Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
H. A. Weymann & Son to
Seattle's Pioneer Sporting
Fight Publicity Helps
Retire From Retail Field
Goods Store "Goes Radio"
New Orleans Radio Sales
Prominent Philadelphia House to Devote At-
tention to Making Stringed Instruments and
to Wholesaling Victor Line
Piper & Taft Have Greatly Enlarged Their
Quarters for the Sale and Demonstration of
Radio Receivers
PHILADELPHIA, PA., March 18—Following the-
announcement that the American Piano Co. is
to open retail warerooms of its own in this
city at 1108 Chestnut street, the details of
which will be announced by the company later,
the news comes from H. A. Weymann & Son
that, in turning over their Chestnut .street
building to the American Piano Co., the local
concern will retire from the retail field and
devote its entire energies to the wholesaling
of Victor talking machine and radio combina-
tions and to the manufacture of the well-known
Weymann banjos and string instruments.
Weymann & Son have arranged to occupy
quarters at Tenth and Filbert streets, and fur-
ther announcement of the company's plans will
be made shortly.
The building taken over by the American
Piano Co. is a five-story structure in the heart
of the business district and will be entirely re-
modeled to meet the needs of the company in
the display and sale of the Mason & Hamlin,
Knabe and Chickering pianos and the Ampico.
David Jacobs, who up to this time has repre-
sented the American Piano Co. here with head-
quarters known as Knabe Wareroom at 1020
Walnut street, has arranged to install other
lines of pianos together with radios, and will
continue in business at that address.
.SEATTLK, WASH., March 16.—Piper & Taft.
pioneer sporting goods dealers of Seattle, arc
completing greatly enlarged quarters for the
sale and demonstration of radios, which were
added as a small department but four years
ago. When interviewed regarding this increased
radio activity, William G. Taft, head of the
radio department, said:
"Radio has assumed such importance in our
business that it has become as vitally impor-
tant as all of our other activities put together.
We have been forced to give it greater con-
sideration.''
Four tastefully appointed display rooms will
be featured. These arc somewhat larger than
the old type of phonograph demonstration
rooms. In addition a large, well-lighted dis-
play niche is given to the display of various
models. This is considered a sufficient num-
ber of demonstration rooms, inasmuch as the
vast majority of radio sales are made in the
home.
Probably the most important factor in the
radio department to-day is the maintenance of
a good, efficient service department, says Mr.
Taft. A large, well-equipped service depart-
ment with two operators is maintained in close
proximity to the sales department, and will be
maintained at a consistently high degree of
efficiency. Six salesmen are maintained in the
radio sales department which is the busiest part
of the entire Piper & Taft organization. Split-
dorf, Crosley and Sparton lines are featured.
The department is downstairs and elevator
service is maintained.
Mr. Taft has worked out a plan to effectively
reduce turnover in his sales staff, and still
maintain the morale of the staff for twelve
months in the year by installing a department
where Electrolux electric refrigerators are
handled. The radio men receive training in
both lines, and in Winter there is sufficient
movement in these to warrant maintaining the
department, whereas in Summer when radio is
in its oft season, the refrigerators will be
pushed, for that is their biggest season.
Eddie Mitchell to Head
White Radio Department
COLUMBUS, O., March 16.—Eddie Mitchell, lead-
er and organizer of the Eddie Mitchell dance
orchestra here, will have charge of the Z. 1..
White Department Store radio department. Mr.
Mitchell is well known iu Columbus and cen-
tral Ohio, not only as radio dealer, but musi-
cian as well. He was formerly with lludd
& Co., radio dealers of Columbus.
The Z. L. White Co. will feature the Atwater
Kents, Majesties, Philco, Crosleys and Spar-
tons. The radio department will occupy the
entire fifth floor of the department store.
