The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1909)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 37 TRADE ON THE PACIFIC COAST. Dealers Experience a Decided Improvement in Business — Columbia Co. News — Eilers Music Co. Make Pleasing Report — Kohler & Chase to Discontinue "Talker" Department in Seattle — Wiley B. Allen Co. Activities — Sherman, Clay & Co. Stock Cleaned Out During Holidays — The New Bacigalupi Quarters. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) San Francisco, Cal., Jan. 3, 1909. Since the first of December there has been no complaint of dulness among the talking machine dealers in any part of the Pacific Coast territory, the difficulty in general being to provide a sufficient supply of goods to fill the insistent holiday demand. Reports of an excellent business in all lines of machines and records have come in from north and south, while the local dealers have their hands full. The business shows an immense improvement over the last holiday season, and some of the dealers in the city say they have never seen anything like the rush which has prevailed for the last two weeks. The rush of wholesale business may he partly attributed to the conservatism of the trade earlier in the season, which left them short of stock just when it was needed most. Chas. E. Brown, otherwise known to the coast trade as "Talkophone" Brown, is again in the city after a visit to his store in Spokane, Wash. He says that some of the local dealers may think that he is canned and labeled, hut he is still alive, and will show them a thing or two after the first of the year which had not been dreamed of in their philosophy. The trade is waiting to see what will happen. Byron Mauzy received another shipment of the new Zonophone records a couple of weeks ago, and is now carrying the complete catalog. Now that the first demands of the trade are filled, it is less difficult to keep stock on hand, though they are still large sellers. Large shipments of the new Columbia records have been coming in since last month, and the coast department is now well supplied with most of the catalogs, though there are quite a lot of numbers which it is almost impossible to keep in stock. The dealers throughout the country have been in a great hurry to get stock for the holidays, many orders coming in by telephone during the week before Christmas, and sales for the month would have been considerably larger if the supply of the most popular records had been on hand. P. H. Beck, manager of the San Francisco store, states that a larger business was done this year up to December 20 than during all last year. The holiday business of the coast department was the best the company has ever had, and the outlook for the next few months is decidedly good. The new $65 Columbia machine, type BY, with a mahogany cabinet, has appeared on the coast, and is proving a big seller. Many good-sized orders were taken before the stock was received, and deliveries are now being made as fast as possible. Edmund Cyrus, one of the outside men, is now in for the holidays, but will go out again by the beginning of next week. Mr. Beck will also probably take the road early in January, and expects to place a lot more exclusive agencies. It is expected that the San Francisco store, which is now on Van Ness avenue, will be moved down town during the spring or summer, though no arrangements have yet been made. The lease on the present location does not expire until next March, and no move will be made before that time. *Hy. Eilers, of the Eilers Music Co., is spending the holidays at the San Francisco store. He gives a very encouraging account of the talkingmachine business of his stores throughout the north. The D. S. Johnston Company, in which Mr. Eilers is largely interested, has had the lower floor of its store in Tacoma, Wash., remodeled in order to give more room for the talking machine department. This department formerly occupied the balcony, but the business has developed beyond the capacity of the former equipment. The talking machine department of the Eilers Music Company in this city has been placed in charge of the Standard Phonograph Co., which formerly operated the department of the Fillmore street store. This company also has two stores in Oakland. The Eilers department is in charge of Mr. Peel, and probably carries as complete a stock as is to be found on the coast, practically all lines being kept on hand. Mr. Peel states that the December business has been most satisfactory. Geo. Q. Chase, of Kohler & Chase, is now visiting the Seattle store. The talking machine department of that branch is to be discontinued. C. M. Jones is now manager of the department in the San Francisco store, having charge of both wholesale and retail business. The department is being thoroughly reorganized, and some big developments are promised after the first of the year. The company reports a fine business for the last few weeks, and has had a large sale of new records. The Wiley B. Allen Co. report an immense business in talking machines at the San Diego store the past month. The Los Angeles store, which recently put in a department, has also done very well. Little is being said at present about the talking machine department which will be installed in the new store in San Francisco, but this company are expected to cut quite a figure in the local trade as soon as the business is started. For the last month Sherman, Clay & Co. have had a great run on talking machines, and the force in this department has had to work overtime, though everybody that could be was pressed into service. Mr. McCarthy states that the holiday business was the biggest in the history of ihe company. By Christmas the stock was practically cleaned out in many lines, very few Victrolas being left, and a great business has been done in all lines of Victor machines. Mr. McCarthy says the new double Victor records have not caused any great stir, though they have been on hand for several weeks, and are selling fairly well. Mr. McCarthy was actively interested for the last week in making the down-town New Year's celebration, the first to be held in the old business district since the fire. He was on the celebration committee of the Permanent Downtown Association, and took an active interest in the affair. Benj. Curtaz & Son report a good all-round holiday business, though they expect to beat it next year, when they will be in their new building on Kearny street. With them, also, there has been an unusually large demand for Victrolas. It will probably be well toward the end of January before Peter Bacigalupi & Son are able to occupy their new Market street store, though work has been rushed in the effort to have the place ready by the first of the year. The retail department will have seven large demonstrating rooms, and a number of other features are being prepared. Mr. Bacigalupi states that the Edison Amberol records have been large sellers throughout the month. The company has made a special offer for outside retail trade, as a result of which many orders have been coming in by mail. VALUE OF WINDOW DISPLAY. Robt. N. Watkin, of the Will A. Watkin Co., Dallas, Tex., Gives Excellent Advice on This Subject of General Importance. Robert M. Watkin, secretary of the Will A. Watkin Co., Dallas, Tex., had the following to say on the subject of securing attention by window display in a recent issue of The Retail Merchant, of that city, which should prove interesting to dealers in talking machines and side lines: "A store window offers the cheapest advertising a merchant can employ. Windows are often preferred to newspaper space because the results are quicker and surer; because showing an article will sell it more quickly than a printed description. Then, too, it is already an asset, as the rent is being paid just the same whether the window is used or not. "The merchant is judged largely from the appearance of his window. Hence, the window should always have a fresh appearance and with this in view, they should be redressed regularly with strong attractive displays. The window displays need not necessarily be elaborate, for some of the most effective are simple and inexpensive. "Put some definite idea into your display. Don't crowd too much into it. A variety of articles is often passed unnoticed where a few articles strongly presented will attract immediate attention. A good window display is one that associates the goods with some other person or event of current interest to the passerby, not in any way connected with the idea of buying or selling. In this manner you command attention and it is a recognized fact in salesmanship that if you can secure a person s attention, a good part of the work is already accomplished." The Phillips & Crew Co., Savannah, Ga., have been giving a number of successful recitals in Lawson Memorial Hall, that city, at which the Victor talking machine and Steinway piano played prominent parts. A Business "Because <I To the Dealers of Michigan, Northern Ohio, and Northern Indiana, we send a solicitation for business on the plain business basis of giving the best possible service. We are safe in the statement that we can fill your orders immediately on receipt; that we can ship goods to you the same day in which we receive your order. We know we carry the most complete lines known to the jobbing trade. It is an exceedingly rare occasion when we are "out" of ' anything. <J You may send your orders to us by mail, or wire, or give them over the Long Distance Telephone, at our expense, and you will find us just as prompt in attending to your wants as we claim to be. <I Another thing; in every line our goods are new. We are abreast of our business every minute. As soon as anything new presents itself, we have it. <J 1 909 is going to be, we believe, a good year and so every dealer should stock up well— not only be prepared for trade that comes but go after it and come to us to supply the goods. American Phonograph Co. 106 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Mich.