Presto
Issue: 1925 2011 - Page 7
February 7, 1925.
PRESTO
PROBLEMS OF THE
SUBURBAN DEALER
They Are Similar to Those of Music Merchant
in Outlying Districts of Big City and
Differ from Those of Country
Dealer.
PUBLICITY WAYS FEW
every dealer
knew what
successful
SEEBURG
dealers know
about conduct-
ing and oper-
ating auto-
matic piano
businesses,
every dealer
would be en-
gaged in the
business!
J. P. SEEBURG
PIANO CO.
CHICAGO
"Leaders in the
Automatic Line"
General Offices: 1510 Dayton St.
Factory 1508-16 Dayton St.
Local Weeklies Not Much Use So Business Is
Achieved Mostly by Personal Solicita-
tion.
The music merchant in the big city and his brother
in the country town have each their problems but
they are different from those of the dealer in the out-
lying districts or suburbs of the big city. In fact,
the conditions surrounding all three make them like
three separate trades as far as methods are con-
cerned. But the difficulties of the first two are com-
paratively easy compared with those of the last men-
tioned.
The neighborhood dealer has his publicity troubles
and they are mostly in the scarcity of advertising
media. He is in competition with the dealers within
the city and in a measure with the dealers in the
live country towns nearest to his own suburban field.
The suburban papers are mostly social and church
registers and conveyors of realtor's opportunities.
Any attempt to direct attention to a piano, for in-
stance, is rendered abortive by the inducements of
the city dealers in the big dailies. And another of
his complaints is that piano manufacturers, usually
generous to the city and the country town merchant,
have developed no co-operative means to suit his
particular requirements.
Business Big in Aggregate.
The music business of the suburban merchant
may seem small to the person taking a hasty glance
at the situation but the keen men in some of the
wholesale and jobbing houses in the musical mer-
chandise trade hold a different opinion. A vast
amount of musical instruments and accessories is
handled by the dealers in the outskirts of big cities.
The number of legitimate dealers within a radius of
the city limits of the important cities would amaze
the analysts of the music trade. The number of
stores within the fifty mile radius of Chicago, for in-
stance, exceeds that of all the rest of the state. And
drug stores carrying counter cases and sheet music
racks are not included in the count.
His Publicity Problem.
As far as publicity is concerned the dealer of that
class must necessarily be a law unto himself. And
to apply the law he must have brains, horse sense
and initiative. Prohibitive rates cut him off the use
of the big city's dailies. Advertising in the suburban
tea table weekly is usually futile and when he uses
the big city dailies it is always to advertise used
piano bargains. For printed aids his mainstay is the
handbill but this fails of its object when too often re-
peated. He can use the mails but this is expensive
when done continuously.
When everything is said and done the dealer in
the outlying districts of the big city must rely on a
few aids for interesting the music goods buyer. The
window display is a reliable and cheap way to tell
his story. His store necessarily being in a business
center of a residential section, it is available to local
shoppers and the women of the families who are the
people the suburban music dealer is after, pass in
front of his windows several times every week, in
doing their household shopping.
Doorbell Ringing.
Then there is the old reliable activity of doorbell
ringing. And in presenting his card the local dealer
begins with the advantage of "belonging." The local
dealer is the taxpayer and the more of his kind there
are to share the burden the better for all. In the
outlying districts or the suburbs, the householders
are more ready to listen to the opening spiel of the
doorbell ringers than those of the city.
Of course the dealer of that kind has not provided
his first aid to prospect-finding until he has made a
thorough canvass of his field and made a proper cen-
sus. -The bright active dealers who have made a suc-
cess of outside stores have made census compiling a
part of the first thorough chase for prospects. Tak-
ing census is not as easy as it sounds. The people
as a rule resent blunt questioning and diplomatic
treatment is a requirement. The manner of the cen-
sus takers should not offend anybody. Every family
is a possible prospect for a piano or some article of
music goods.
