives for many years.
The Shoninger piano, for instance, has been
handled by the Siegling house for 74 years.
New Story & Clark Branch
SOUTH BEND, INU., March 16.—A new local
branch of the Story & Clark Piano Co. has re-
cently been opened at 121 North Main street,
handling the full line of pianos made by this
company. The store is in charge of L. K. Lip-
ton.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.
Highest
Quality
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