The talking machine world (July-Dec 1918)

100 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD September 15, 1918 Competition can't touch the Columbia Dealer on the Non-Set Stop! It's protected by hundreds of claims— Columbia Graphophone Co. NEW YORK PORTLAND'S EXPANDING POPULATION STIMULATES SALES Talking Machine Men Enjoy Full Share of Increased Buying Power During Summer Months — Delays in Shipments Cause Losses — New Makes of Machines Appear in the Field Portland, Ore., September 4. — Rarely has Portland experienced such a summer as that just closing. Business in all lines has been big and the talking machine departments of the big music stores have been fairly swamped with orders which have made great inroads on the stocks of machines and records. Dealers are all wondering where they will possibly get enough stock to supply the fall trade, which is starting off with a whoop, and there is hardly a music house in town which isn't planning enlargements of space, employed force and stock to get ready for what promises to be the biggest fall and holiday trade the Pacific Northwest has ever experienced. Recent estimates of population in Portland are 350,000, or 75 per cent, greater than the population of two years ago. The added population has been brought by 40,000-odd shipbuilders and their families, who are spending freely of the big wages, and thousands of lumber and mill workers who are in the same condition of financial ease as are the shipbuilders. This big added population has come to Portland without appreciably increasing the number of business houses, and as a result the talking machine dealers, who last year were supplying 200,000 people, are now being called on to supply a much greater number of far better paid workers. The answer is business beyond the dreams of the dealers, who find only two causes for worry — shortage of stock and scarcity of competent experienced help. Business has been exceptionally good in the talking machine department of the Wiley B. Allen Co. Sales in August ran large with many C-250 Edisons being disposed of as well as a large number of Brunswicks of the larger patterns. A shipment of Victrolas was received this week at this house and did something to ameliorate a severe stock shortage, but the house still falls far short of having enough Victrolas to meet the demand, in spite of recent big shipments. Paul B. Norris, manager of the Victrola department, sold fourteen machines in one day right off the floor, and he says the call for Victrolas is far in excess of the supply. Sales of Brunswicks have been a big feature of this house's business, the recently added line supplementing the Victrolas, Edisons and Cowan Classique, in all of which lines Wiley B. Allen's Portland house is now doing a splendid business. Splendid window displays have been the rule at this house for the last month, and Mr. Norris says the results have been appreciable. Louis T. Older, assistant manager of the Columbia Graphophone Co., says his house could sell ten carloads of Columbia machines between now and Christmas if the machines could only be obtained from the factory. About all the records obtainable, too, could be disposed of, Mr. Older says. So insistent has been the call for records that all shipments are now coming by express. "The Columbia has increased its business 100 per cent, over that of a year ago," said Mr. Older. "We have interested dealers in the new non-set stop machine and the result has been a lot of business." Sales of records dropped off a trifle in August, not quite reaching the July mark at the Columbia house, owing to stocking up by the public in July in preparation for the advance in price which had been advertised for August 1. Sales / Bring Th ose Jobs Out of Hiding X The value of your "job lots" will not be increased by keeping them on your shelves. Bring them out into the daylight. Let us sell them for you. Wc arc in the market to buy for cash everything in Phonograph parts, accessories, etc. Get in touch with us at once THE PHONOGRAPH CLEARING HOUSE, Inc 51 EAST 42d STREET, NEW YORK CITY toward the end of August, however, picked up remarkably and September business has started off in such fashion that the previous high-record month of July will probably be eclipsed. The Columbia house received a carload of machines the first week in September, this being the first substantial shipment in six months. Nearly all these machines have already been disposed of. He reports unfilled orders in Portland of $15,000. Stock is absolutely exhausted in many types of machines. The C. F. Johnson Music House has been having a big run of business in its talking machine department, but has been experiencing trouble in obtaining Victor machines. The Cheney phonograph has been added to the line carried by the Johnson house and the Cowan Classique has also been put in. As a result the Johnson Music House has been able to meet c-alls for talking machines, but has been forced to turn down countless orders for certain makes and switch customers to other models. Robert Callahan, manager of the Victrola department, with the assistance of Miss Le.da Hayes, in charge of the rec'ord department, has been busy taking an invoice of records and machines. The G. F. Johnson house has branched out and now has in operation a store at Vancouver, Wash., where pianos and Victrolas are sold. Without doubt the new store will share in the general prosperity of Vancouver, where 6,000 troops are stationed, 2,000 in the big Government cut-up plant, and where thousands of workers are engaged in the shipyards. Bush & Lane has been having a good sale of the Sonora portable machine and the demand for this instrument is constantly increasing. An attractive display of these nifty little instruments in their leather cases in the Bush & Lane windows has attracted a great deal of attention. James Loder, manager of the Bush & Lane phonograph department, says many campers and automobile parties have been buying the portable Sonora since its appearance in Portland. A number of dancing clubs have also bought them and they are carried from house to house of different club members, who are well satisfied with the tone of the small but perfect phonograph. Bush & Lane has been feeling seriously the shortage of Victor machines. Sales during August have been large in the record department, Mr. Loder attributing much of the success of this department to the addition of Miss Beatrice Finzer to the sales and office force. Business in the talking machine department of the Meier & Frank store has continued very good. W. J. Matney, head of the department, sold $840 worth of instruments in one day and says that every day is good with business on the whole much better than it was at this time last year and collections far ahead of what they have ever been. The Stradivara talking machine was not well known to the public of Portland until the recent opening of the Sahlstrom Corp. L. E. Gilham, manager of the company, says the prospects for business in September are better than any month