Presto
Issue: 1930 2245 - Page 14
14
April, 1930
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
SETTERGREN CO. FORGING AHEAD
CAPEHART
IN CENTRAL WEST
Secretary W. C. Hess, of This Company, Visits Chicago After Extensive
Travels and Tells How Active Dealers Are Getting Trade
Capehart Room at Lail Bros., Lexington, Ky.,
and Capehart Demonstration at
Defiance, Ohio.
W. C. Hess, secretary of the B. K. Settergren Co.,
Bluffton, Ind., and an official of the Estey Piano Co.,
was a visitor at Chicago last week, when he took
Lail Brothers, 337 East Main street, Lexington,
Ky., have increased their space by the establishment
of a new division to be known as the Capehart depart-
ment, firm officials announced. The firm, organized
seven years ago with one clerk, today includes 13
clerks and salesmen. Floor capacity has increased
from 450 to 10,000 square feet. The new addition
will have a radio and Capehart show room 30 by 60"
feet with sound-proof walls and ceiling. The floor
will be of hard wood. During the daytime the room
will be used for demonstration purposes, and from 8
until 12 o'clock at night it will be turned over to the
public for teas, public meetings, dances and the like.
Music from the Capehart will be available for all
night gatherings.
Radio broadcasting from a bus owned by the Cape-
hart Corp. of Fort Wayne was carried out at Defiance,
Ohio, on the night of March 28 under the auspices
of the Roehrig Radio Shop. Music for the broad-
cast was provided by the Capehart Orchestrope, in-
stalled in a specially-built trailer bus body with up-
holstered chairs and novel appointments. Representa-
tives of the Capehart Corp. who were in Defiance for
the demonstration were I. C. Hunter, S. B. Whisner,
H. L. Stark and C. E. Ihrie.
W. C. HESS.
occasion to pay two of three social calls, or as he
put it, "to renew acquaintance with a few cherished
friends of bygone days." He had just come back
from a trip to the Pacific Coast, which embraced
most of the larger cities from north to south.
Mr. Hess was in a reminiscent mood, particularly in
reciting interesting incidents of his visits with dealers
great and small, prominent, less prominent and with
no prominence at all. For when Mr. Hess goes out on
a trip he is like the bees; he gathers stores of knowl-
edge of the territory over which he has traveled
which he can use at a later period with real utility
as his guide. The value of such information can
scarcely be exaggerated. His wide philosophy in-
cludes a triad of qualities—observation, connotation
and application. He gets by observation an implica-
tion of something more than the essential or primary
meaning of local happenings or reports, and thereby
gains a store of reference knowledge.
His Calls Are Welcome.
If he doesn't put an order in his pocket at a call,
he at least leaves an impression of his personality,
so that in nine chances out of ten he has established
a friendly relationship that will count for future trade.
Vigorous, active, enthusiastic, optimistic, Mr. Hess
sets an example of vim and enterprise to younger
men in the trade—young men who are hardly aware
of human nature's unrealized capacities for self-
improvement.
But how did he find business on his last trip? In
asking him this question we were making an interro-
gation about an empire, territorially speaking, for
Mr. Hess had been making calls during the current
year from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the
northern states to the Gulf of Mexico. He said, in
reply: "According to one's enterprise more than local
conditions, business is good, medium and none at
all."
In a word, it is a good deal as Presto-Times put it
some time ago—"the active ones are flourishing and
the drones are suffering." The most successful are
of the active restless class, and very few of these are
complaining.
Proud of Settergren Dealers.
"We have an excellent lot of dealers," said Mr. Hess,
"and are proud of every one of them, for they are
getting the business and keeping our comparatively
modest capacity factory going every day of the week
and sometimes doing night work to keep up. The
upright which we are now manufacturing has recently
brought us considerable new business.
"As to the future, no one can know what it will
produce, but we do know that pianos are going to be
sold constantly, and feel assured that the Settergren
Co., as at present conducted, is going to get some of
the cream."
TEACHES YOUNG CHILDREN VIOLIN.
