The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1906)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 5i From Our Chicago Headquarters 195-197 WABASH AVENUE, E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, MANAGER. A Progressive Chinaman — Mills Promoted — Noyes' Good Trip — Flower Horns at Western Talking Machine Co. — Some Columbia Changes — Blumberg Well Pleased — Babson Bros. Success — The "Tiz-lt" Reproducer — Lyon & Healy's New Catalogue — Cal Stewart's Popular Uncle Josh Records — Talking Machine Co."s Big Victor Sales — C. L. Hlbbard Promoted — Burton Holmes Learning Languages Through the International Correspondence Schools Course — The News of the Month Interestingly Presented by Our Western Manager. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Chicago, 111., Nov. 10. 190G. Possibly your readers would like to know something about the only Chinese talking machine dealer in Chicago. Sim Law is his name, and he is an intelligent, progressive man. He speaks excellent English, is an aggressive advertiser and energetic hustler for business. He is a subscriber to The Talking Machine World, another point in his favor. Sim Law has been handling 'io-sing-kehe," the Chinese verbal chow-chow for talking machines, for five years. Pronounce the word quickly with a hurry-up on the "kehe" and .vou will get within hailing distance of the ortlioaox Chink way of doing it. He has a ilat on the second floor of 295 South Clark street, in the heart of the Chinese district. Here are to be found Sim, his Chinese wife, a really attractive woman, and two little almond-eyed babies. The front room does double duty as a parlor ana talking machine salesroom. One end of the room has been alcoved and here he has fitted up shelving for his record stock. He has constantly on hand something like three thousand Chinese records about equally divided between disc and cylinder. Sam is always glad to demonstrate records, using $100 machines for the purpose, and when he's absent his wife takes care of the customers. When he gets in an attractive lot of new records he gives a concert, sending out invitations to all his customers and those he thinks he can interest. But his local trade forms only a small part of his business. He does a large mail order business, especially on records. His advertisement appears in every issue of the Chinese World, a daily published in Los Angeles, and which circulates all over the country. He also advertises in a Chinese magazine published in Shanghai, and which has a large subscription list among tlie subjects of the Flowery Kingdom in this country. He furthermore sends out a great many circulars, printed in Chinese, of course, together ■ with the Chinese catalogues issued by the Victor, Edison and Columbia companies. The Chinese are far more liberal record buyers than the Americans, according to. Sim Law. Most of the records are in series of ten or twelve records, covering an entire opera or play. Consequently to buy one naturally leads to the purchase of all of the series. JHe has many customers who have anywhere from three or four hundred to a thousand records, and some of them have both disc and cylinder machines in order to get everything good that is issued. Just the other day he sold a man a $10 machine and fifty records. Pretty fair outfit for so cheap a machine. The average Chinaman, however^ will buy a $30 or $40 machine, and a good many will not be satisfied with anything less than a $100 talker. Mr. Law also says that the Chinese are great buyers of accessories. When they get a machine they want everything pertaining to it — cai'rying cases, record cabinets, etc. Our Chinese dealer is an enthusiast regarding the expanding market for Chinese records, and is constantly trying to induce the companies to enlarge . their list. Naturally he has an advantage over the American dealers, as a Chinaman can trust a Chinaman to inake selections for him and substitute intelligently. Few American dealers carry anything like a stock ot Chinese records, and if they did, a mail order business would be out of the question. To them all Chink records are a monotonous combination of high squeak and irritating "tom-tom" and nothing more. Joseph W. Mill has been made manager of the Elgin store of the Columbia Phonograph Co. He has been working as an instalment solicitor for the Chicago office, and displayed abilities which won for him promotion. He has inaugurated an aggressive advertising campaign. Recent visitors who were at Babson Brothers were B. H. Sanford, Sheboygan Falls, Wis., and C. E. Nicodemus, Forreston, 111., both enthusiastic Edison dealers. T. H. Dunk, at one time in charge of the instalment department of the Talking Machine Co. before they went out of the retail business, has gone to Detroit, Mich., to take charge of the sales department of the Puritan Mfg. Co., makers of slot machines. C. W. Noyes, secretary of the HawthorneSheble Mfg. Co., and western representative of the American Record Co., returned the last of October from a month's trip through the South. He visited St. Louis, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Birmingham, Montgomery, all the principal Texas cities, and stopped at Mis BABSON BROTHERS, WHOLESALE Edison Phonographs AND RECORDS. We desire to announce to the trade that we have secured the old quarters of the National Phonograph Co., at 304 Wabash Ave., Chicago, and G. M. NISBETT as Manager of our wholesale business. Complete Stock and Prompt Shipments. 304 Wabash Avenue, CHICAGO, ILL.