The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1910)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 51 There is no gamble-guessing about the possible profit in handling Columbia Grafonoias. You can rattle it around in gold coin even if you only lay out a few dollars in getting started with a "Mignon." TRADE ON THE PACIFIC COAST. Business Shows Steady Improvement with Both the Dealers and Jobbers — Many New Stores and Departments Started — Novel Electrical Reproducer — Pacific Phonograph Co., Add Another Floor — Some Personalities— New Styles of Victrolas Please the Coast Trade — Columbia Co., Activities — General Summary of the Month's News. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) San Francisco, Cal., Oct. 3, 1910. Trade has been steadily picking up in the Coast district, and with the beginning of fall, conditions in general are much better than at any time since last Christmas. The retail stores in this city are getting at least a satisfactory volume of business, the talking machine department being considerably busier than most lines of musical goods. The wholesale trade, however, is in an especially flourishing condition. Supplies have been largely increased during the last month at the local distributing houses, and deliveries to the outside trade are growing to large proportions. The rush will come within the. next month or two. Retailers all over the country have placed their fall orders earlier than usual, buying for delivery in the latter part of October and November, but new business is still coming in. Many new stores or departments are being started all over the Coast, and there has been a particularly strong tendency among small stores in country towns to put in this class of goods. The new dealers are starting in in an energetic manner, placing liberal initial orders, and there seems to be plenty of money everywhere. New developments in the way of accessories and high-class machines are receiving a great deal of attention, and the better class of records are gaining steadily. A novel electrical reproducer, invented by local people, was displayed at the Pacific Coast Electrical Exposition in this city last month by the Decker Electric Co. The device was used in connection with a No. 5 Victor machine furnished by the Wiley B. Allen Co., and will transmit the sound any reasonable distance, reproducing it almost as loudly and distinctly as the largest and most expensive machines. It is designed especially for use in connection with moving picture shows, a large number of which have opened here recently. The Pacific Phonograph Co. have acted upon the proposition recently made to take on another floor and are now fitting up the fourth floor of the Bass Hueter Building on Mission street, where it will keep an additional supply of records, horns and cabinets. The goods are to be arranged in the same convenient manner as in the present quarters on the fifth floor, and the space will be more than double that occupied during the summer. This will give the company about the largest establishment in the West devoted to this class of business. The company have just received one of the largest shipments of machines that ever came to the Coast, a straight carload of Edison machines, and supplies have been arriving rapidly all Columbia Phonograph Co., Genl., Tribune Building, New York. month. Among the new arrivals is the new reproducer for the Triumph machine, which is very well received by the trade. This company's outside men have been giving a good account of themselves the last month, particularly in noithern California and Oregon, where they have put in a number of new stocks, and orders are on the books for later shipments to all parts of the State. J. McCracken has been spending most of his time in Oregon and is now in Portland. G. M. Jones is getting ready to start on the road within a few days and will go as far south as San Diego. This company have taken the agency for the Music Master wooden horn for the State of California. James Black, manager of the talking machine department of the Wiley B. Allen Co., who has been East for some time in company with Mrs. Allen, is expected here about October 5. He has been on a visit to the Victor factory, to take a look at the new types of machines. Andrew G. McCarthy, of Sherman, Clay & Co., is well pleased by the announcement of the new style Victrolas, which this company expect to have in stock within the next three weeks. He believes that the prices on the new goods will be a great attraction, and will bring in a large amount of business that was not touched by this class of goods in the past. He has already received a large number of advance orders for these machines. He says the Victor business in general is keeping up in fine style, the retail sales of Victrolas having increased about 25 per cent, over the same time last year. Mr. Grob, of Benj. Curtaz & Son, reports a material improvement in the talking machine department, with a number of Victrola sales in the last few weeks. He is also well satisfied with the present volume of sheet music business. E. W. Scott, local manager for the Columbia Phonograph Co., has returned from Sacramento, where he went to look after the company's interests at the State Fair. Walter S. Gra-f, Coast manager for the Columbia Phonograph Co., completed his tour of the Coast in company with General Manager Geo. W. Lyle early in September, returning to the San Francisco office about the middle of the month, and Mr. Lyle went east from Los Angeles. They spent a few days in San Francisco during the Native Sons' celebration, but most of their attention was given to the outside territory, which is developing more rapidly than ever before in the talking machine line. Mr. Gray says the strong advertising campaign conducted for the last few years by the Columbia Phonograph Co. are now beginning to bring good results, even in the most out-of-the-way places, and that these machines are coming into strong demand in all parts of the country. He is very enthusiastic over the outlook all over the Coast, and especially in the South, where Columbia goods now have a very strong foothold. In Los Angeles, he says Broadway is now becoming quite a talking machine row, and he found the Grafonola Regent displayed in the window of every store on that street which handles talking machine goods. He reports When in need of Talking Machine Needles go to FR. REINGRUBER Schwabach, Bavaria who manufactures every kind, without exception, at prices that will surprise you, and of the Best Quality only.