California will have a large crop of violinists of
pre-school age, under plans announced at Eureka,
that state, by Carl Moldrem, Eureka musician, who
has successfully taught violin playing to children as
young' as 2 years. Mr Moldrem now has a violin
ensemble consisting of eighteen children ranging from
2 to 8 years and he has ordered from factories in
Czecho-Slovakia a thousand one-eighth and one-
sixteenth size violins for other children whom he
proposed to initiate into 'the mystery of music-
making.
COMPTON RESIGNS FROM U. S. RADIO.
D. M. Compton, who was appointed vice president
of the United States Radio & Television Corporation
early in 1929 to assist in the rehabilitation of the con-
cern, has resigned and sailed on April 4 for a vacation
abroad.
J. BRECKWOLDT, President
QUARTER MILLION DOLLAR
TRADE YEARLY BY COUCH CO.
Big Piano House Does Extensive Business in Texas,
Oklahoma and New Mexico.
James T. Couch opened a music store in McKinney,
Texas, a little more than a third of a century ago.
The business of the James T. Couch Music Co. has
grown from year to year, until it has reached a
maximum of more than $250,000 per annum, doing
business, not only in Texas, but extensively in Okla-
homa and New Mexico. The Couch company has
been incorporated for two million shares—one of the
largest corporations in Texas. The incorporators are
James T. Couch, president; James T. Couch, Jr., vice-
president and treasurer, and Paul Holcomb, secretary.
J. T. Couch said last month: "We desire to spread
out and do more business, and naturally, 1 wanted
younger blood in the business, hence, we have in-
corporated, taking in my young son, James T. Couch,
Jr., and my son-in-law, Paul Holcomb, both young,
active, progressive business men.
"We have connections with from twelve to fifteen
branch stores now, and hope to double that number
this year, and our maximum for business for 1930 is
set for $500,000."
W. A. BRECKWOLDT, Sec'y and Treas.
JULIUS BRECKWOLDT & SON, Inc.
DOLGEVILLE, N. Y.
Make a Specialty of Manufacturing
PIANO BACKS,
SOUNDING BOARDS,
BARS, BRIDGES,
TRAP LEVERS AND
HAMMER MOULDINGS
Main Factory and Office
DOLGEVILLE,
NEW YORK
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/
April, 1930
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
SETTERGREN CO. FORGING AHEAD
CAPEHART
IN CENTRAL WEST
Secretary W. C. Hess, of This Company, Visits Chicago After Extensive
Travels and Tells How Active Dealers Are Getting Trade
Capehart Room at Lail Bros., Lexington, Ky.,
and Capehart Demonstration at
Defiance, Ohio.
W. C. Hess, secretary of the B. K. Settergren Co.,
Bluffton, Ind., and an official of the Estey Piano Co.,
was a visitor at Chicago last week, when he took
Lail Brothers, 337 East Main street, Lexington,
Ky., have increased their space by the establishment
of a new division to be known as the Capehart depart-
ment, firm officials announced. The firm, organized
seven years ago with one clerk, today includes 13
clerks and salesmen. Floor capacity has increased
from 450 to 10,000 square feet. The new addition
will have a radio and Capehart show room 30 by 60"
feet with sound-proof walls and ceiling. The floor
will be of hard wood. During the daytime the room
will be used for demonstration purposes, and from 8
until 12 o'clock at night it will be turned over to the
public for teas, public meetings, dances and the like.
Music from the Capehart will be available for all
night gatherings.
Radio broadcasting from a bus owned by the Cape-
hart Corp. of Fort Wayne was carried out at Defiance,
Ohio, on the night of March 28 under the auspices
of the Roehrig Radio Shop. Music for the broad-
cast was provided by the Capehart Orchestrope, in-
stalled in a specially-built trailer bus body with up-
holstered chairs and novel appointments. Representa-
tives of the Capehart Corp. who were in Defiance for
the demonstration were I. C. Hunter, S. B. Whisner,
H. L. Stark and C. E. Ihrie.
W. C. HESS.
occasion to pay two of three social calls, or as he
put it, "to renew acquaintance with a few cherished
friends of bygone days." He had just come back
from a trip to the Pacific Coast, which embraced
most of the larger cities from north to south.
