Presto

PRESTO
May 5, 1923
CHRISTMAN
IN CELEBRATION OF
AN ANNIVERSARY
In Celebrating Seventy-five Years of Constant
Growth and Business Progress, Hamma-
cher, Schlemmer & Co. Issues Fasci-
nating Book of Historical Facts.
In commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of
its founding, Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., 4th
avenue and 13th street, New York, have issued a
booklet that is characteristic of a progressive house.
It is the story of seventy-five years of constant
growth and pictures and text tell of absorbing his-
toric events to which the activities of Hammacher,
Schlemmer & Co. were contemporaneous.
A double page spread of pictures makes an in-
teresting start that promises an alluring continuation.
There are the portraits of William Schlemmer and
William F. Schlemmer, "two men with but a single
vision," as the caption so aptly states . Then there
is successive history in the pictures beginning with
the hardware store of 1848 and others which show
the architectural progress in the housing of Ham-
macher, Schlemmer & Co.'s business down to 1923.
REPRODUCING GRANDS
are of an exceptional
high quality, making
them a worthy and
p r o f i t a b l e line to
handle.
Christman
Pianos
have a scale that
insures tone qual-
ity of remarkable
purity, sweetness
a n d of g r e a t
volume.
Enhance Your Future Prosper-
ity By Investigating the
Irresistible Appeal of
CHRISTMAN
GRANDS, UPRIGHTS
PLAYERS
and
REPRODUCING PIANOS
"The First Touch Tells
9 t
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
Christman Piano Co.
597 East 137th St.
New York
William Schlemmer, Pathmaker.
Plow the path that was laid by William Schlem-
mer, founder of Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., was
subsequently followed under the guidance of his
son, William F. Schlemmer, gives romantic interest
to a story of commerce. William Schlemmer began
his business career at twelve and throughout his life
no sacrifice was too great if made for the interest
of the business. Up to his death at the age of seven-
ty-three he proved his wonderful business efficiency.
William F. Schlemmer began to follow in his
father's footsteps at the age of fifteen, and he aspired
to do so as strictly as possible. He began at the
bottom of the ladder and got no more consideration
than any other boy in the house. He earned every
step in his promotion from office boy to the position
of president which he holds today.
The Son's Training.
Mr. Schlemmer's rigid training resulted in his won-
derful grasp of details in the admirable system built
up in the company. He has a comprehensive knowl-
edge of the business and a most valuable acquaint-
ance with human nature. And the human viewpoint
is considered of the highest importance by Mr.
Schlemmer. He knows the requirements of every
position in the house and is able to determine the
quality of mind and personality required in the man
to fit it. His insight into character and his experi-
ence give him the ability to drect an old and pros-
perous hardware business to greater achievements.
The Veteran Roll.
The personal touches in the anniversary booklet
are characteristic of a house which so highly esteem
loyalty to the policies in its workers. In the "Short
Stories of Success" are the pictures and brief his-
tories of the tried corps of men who have served the
house for the best part of their lifetime.
August Pahl, who, starting at twelve grew up to
the office of vice-president which he so ably fills to-
day. He has been with the company since 1885.
Herman Acher, superintendent, who joyfully looks
back to forty years of activity with the house. He
is a director and a vice-president since 1920. William
H. Siebert, secretary and credit manager, with a rec-
ord of eighteen years. John Schadler ,head of piano
materials sales department and manager of general
advertising, busy for twenty-five years with the grow-
ing hardware house. Louis Schmidt, another one
with a long record, now a director and buyer of all
piano materials and specialties. August J. Brocke,
whose activities extend back for thirty years, and
who is now a director and manager of the accounting
department, and Walter McKibben, another director,
raised from a boy in the house. He now fills the
onerous position of sales manager.
In the middle of the book there is an interesting
double page of pictures of forty-eight employes who
have helped to build the business. Some of them
have as high as forty-three years of co-operation to
their credit.
"The prevailing tendency towards consolidation ex-
pressed itself when William Schlemmer joined hands
with A. Hammacher,'' says the booklet.
"A new angle of retailing opened wider business
channels. All industry was being stimulated by radi-
cal advances in management and distribution. Mr.
