The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1913)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 27 RECENT IMPORTANT CHANGES INTEREST ST. LOUIS TRADE Failure of Bollman Bros. Piano Co., and Opening of New Department in Famous & Barr Store Serve to Change Situation — A Story of Repossessions — No Business Lull During Hot Months — Activities in the Various Lines — Some Interesting Personals. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) St. I.ih'is, Mo., August 11. — The prospect of changed conditions in the downtown retail trade this fall is causing' some comment. The collapse of the Bollman Bros. Piano Co. after President E J. Piper had killed himself because of his duplication of notes as securities for loans was to become known, has revealed that the talking machine stuck there belonged to the Koerber-Brenner MusicCo., Victor jobber. While the talking machine department of this store has been open uninterruptedly, the collapse of the firm it was housed with and the closing of the piano store changes conditions as far as this store is concerned. It was accounted one of the leading talking machine stores. Another new feature for the tall trade is an aggressive talking machine department in the Famous & Barr department store. This firm moves into a new building September 1 and will then have the largest retail store in the West. They will handle Victors and perhaps the Columbia line. The new Victor contracts were received here August 4. There was considerable talk for a day or two, but this soon passed and signed contracts began to reach the local jobbers. The Victor dealers are a unit in hoping that the one-price system will prevail, and they regard the "license for use" contract as insuring continued price stability. Famous & Barr Store to Sell "Talkers." "The Famous & Barr Co. will handle Victor talking machines and probably the Columbia line in the new store," was the announcement made to The Talking Machine World correspondent by L. M. Monheimer, superintendent of merchandise for the department store. "As to the Columbia line we cannot say for sure, but we expect to handle it. The Victor line is certain. We expect that our store will be the best in the city, as we have been liberal with space, and the furnishings will be up to date." The Koerber-Brenner Music Co., Victor jobber, is handling the stock order. The line to be handled by this department store when it enters its new building, seven stories of a full block building in the very retail center of the city, has been the cause of much speculation. It has been known from time to time that various propositions have been made and rejected from talking machine folk and the store owners. These are said to have involved chiefly proposals to lease the space. The store will be ready for business September 1. Repossessions Tell the Tale. It is reported that a department store handling the Victor line has been considerably embarrassed recently by a large number of repossessions. The selling campaign conducted by this store attracted some attention and the low amounts of the chattel mortgages run through and reported in the official court paper caused some comment at the time. It is gossip that the low terms offered attracted trade that the store chiefs did not consider desirable, to add to the troubles. High Average of Sales During Hot Months. St. Louis always has been considered a very dull summer town on high priced lines of merchandise, but talking machine men are not finding it so this year. With the beginning of the season most dealers bid for the low priced machine sales for boating or summer home use, and after that flurry was over they went back to seeking to sell only the best. With one accord the downtown dealers report a surprisingly high average of sales during the hot months. While the monthly totals will not rival those of the winter months, the average sales will, they say, If there has been a new feature of the trade it is the leap from a low priced machine to the top in average sales. "This is due to the greater appreciation of the talking machine as a real musical instrument," said one sales manager. "It is now a toy or a real instrument, not by any means a makeshift," he added. Koerber-Brenner Location. Secretary Rauth, of the Koerber-Brenner Music Co., says his company is in doubt as to the future of their retail talking machine store 'being left homeless, or, practically so, through the callapse of the Bollnian Bros. Piano Co., from which firm KoerberBrenner leased space and made collections. "We did not originally own the store," said Mr. Rauth, "but last November we became impatient at collections and Piper turned the stock over to us. Fortunately we have contracts showing just where we stand, for it seems that Piper did not make entries on his books showing our transaction with him. Under the circumstances we are obliged to let the stock remain there until a receiver takes charge and we get permission for removal from him. We are considering another downtown location. Since the exposure of the Piper frauds, we have found that he has used copies of the notes given for sale of talking machines to loan companies as collateral and that some of them have been duplicated, but that does not affect us as the court certainly will allot the money paid on them to us. We, of course, did not know of Piper's dealings with loan companies or we would have taken the original notes from him and left duplicates there for collection notations. As far a.s our dealings with the firm were concerned, he came clean but that appears to have been only on the face of the returns. The store has been doing some business despite the disorganization of the Piper business and we hope for the best in the future." The Bollman store had an excellent reputation and was regarded as the keenest competition in the city by other Victor dealers. Miss Vandeventer was in charge of the department