A General Store.
The handling of small goods has become an impor-
tant thing in the stores on the outskirts of the big
cities and now radio is adding to the attractive force
of the stores. As a rule small goods and sheet music
have been sold in connection with pianos and talking
machines. In every branch of the business he has
the advantage of not carrying a large stock. In fact
his stock may be little more than a line of samples
and still he may do a good business. Supplies are
always available in the nearby big centers. A great
number of the music dealers in this category are
tuners and in building up a clientele for a tuning
business they also increase a music goods business.
The sane man who makes a start in the outlying
district or the suburb never is tempted to increase his
overhead by making a show, such as taking a larger
store than required or one in a more expensive build-
ing in order to impress the neighbors. As a rule, the
trade built up is of the friendly kind and the cus-
tomers consider the goods and the man rather than
the showiness of the store.
DIVIDEND OF 20%
ON GULBRANSEN STOCK
Directors at Annual Meeting Also Declare
Two Per Cent on Common Stock and
Re-elect All Officers.
At the annual meeting of the Gulbransen Co., Chi-
cago, last week. A. G. Gulbransen was re-elected
president and treasurer. C. Gulbransen was also re-
elected vice-president, and Edward B. Healy, secre-
tary.
The following comprise the board of directors also
named at the meeting: A. G. Gulbransen, G. Gul-
bransen, Edward B. Healy, L. W. Peterson, A. H.
Boettcher, George McDermott and C. H. Berggren.
The directors declared' a stock dividend of 20%
and a cash dividend of 2% on outstanding common
stock.
There are probably few concerns the size of the
Gulbransen Company—a $5,000,000 corporation—that
have been built up within themselves as has this
Company. A restricted group of stockholders are
on the books, most of them having been with the
company practically since its inception. These men
have grown with the company, investing compara-
tively small amounts and seeing their holdings in-
crease in value year after year, out of the earnings.
There has been no stock manipulation in the Gul-
bransen Company, no "schemes" whereby any indi-
viduals or organizations have put in large sums and
thus earned any undue advantages for themselves.
All the stockholders have grown with the Company,
prospering as it has prospered out of its own
earnings.
This 20% stock dividend and the 50% stock divi-
dend declared last year give some idea of how the
men who have stock in the Gulbransen company
have seen their holdings pyramid year after year
until their initial investment became a very small
item.
The bulk of Gulbransen stock is held by officers,
department heads and other employes of the com-
pany, and the financial returns on their stock in-
vestment have been a factor in keeping them ever-
lasting "on their toes" and mindful of the best in-
terests and progress of their company.
No other piano manufacturing institution has any
stock interest in the Gulbransen company, there are
no subsidiary companies and all instruments pro-
duced bear the one name, "Gulbransen."
DALLAS ASSOCIATION MEETS.
The first luncheon for 1925 of the Dallas Music
Industries Association was made the occasion of the
annual election of officers when the following were
chosen: President, William Howard Beasley, of the
D. L. Whittle Music Co.; vice-president, W. H. Hum-
phries of the Brunswick, Balke-Collender district
office, and Jules H. Corder of Sanger Bros., secre-
tary-treasurer. The directors for the ensuing year
are:
Paul E.. Burling, Robert N. Watkin, C. L.
Mahaney, J. J. Clegg and E. G. Council. Interesting
plans for the coming year were discussed and a ten-
tative program laid out.
BOSTON STORE ADDS MUSIC.
A varied line of musical instruments has just been
added to the stock of the phonograph department of
The Shepard Stores, Winter street, Boston, Mass.
At present it ranges from harmonicas to excellent
violins, and will be added to from time to time. In
between are to be found ukuleles, banjos, mandolins
and other instruments. The store stands ready to
take care of all customers in the matter of service,
and will order any instrument not in stock, for a
patron.
Cortese Bros, owns the Central Musical Bureau,
with offices at the O. K. Houck Piano Co., Mem-
phis, Tenn.