Schlemmer kept pace with all forward strides that
would facilitate his business of supplying the manu-
facturer and consumer direct. Today the business
has many salesmen traveling throughout the United
States and a large portion of Canada selling hard-
ware, tools and supplies for railroads, factories, in-
stitutions and individuals. There is also a separate
department for automotive supplies and equipment
and a very large branch of the business is devoted to
piano materials and supplies. The entire business
covers one hundred thousand -different items.
ORCHESTRA IN WINDOW
ADVERTISES INSTRUMENTS
Hutchinson, Kan., Department Store Makes Novel
Display for New Music Department.
The Rorabaugh-Wiley Dry Goods Co., Hutchinson,
Kan., which conducts a department store business in
that city, has hit upon a novel way of advertising its
band and orchestra instrument department. A win-
dow display of instruments sold in the instrument
department formed part of the idea, and a four-piece
orchestra located in the window part of the time
formed the other half of the scheme.
The display of a piano, several saxophones, a violin,
a xylophone, and a drummer's outfit was left in the
window several days, and on Saturday night from
7:30 until 9 o'clock the orchestra took its place in the
narrow space and performed upon the instruments
shown, with.the exception of the xylophone. A great
crowd of shoppers stopped to hear the orchestra play.
The band and orchestra instrument department is
one of the new features of the Rorabaugh-Wiley
company. A phonograph department has been suc-
cessfully operated for several years.
TEXAS MUSIC MERCHANTS'
ASSOCIATION IN CONVENTION
Fourth Annual Meeting of State Organization Held
This Week at Jeffers Hotel, Dallas.
The Texas Music Merchants' Association held its
fourth annual convention at the Jefferson Hotel,
Dallas, on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week
(May 1 and 2) and elected William Howard Beaslcy,
Texarkana, as president succeeding Will A. Watkin
of Dallas, in that office.
An address of welcome on behalf of the city of
Dallas was made by Mayor Saunie R. Aldredge
which was responded to by C. C. Miller of Fort
Worth. Other addresses were made by Alfred L.
Smith, general manager of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce; Mark P. Campbell, president
of the Brambach Piano Co., New York; Thomas J.
Mercer, salesmanager of the Gulbransen-Dickinson
Co., Chicago; William L. Bush, Dallas; Will A. Wat-
kin, Dallas; Lester Gunst, Dallas, and others.
SELLS Q R S ROLLS.
One of the pleasant signs of spring noticed by
the manager of the music roll department of H. A.
Weymann & Son, Inc., Philadelphia, is the increased
interest in rolls. The house has a big business in
QRS Music Co.'s rolls and the variations in the sales
from week to week are closely noted by the depart-
ment manager. April has been a splendid month in
the sales of QRS rolls and the manager expects a
marked increase as the season advances. That sum-
mer is a good time for music roll sales is one of the
fixed beliefs with everybody in the roll department.
This year the portable phonograph will be more
extensively used than ever before and with the natural
effect on roll sales.
PROGRESSIVE COLUMBUS, GA., FIRM.
The Humes Music Co., Columbus, Ga., has pur-
chased the Broad Street Building, a three-story brick
structure with a frontage of thirty-seven feet on
Broad street and a depth of 147 feet. The location
is considered the best in the business section. The
consideration is said to be $107,000. When the build-
ing is remodeled to suit the purposes of a progressive
music business the Humes Music Co. will occupy it.
MOVES IN MEMPHIS.
New quarters have been leased by the Allen Wel-
burn Piano Co., Memphis, Tenn., formerly known
as the Bell-Welburn Piano Co. Allen Welburn,
president of the concern last week made the arrange-
ments for the new store which is at 134 South Main
street. The talking machine department will be on
the first floor, grand pianos on the second and up-
right pianos and playerpianos on the third.
OPENS FOSTORIA BRANCH.
An agency of the C. A. House Piano Company, of
Wheeling, W. Va., was opened last week in the
Couplin building, on West Eighth street, Cambridge,
O. T under the management of L. W. Bell, of Cam-
bridge. Mr. Bell is familiar with the business, hav-
ing been connected with the Davis-Burkham & Tyler
Company's store in Cambridge until recently when
he accepted the management of the Fostoria agency.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/