12
PRESTO-TIMES
September, 1931
Dollars and Sense in Piano Business
How Leading Houses Attract Trade
and Bring in Business and Dollars
TRADEjyCKUPS
New Firms, Changes, Incorporations, Personal News, Removals
Piano Sales, Excerpts from Dealers' Advertisements,
and Other Bits of News
BIRMINGHAM'S NEW PIANO EMPORIUM
Story of a New Starr Piano Company's Store
Please Send Presto-Times Daily
and Other Papers Containing
Music Dealers' Advertisements
FORBES & SONS' NEW MONTGOMERY
MANAGER
S. M. F'rcnkel, the new manager of the E. E.
Forbes &; Son Piano Co. at Montgomery, Ala., is
referred to as an enthusiastic piano and general
music trade man and he is pleased to observe a
revival in interest in the piano, brought about largely
by public school and other class instruction. It is
stated that Mr. Frenkel will continue the same policy
of the organization which has for so long won favor
with the public. He will carry a comprehensive line
of pianos, featuring Knabe, Chickering, Kranich &
Bach, Wurlitzer; also radios, small musical instru-
ments, sheet music, and Servel hermetic electric re-
frigerators.
A native of Mississippi, Mr. Frenkel came to Mont-
gomery when the musician depended on his own
effort for entertainment, and organized a mandolin
club, an innovation at that time in the capital city.
This club, consisting of 30 pieces, was made up of
leading local artists.
After a sojourn in Montgomery sufficiently long to
form attachment to the city and to make cordial
friends, the young musician began his work in earnest
in Pensacola, Fla., where he took over the manage-
ment of a small music store. Through the years Mr.
Frenkel has occupied responsible positions in musical
establishments in Atlanta and Birmingham and is an
authority in his field.
NEW MUSIC STORE AT WATERLOO,
IOWA
NEW STARR PIANO CO.'S STORE AT BIRMINGHAM, ALA.
The Starr Piano Company, the general headquar-
ters and factory of which are located at Richmond,
Ind., has recently put into operation one of the finest
music establishments of the South; in fact, they say,
well backed by evidence, that it is the "most beau-
tiful piano house of the South," an expression which
they have adopted as a slogan. This store, an illus-
tration of which herewith appears, is at Birmingham,
Ala., and is out of the ordinary in the piano selling
field.
It is a beautiful stucco building-, beautifully dec-
orated inside and was formerly occupied by a high
grade interior decorating firm. It is located on the
automobile highway, out of the high rent district,
affording plenty of parking space, and has many
attractive features to draw trade to the beautiful
home of the Starr.
A correspondent writing to Presto-Times says that
the impression on the eye upon entering the building
is so favorable that anyone would be glad to make a
home within its walls. The Starr company from this
Birmingham establishment will carry on a wholesale
business for much surrounding territory and in ad-
joining states, as well as their retail business.
The company is making a strong bid for business
on the proposition of the elimination of high rental
by being somewhat removed from a center of business
traffic. Certain it is, scores and scores of persons
have come to visit this new and novel piano empo-
rium, and the opening was a grand and imposing
event. The local papers of Birmingham have given
wide publicity to the new Starr Birmingham store.
One paper recently published pictures of the store
and portraits of Edward Johnson, local manager, and
his assistant, Martin Ringleberg, and also of T. E.
Flack, factory sales director of the Starr Piano Co.
The store is located at Seventh avenue south and
24th street. The former location was at 1820 Third
avenue north, where a large trade and a reputation
was established that put it among the leading insti-
tutions of the kind in the South.
The Dallman Music Co., of Waterloo, Iowa, is the
latest music establishment of that city. Henry W.
Dallman, the proprietor, has been in Waterloo for
several years and is now opening business on quite
an extensive scale. This house will make a special
drive for band instruments and musical merchandise,
and will include a department for instruction in all
musical instruments under the direction of Cressy R.
Whaylen who is director of the Legion Municipal
Band, Mr. Dallman being the manager of this or-
ganization.
WEST MICHIGAN FACTORY KEEPS GOING
Michigan has been pretty thoroughly devastated
of piano manufacturing, especially along the western
coast from Muskegon on down to the Indiana line,
but one noted exception must be pointed out; this,
the Everett Piano Co., at South Haven, where the
wheels of activity have been speeding along for some
months past at practically normal activity. There-
fore the activities at the Everett factory these days
look good to the passer-by.
AN ATTRACTIVE ADVERTISEMENT.
The Lyon & Healy newspaper advertising from
their Cleveland, Ohio, store at Huron road and
Euclid avenue, attract the attention of the advertiser
by showing a picture of a comfortable, cozy home
and under this picture the caption:
"Picture your home with that new Lyon & Healy
grand."
The effect of the home-like picture certainly tends
to attract attention to the sentiments conveyed in
the caption.
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