Radio Broadcasts Aid
Sales of A. K. Receivers
Atwater Kent dealers of Arkansas from one
border of the State to the other co-operat-
ing in a broadcasting service over Station
KLRA of Little Rock, which according to
District Manager Stockholm of the Southwest-
ern Atwater Kent territory, is doing more to
stimulate interest in that particular section than
anything ever attempted heretofore.
The programs, which are broadcast twice
daily, are known as the Atwater Kent Demon-
stration Hours, one in the morning, the other
from four to five p. in. According to present
indications these two hours will represent the
only daytime programs during the Summer
months.
T. J. Kalz, who for the past five years has
been associated with the sales department of
the Radio Corp. of America, has been named
manager of the Graybar Electric Co. in Mil-
waukee, Wis.
NEW ORLEANS, LA., March 16.—There was an
increased call for radios last week and virtually
all the merchants reported that sales, which had
fallen off a little since the Christmas season,
showed a decided upward trend especially to-
wards the end of the week and are better now
than they have been for some time. This is
credited to the fact that there has been an ex-
ceptionally large amount of advertising done
by all the leading music dealers during the past
few weeks. A great deal of this advertising
centered around the Sharkey-Stribling fight at
Miami Heach and some of the advertisers fea-
tured pictures of both Sharkey and Stribling.
A good amount of business was obtained by
reminding the public of the fact that they
should either buy new radios or have their old
ones repaired to hear the fight.
Wilkins Thanks Columbia
for Antarctic Music
From Captain Sir George Hubert Wilkins,
noted aviator-explorer, now in the Antarctic,
the Columbia Phonograph Co. has received the
following radiogram:
"S. S. Hektoria, via Chatham, January 29.
"Columbia Phonograph Co., New York, N. Y.
"Sailing to-day thus ending period of detain-
ment which would have been unendurable with-
out your Grafonola and Columbia records.
"Wilkins-Hearst Antarctic Expedition."
Captain Wilkins, who in 1928 flew "over the.
top of the world," from Alaska to Spitzbergen,
has been recently in the Antarctic, gathering
meteorological data from which it is hoped to
benefit the agriculture and commerce of the
Southern Hemisphere.
To Market Triad Tubes
Announcement has been made to the trade
that the Triad Mfg. Co., Inc., Pawtucket, R. I.,
will soon introduce a line of radio tubes, the
distribution of which will be through franchised
jobbers and manufacturers. George Colby, the
president, has stated that a national advertising
campaign will be inaugurated soon, to cost
about $500,000.
Boiler Go. Changes Name
New Merger in St. Paul
The Holler Piano Co., 2386 Milwaukee avenue,
Chicago, recently changed its name to the
Holler Piano & Radio Co. in enlarging its radio
department. Radio is now being featured by
the company as an important and permanent
part of the business. The company represents
various leading lines including Radiola, Spar-
ton, Zenith, Majestic, Crosley and Philco. The
piano lines featured are the Cable-Nelson and
I he Schiller.
The Peyer Music Co. and the Lambert, Otter-
hom Co., distributors for oil burners and elec-
trical refrigerators in St. Paul, Minn., have
merged their interests and in the future will
be known as the Peyer Corp., with Joseph
Peyer chairman of the Board. The company
ivill continue to handle the several products
through the medium of separate departments.
Ventura Concern Grows
PHILADELPHIA, PA., March 18.—Warren R.
Greenig, head of the firm bearing his name at
3131 Kensington avenue, has opened a radio
department to augment his old-established
business in Weaver, Kohler & Campbell and
Starr Pianos. Joseph Sowden is manager of
the new department.
The music" store of Moore & Fazio, Ventura,
Cal., is now being remodeled to provide addi-
tional space for the growing business. The
improvements include a new mezzanine floor.
The company handles Starr and other makes
of pianos, Kolster and Crosley radio receivers,
Conn band instruments, and Hrunswick records.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review.
12
Opens Radio Department
The entire stock of the Columbia Piano Co.,
Yoakum, Tex., has been taken over by Howard
Bros., Beeville, Tex., and will be disposed of by
that concern.