The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1910)

36 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. TRADE NEWS FROM CLEVELAND. Good Business During Closing Months of Year Makes Up for Early Months of Depression — Wholesale Merchants Entertain Salesmen — Music by Columbia Graphophone — Dressmaker Gets Talker to Entertain Customers — How the Experiment Worked — The Bailey Co.'s Fine Department — What Various Houses Have to Say Regarding Business Conditions in That Progressive City. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Cleveland, O., Jan. 8, 1910. A review of the talking machine business in Cleveland during the past year brings to mind many weeks of inactivity, not to say depression in trade, especially in the first months of the year. At the beginning everyone was happy at the increasing evidences of prosperity, anticipating an immediate return to profitable, normal conditions. In this they were disappointed. The year wras one of steady but slow recovery from the effects of the industrial difficulties of two years before. The restoration had well begun the year previous, and there were some who could foresee a time in the near future when former usual business conditions would be resumed. But it took time, more than was expected, to set industry in full swing again. Progress of recovery was delayed by the long consideration of the tariff law, which, taking effect in August, brought an end to doubts and gave to 'business the opportunity to again start ahead. The situation changed in the last three months of the old year and wound up most auspicuously. The jobbers were busy with about all the orders they could handle, while the retail dealers were busy from early morning till late into the night during the holiday season, and what is quite as satisfactory, a large volume of trade has continued since the beginning of the new year. The wholesale merchants of the Chamber of Commerce gave their annual beefsteak dinner to the traveling salesmen represented by its members December 27. The entertainment was varied — plenty to eat, a little vaudeville, music, chorus singing, speeches, etc. The most popular feature was the chorus singing. At each plate were sheets on which were printed the words of thirty-four songs, some up-to-date and others very ancient. It is somewhat difficult to sing when one has a plethora of beefsteak and other good things, but aided by music from a New Imperial Columbia Graphophone, the diners readily overcame the difficulty. "America" and the "Star Spangled Banner" were patriotically rendered. The most enthusiastic singing, however, was heard when "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" was sprung. Such fervor and pathos! It had to be repeated several times before everybody was appeased. Other songs that echoed the approval of the 50.0 present were "School Days," "Old Black Joe," "Down Where the Wurzburger Plows" and "Yip-I-Addy-I-Ay." G. J. Probeck, local manager of the Dictaphone Co., reports that their business for December ran into four figures and gives promise of big things for 1910. Some of the jobbers who had ordered goods shipped hy freight were compelled to telegraph shipments by express, and at that, receipts were delayed beyond Christmas Day. A beautiful mahogany Victrola XII sits on a stand at one side of the room of a fashionable Euclid avenue dressmaking establishment. "I see you're fond of music," observed a customer, as she noted the beautiful instrument. "On the contrary," replied the dressmaker, "I am not. Oh, I like to hear a record once in a while, but I haven't much of an ear for music. I have that machine here for customers." "And are your customers admirers of talking machine music?" inquired the lady. "Most of them, if not all, I think are. At any rate it keeps them from growing irritable. You know when there are four or five gowns to be fitted and people are sometimes obliged to stand still for an hour or so they are likely to become uneasy and peevish. I used to try to get along by keeping up a running line of small talk. A lot of nonsense is an excellent preventative of bad humor. But my business grew to such dimensions that I couldn't do all the fitting myself, and my assistants aren't all good at interesting customers with their talk, so I purchased the machine. With a few select records, the effect is really wonderful. I am able to place my mind exclusively on my work and make the necessary alterations before they notice what's wrong themselves, which is often an important matter, for if the customer sees too many alterations are being made she thinks her gown was wrong in the first place. I've noted the effect of different records, and those by Caruso, Farrar and Melba seem to please the women, or at least they keep them in a passive state of mind until I Have finished the fitting." No one takes more pride in the arrangement and equipment of a talking machine department than does E. A. Friedlander, of the Bailey Co. Separate and tastefully furnished demonstration rooms are provided for the Victor, Edison and Zonophone machines and records, and visitors are delighted with the attention they receive. "We made sales of a large number of Victrolas and Amberolas," said Mr. Friedlander, "and with five assistants we were kept busy as bees during the holiday season. Our record trade was fine, and was continued right up to date. The new year has started in most encouragingly, and I expect 1910 will prove the best we have ever had." "Business in both our wholesale and retail departments during the past month was good," said Mr. Probeck, of the G. J. Probeck Co., "and was especially good during the holiday season. We made sales of several Grafonolas, a number of the higher priced Graphophones, and our sales of both the double disc and indestructible two and four-minute records were the largest of any time in our history. The