The Edison phonograph monthly (Dec 1914-Dec 1915)

EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY, NOVEMBER, 1915 13 THREE THOUSAND ATTEND THE OPENING OF INDIANAPOLIS' MOST BEAUTIFUL EDISON STORE I OWE all this to Mr. Edison and his able associates." So exclaimed Walter E. Kipp, President of the KippLink Phonograph Company, as three thousand of Indianapolis' elite thronged his palatial quarters at 122 North Pennsylvania Avenue on opening day. It marked the culmination of his ten years' work in the phonograph business and signalized his entry into the retail trade after considerable time spent in the wholesale end of the line. The beautiful quarters shown in the adjoining illustrations are scarcely a store at all; they are a series of very handsome drawing rooms, where the most perfect taste has so prevailed that the commercial end is scarcely in evidence at all. We doubt if there are more beautiful Edison quarters anywhere west of New York; certainly there are none so rich in the State of Indiana. The Reception Room is made up entirely in silver gray and old ivory; a few palms and ferns on pedestals are used to help decorate the place. The false arches shown in the photos are all faced in French mirrors. The same color scheme is used down the long corridor. The Concert Hall is decorated entirely in old rose, and the wicker furniture is all an old ivory tint. The carpet used throughout the place is of "mouse" color. The place was a revelation to the three thousand or more who strolled through it on opening day. "The opening of this Edison shop," says Mr. Kipp, "came as the height of my ambition when I started as an Edison jobber a little over ten years ago. I cannot help but feel that it marked "a red-letter day" in my business career. It is a pleasant thing to achieve success through sheer effort and push, day in, day out. Ten years may seem, to some, a long time to wait, for success to come. But Mr. Kipp has the consolation that he has now built up a solid Edison business and has proven his methods to be stable, fair and aggressive. The various views shown give only a partial idea of the sumptuousness of these drawing-rooms. The Reception Room (View 4) is directly entered from the street door, so that the refined atmosphere on every hand gives the impression of entering a private parlor. From this room a sales-corridor (View 1) about 80 feet long and 6 feet wide leads to two large sales booths. Along this corridor are shown all the different Edison instruments in their various finishes. A more striking effect it would be hard to imagine. The two salesbooths referred to are very handsomely fitted out, being 18 by 12 feet each. Here interested persons are told all about the Edison Diamond Disc and made familiar with the different styles of instruments. The approach to the Record Department (View S) is a fine passage way, which entirely separates the Record Department from the Instrument Department. Those who have seen this Record Department consider it the finest of its kind in the country. This Record Department consists of seven different compartments, each one of which is decorated along special lines. The Concert Hall (View 2) is easily the "beauty spot" of the whole establishment. It is the first and only one of its kind in Indianapolis. People who have seen it have said that they have been in many beautiful Recital Halls, but with none have they been more favorably impressed than with this one. It is chaste, high class and decidedly pleasing at every turn of the eye, while its acoustic properties are beyond criticism. To hear Edison Disc music here is to want an Edison in one's own drawing-room, for the art of music and the art of interior designing seems so beautifully blended as to create a new and unsatisfiable desire that only the Edison can fill. Now that the new store is an accomplished fact, Mr. Kipp realizes that he will be able to understand dealers' needs far better and also, through his wholesale facilities, better able to supply them. DEALER'S PROFITS IN HANDLING EDISON BUSINESS— A SUGGESTION RECENTLY we requested several large dealers to give us some dollars and cents data concerning the profits they have made in handling the new Edison line. The replies have been so interesting that we have decided to request that every dealer who has kept track of the profits of his Edison business and is willing to confide that information to us, give us a brief statement, with a view to its publication anonymously. Naturally, in publishing such confidential information, we would withhold the dealer's name, town, etc. We believe it would be very interesting to dealers generally to know what profits are being made by their brother dealers, particularly where it can be shown in the following manner: (1) Capital invested in fitting up store or department. (2) Additional capital invested in stock, carrying accounts, etc. (3) Total direct sales expense. (4) Total net profit. Naturally this is a request that we cannot press upon dealers, but if any of you feel inclined to give us your experience along this line, the information will be greatly appreciated. It should be addressed to William Maxwell, Second Vice-President, Thomas A. Edison. Inc., Orange, N. J., and marked "Personal."