Mr. Hess was in a reminiscent mood, particularly in
reciting interesting incidents of his visits with dealers
great and small, prominent, less prominent and with
no prominence at all. For when Mr. Hess goes out on
a trip he is like the bees; he gathers stores of knowl-
edge of the territory over which he has traveled
which he can use at a later period with real utility
as his guide. The value of such information can
scarcely be exaggerated. His wide philosophy in-
cludes a triad of qualities—observation, connotation
and application. He gets by observation an implica-
tion of something more than the essential or primary
meaning of local happenings or reports, and thereby
gains a store of reference knowledge.
His Calls Are Welcome.
If he doesn't put an order in his pocket at a call,
he at least leaves an impression of his personality,
so that in nine chances out of ten he has established
a friendly relationship that will count for future trade.
Vigorous, active, enthusiastic, optimistic, Mr. Hess
sets an example of vim and enterprise to younger
men in the trade—young men who are hardly aware
of human nature's unrealized capacities for self-
improvement.
But how did he find business on his last trip? In
asking him this question we were making an interro-
gation about an empire, territorially speaking, for
Mr. Hess had been making calls during the current
year from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the
northern states to the Gulf of Mexico. He said, in
reply: "According to one's enterprise more than local
conditions, business is good, medium and none at
all."
In a word, it is a good deal as Presto-Times put it
some time ago—"the active ones are flourishing and
the drones are suffering." The most successful are
of the active restless class, and very few of these are
complaining.
Proud of Settergren Dealers.
"We have an excellent lot of dealers," said Mr. Hess,
"and are proud of every one of them, for they are
getting the business and keeping our comparatively
modest capacity factory going every day of the week
and sometimes doing night work to keep up. The
upright which we are now manufacturing has recently
brought us considerable new business.
"As to the future, no one can know what it will
produce, but we do know that pianos are going to be
sold constantly, and feel assured that the Settergren
Co., as at present conducted, is going to get some of
the cream."
TEACHES YOUNG CHILDREN VIOLIN.
California will have a large crop of violinists of
pre-school age, under plans announced at Eureka,
that state, by Carl Moldrem, Eureka musician, who
has successfully taught violin playing to children as
young' as 2 years. Mr Moldrem now has a violin
ensemble consisting of eighteen children ranging from
2 to 8 years and he has ordered from factories in
Czecho-Slovakia a thousand one-eighth and one-
sixteenth size violins for other children whom he
proposed to initiate into 'the mystery of music-
making.
COMPTON RESIGNS FROM U. S. RADIO.
D. M. Compton, who was appointed vice president
of the United States Radio & Television Corporation
early in 1929 to assist in the rehabilitation of the con-
cern, has resigned and sailed on April 4 for a vacation
abroad.
J. BRECKWOLDT, President
QUARTER MILLION DOLLAR
TRADE YEARLY BY COUCH CO.
Big Piano House Does Extensive Business in Texas,
Oklahoma and New Mexico.
James T. Couch opened a music store in McKinney,
Texas, a little more than a third of a century ago.
The business of the James T. Couch Music Co. has
grown from year to year, until it has reached a
maximum of more than $250,000 per annum, doing
business, not only in Texas, but extensively in Okla-
homa and New Mexico. The Couch company has
been incorporated for two million shares—one of the
largest corporations in Texas. The incorporators are
James T. Couch, president; James T. Couch, Jr., vice-
president and treasurer, and Paul Holcomb, secretary.
J. T. Couch said last month: "We desire to spread
out and do more business, and naturally, 1 wanted
younger blood in the business, hence, we have in-
corporated, taking in my young son, James T. Couch,
Jr., and my son-in-law, Paul Holcomb, both young,
active, progressive business men.
"We have connections with from twelve to fifteen
branch stores now, and hope to double that number
this year, and our maximum for business for 1930 is
set for $500,000."
W. A. BRECKWOLDT, Sec'y and Treas.
JULIUS BRECKWOLDT & SON, Inc.
DOLGEVILLE, N. Y.
Make a Specialty of Manufacturing
PIANO BACKS,
SOUNDING BOARDS,
BARS, BRIDGES,
TRAP LEVERS AND
HAMMER MOULDINGS
Main Factory and Office
DOLGEVILLE,
NEW YORK
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).