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/
PRESTO
PROBLEMS OF THE
SUBURBAN DEALER
They Are Similar to Those of Music Merchant
in Outlying Districts of Big City and
Differ from Those of Country
Dealer.
PUBLICITY WAYS FEW
every dealer
knew what
successful
SEEBURG
dealers know
about conduct-
ing and oper-
ating auto-
matic piano
businesses,
every dealer
would be en-
gaged in the
business!
J. P. SEEBURG
PIANO CO.
CHICAGO
"Leaders in the
Automatic Line"
General Offices: 1510 Dayton St.
Factory 1508-16 Dayton St.
Local Weeklies Not Much Use So Business Is
Achieved Mostly by Personal Solicita-
tion.
The music merchant in the big city and his brother
in the country town have each their problems but
they are different from those of the dealer in the out-
lying districts or suburbs of the big city. In fact,
the conditions surrounding all three make them like
three separate trades as far as methods are con-
cerned. But the difficulties of the first two are com-
paratively easy compared with those of the last men-
tioned.
The neighborhood dealer has his publicity troubles
and they are mostly in the scarcity of advertising
media. He is in competition with the dealers within
the city and in a measure with the dealers in the
live country towns nearest to his own suburban field.
The suburban papers are mostly social and church
registers and conveyors of realtor's opportunities.
Any attempt to direct attention to a piano, for in-
stance, is rendered abortive by the inducements of
the city dealers in the big dailies. And another of
his complaints is that piano manufacturers, usually
generous to the city and the country town merchant,
have developed no co-operative means to suit his
particular requirements.
Business Big in Aggregate.
The music business of the suburban merchant
may seem small to the person taking a hasty glance
at the situation but the keen men in some of the
wholesale and jobbing houses in the musical mer-
chandise trade hold a different opinion. A vast
amount of musical instruments and accessories is
handled by the dealers in the outskirts of big cities.
The number of legitimate dealers within a radius of
the city limits of the important cities would amaze
the analysts of the music trade. The number of
stores within the fifty mile radius of Chicago, for in-
stance, exceeds that of all the rest of the state. And
drug stores carrying counter cases and sheet music
racks are not included in the count.
His Publicity Problem.
As far as publicity is concerned the dealer of that
class must necessarily be a law unto himself. And
to apply the law he must have brains, horse sense
and initiative. Prohibitive rates cut him off the use
of the big city's dailies. Advertising in the suburban
tea table weekly is usually futile and when he uses
the big city dailies it is always to advertise used
piano bargains. For printed aids his mainstay is the
handbill but this fails of its object when too often re-
peated. He can use the mails but this is expensive
when done continuously.
When everything is said and done the dealer in
the outlying districts of the big city must rely on a
few aids for interesting the music goods buyer. The
window display is a reliable and cheap way to tell
his story. His store necessarily being in a business
center of a residential section, it is available to local
shoppers and the women of the families who are the
people the suburban music dealer is after, pass in
front of his windows several times every week, in
doing their household shopping.
Doorbell Ringing.
Then there is the old reliable activity of doorbell
ringing. And in presenting his card the local dealer
begins with the advantage of "belonging." The local
dealer is the taxpayer and the more of his kind there
are to share the burden the better for all. In the
outlying districts or the suburbs, the householders
are more ready to listen to the opening spiel of the
doorbell ringers than those of the city.
Of course the dealer of that kind has not provided
his first aid to prospect-finding until he has made a
thorough canvass of his field and made a proper cen-
sus. -The bright active dealers who have made a suc-
cess of outside stores have made census compiling a
part of the first thorough chase for prospects. Tak-
ing census is not as easy as it sounds. The people
as a rule resent blunt questioning and diplomatic
treatment is a requirement. The manner of the cen-
sus takers should not offend anybody. Every family
is a possible prospect for a piano or some article of
music goods.
A General Store.