most pleasing feature of our business is the satisfactory way in which the new year has started out. Trade has continued to improve right along since the 1st, and we expect it to continue doing so." Collister & Sayles were kept busy during the holiday season in both the wholesale and retail departments. "We made sales of a large number of Victrolas," said Phil Dorn, manager, "and records in bunches of two and three, and one and two dozen. The demand was largely for red seal and the double-faced records, most of the selections being made from the December and January lists." The Eclipse Musical Co. had an excellent trade throughout the month of December, and which has continued in substantial volume into the hew year. "We were never busier than we were during the holidays," said Mr. Biesinger, of the W. J. Roberts, Jr.. Co. "Our store was open evenings three weeks before Christmas, and we had a nice evening trade, catching the early buyers, who followed the advice of the Merchants' Board, to do their shopping early. We had a large space filled with outfits wrapped for delivery the day before Christmas, and disposed of our entire stock of Victrolas, the accumulation of several months. Our sales in both Victor and Edison goods were large, and the year's business closed most satisfactorily. Since the beginning of the year business, especially in records, has been very good, much better than in the last two years. The outlook is promising." W. H. Buescher & Sons, with a large stock of both Victor and Edison goods, were prepared for a large holiday trade and were not disappointed in the big volume of business which came their way. Trade has continued good with them right up to date, and they expect 1910 to prove the most prosperous in their history. B. L. Robbins & Co. report the past month's business the best they have ever had, largely exceeding that of a year ago. C. F. Foote, manager of the phonograph department of the Goodman Piano Co., said business was good, and that they were rushed during the holiday season, having made sales of a number of Victor and Edison machines, together with Reginaphones, for which the company have the pxclusive agency. John Reiling, the West Side Columbia dealer, reports business has been fine during the past month, which has continued into the new year. At the music and novelty shop of Charles I. Davis, Mjss Elsie Wicks said business in the talking machine department was good, and their holiday trade had been fine. Business was reported satisfactory, and especially good during the holiday season, at Brown Bros, and Aldrich, Howey & Co.'s, who handle the Columbia goods; at Flesheim & Smith's, Victor and Zonophone machines and records, and at the stores of the Gottdinor & Wicht Co. and the Cabolitz Bros., who carry full lines of Victor and Edison goods. MOVING PICTURE MEN DINE EDISON. Amply Repaid When He Breaks His Long Established Rule and Speaks — Tells His Own Version of the Sale of His First Telegraphic Invention — Gives Good Advice. Thorns Alva Edison, the "wizard" of latter-day science and invention, holder of a thousand patents, whose everyday experiments in his laboratories at West Orange, N. J., surpass the alleged magic of any old "wiz" known to fact or fiction, accepted an invitation recently to dine with the moving picture men. They had" come from various cities of the United States and Europe to honor the creator of the business which is making fortunes for its operators all over the world. When the dinner date came around the absentminded inventor had forgotten it, but the committee found him in his working clothes and dragged him to the banquet, where he bore his honors modestly, and amply repaid them with a little autobiographical record from memory's phonograph. He told how he had first made the acquaintance of money. It was back in the seventies, when Edison had but recently come from the west as an itinerant telegraph operator who had in his head some wild scheme of sending duplex messages over the wires. He tried to find a backer in Wall street, but the financiers impatiently "broke" his timid line of talk. He was standing disconsolately watching the ticker in the office of Gen. Eckert, the then head of the service, when the mechanism broke down, and there was an incipient panic as the brokers failed to receive their quotations. Young Edison reckoned that possibly he might be able to fix the thing up — and he reckoned right. The next day Gen. Eckert offered him a job at $400 a month — a staggering sum to the poor telegrapher whose top-notch wages up to that time had scarcely reached $100 a month. After awhile the General asked Edison what he would take for his patents in telegraphy. Edison lay awake all one night over the proposition, and had rash thoughts of $5,000 — but no! such a figure was preposterous, and he dared not mention it at the next interview. Finally Eckert broke the ice by asking how $40,000 would do. Edison, dazed, signed a contract without reading it, and received a check which he did not know enough to go to a bank with until some one told him. He even thought for a moment that he had been buncoed, and had signed away all his work for a worthless piece of paper. But the cashier handed him out a huge wad of money, which caused him the loss of another night's sleep. "And then," concludes Mr. Edison, telling the reminiscence, "I started in buying a lot of machinery that I thought I wanted — and in six weeks I was down and out again, without a cent." Compare this with the life story of any millionaire or billionaire of your acquaintance, and draw your own moral, if you desire one. It is not necessary, of course, to begin as a kindergartner in finance to succeed before you die. Get on speaking terms with money at the first decent opportunity, but don't let it become too familiar, or it will press the advantage and finally get you.— The Evening World.