The handling of small goods has become an impor-
tant thing in the stores on the outskirts of the big
cities and now radio is adding to the attractive force
of the stores. As a rule small goods and sheet music
have been sold in connection with pianos and talking
machines. In every branch of the business he has
the advantage of not carrying a large stock. In fact
his stock may be little more than a line of samples
and still he may do a good business. Supplies are
always available in the nearby big centers. A great
number of the music dealers in this category are
tuners and in building up a clientele for a tuning
business they also increase a music goods business.
The sane man who makes a start in the outlying
district or the suburb never is tempted to increase his
overhead by making a show, such as taking a larger
store than required or one in a more expensive build-
ing in order to impress the neighbors. As a rule, the
trade built up is of the friendly kind and the cus-
tomers consider the goods and the man rather than
the showiness of the store.
DIVIDEND OF 20%
ON GULBRANSEN STOCK
Directors at Annual Meeting Also Declare
Two Per Cent on Common Stock and
Re-elect All Officers.
At the annual meeting of the Gulbransen Co., Chi-
cago, last week. A. G. Gulbransen was re-elected
president and treasurer. C. Gulbransen was also re-
elected vice-president, and Edward B. Healy, secre-
tary.
The following comprise the board of directors also
named at the meeting: A. G. Gulbransen, G. Gul-
bransen, Edward B. Healy, L. W. Peterson, A. H.
Boettcher, George McDermott and C. H. Berggren.
The directors declared' a stock dividend of 20%
and a cash dividend of 2% on outstanding common
stock.
There are probably few concerns the size of the
Gulbransen Company—a $5,000,000 corporation—that
have been built up within themselves as has this
Company. A restricted group of stockholders are
on the books, most of them having been with the
company practically since its inception. These men
have grown with the company, investing compara-
tively small amounts and seeing their holdings in-
crease in value year after year, out of the earnings.
There has been no stock manipulation in the Gul-
bransen Company, no "schemes" whereby any indi-
viduals or organizations have put in large sums and
thus earned any undue advantages for themselves.
All the stockholders have grown with the Company,
prospering as it has prospered out of its own
earnings.
This 20% stock dividend and the 50% stock divi-
dend declared last year give some idea of how the
men who have stock in the Gulbransen company
have seen their holdings pyramid year after year
until their initial investment became a very small
item.
The bulk of Gulbransen stock is held by officers,
department heads and other employes of the com-
pany, and the financial returns on their stock in-
vestment have been a factor in keeping them ever-
lasting "on their toes" and mindful of the best in-
terests and progress of their company.
No other piano manufacturing institution has any
stock interest in the Gulbransen company, there are
no subsidiary companies and all instruments pro-
duced bear the one name, "Gulbransen."
DALLAS ASSOCIATION MEETS.
The first luncheon for 1925 of the Dallas Music
Industries Association was made the occasion of the
annual election of officers when the following were
chosen: President, William Howard Beasley, of the
D. L. Whittle Music Co.; vice-president, W. H. Hum-
phries of the Brunswick, Balke-Collender district
office, and Jules H. Corder of Sanger Bros., secre-
tary-treasurer. The directors for the ensuing year
are:
Paul E.. Burling, Robert N. Watkin, C. L.
Mahaney, J. J. Clegg and E. G. Council. Interesting
plans for the coming year were discussed and a ten-
tative program laid out.
BOSTON STORE ADDS MUSIC.
A varied line of musical instruments has just been
added to the stock of the phonograph department of
The Shepard Stores, Winter street, Boston, Mass.
At present it ranges from harmonicas to excellent
violins, and will be added to from time to time. In
between are to be found ukuleles, banjos, mandolins
and other instruments. The store stands ready to
take care of all customers in the matter of service,
and will order any instrument not in stock, for a
patron.
Cortese Bros, owns the Central Musical Bureau,
with offices at the O. K. Houck Piano Co., Mem-
phis, Tenn.
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/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).