and she is regarded as a splendid saleswoman by the trade. . The Bollman department was one of those that offended the Victor Co. in displaying and advertising discontinued Victor styles. The reduced price was announced in a newspaper advertisement. "It was while I was absent from the city," said Mr. Rauth, "I regretted it and would not have let it gone .through had I been here as I knew the Victor Co. was very strict about that sort of thing, but there was no attempt to do business unfairly." Recent Visitors. R. D. Wall, an Edison dealer at Mexico, Mo., was a recent visitor at the Silverstone Music Co. Mr. Wall was accompanied by his talking machine manager, M. S. Carter. The latter remained at the Silverstone warerooms several days to gather pointers in effective selling methods and to study the disc machine which Mr. Wall proposes to introduce to Mexico very soon. O. K. Houck, of Memphis, who at one time was a talking machine jobber in St. Louis, was in the city the first of the month and called upon the local dealers. Harry Levy's Vacation. Harry Levy, of the Aeolian Talking Machine Department, returned August S from St. Paul and the North, where he spent his vacation fishing and looking after some business. Roy Thompson, Mr. Levy's secretary and aid, was in charge. Very Satisfactory Event. The opening of the Gas Exchange Building the first of the month was a very satisfactory event to the downtown talking machine dealers, most of whom are located near Eleventh and Olive streets. The fact that the Laclede Gas Co. had a daily traffic or six thousand persons in their exclusive office shows that the company has drawing power. In the new building a dozen gas appliance concerns have added their stocks to the display and have moved their downtown offices into the gas building, which should make it the largest time payment and home furnishing buyers' headquarters in the city. Great Columbia Activity. Salesmanager Duffy, of the Columbia Co., got away August 1 for a vacation that he proposed to spend in Michigan, but he was warned to play with one eye toward the telegraph office, as he might be needed, for business was sorely taxing the sales force at the Columbia warerooms. "Fully 95 per cent of our disc machine sales have been for $250 machines," remarked Mark Silverstone, nf the Silverstone Music Co., in discussing the summer trade. "I tell the inquirers that 'this is a music instrument, not a toy, and you must get the best or you will be disappointed.' Usually they have come to spend less. They listen, go away, think it over, come back and listen again, and then bring the rest of the family and finally they take the best." Mr. Silverstone has not been pushing trade on any sort of cheap machines for summer business, but holding to the ideal of selling the best. "The demand for the new Edison has been all that we could ask for it," he said. "We have been selling more than we expected to during the summer and we have excellent prospects. The cylinder machine trade has taken a boom with the new blue records, and things are going nicely along that line. O. A. Reynolds, formerly a dealer at Springfield, 111., is traveling in Missouri this month reviving the cylinder trade, and he is doing a good job of it. He is making many new friends for the cylinder." "Our new store, I am sorry to say, is still in the future," remarked Manager Irby W. Reid, of the Columbia Co. The store is still taking much of Mr. Reid's attention, but he has been unable to tell just where it will be. He has his eye on a site that appeared to him to be ideal, but it was already engaged. "We have been enjoying excellent trade," he remarked, "and the fall prospects are encouraging. Vacations are in order now for everybody except the manager; he will stay on the job." Mark Silverstone Going East. Mark Silverstone, of the Silverstone Music Co., was preparing the first of the month for his departure for New York on a trip that would include the meeting of Edison jobbers in New York City, their visit to the factory and a conference with Mr. Edison. High Priced Goods in Demand at Thiebes. Manager Robinson, of the Thiebes Piano Co.'s talking machine department, is elated over recent business, especially the class of machines that are being sold. "We are finding a steady output for outfits from $250 up," he said, "and there has been a good trade on records." The Thiebes Co. has been placed in rather an enviable position through the failure of the Bollman Bros. Piano Co., which had a flourishing Victor department. The Bollman accounts all had been hypothecated with loan companies, and these were placed with President Thiebes for collection, and notices were sent to all time payment customers to pay at Thiebes. This has brought machine owners into the Thiebes store. Of course this opens a way for record business. HAD ENJOYABLE OUTING. Members of the Southern California Talking Machine Men's Association Visit Redondo Beach with Their Wives and Friends. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Los. Angeles, Cal., August 6. — The Southern California Talking Machine Men's Association had a very enjoyable outing at Redondo Beach on Wednesday, July 16. It was ladies' night for the first time since the association was organized and everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves. After a fine banquet at the Casino, cafe, the different members with their wives and friends went the rounds, from the "Despairing Dip Through the Clouds" to the "Hair-raising Journey Through Chinatown," not to mention the "Merry-go-Round" and the dance pavilion. The following members and guests were present : Mr. and Mrs. Sibley Pease, Mr. and Mrs. H. Herbert Fish, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Andrews, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Weeks Pittock, Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Newton, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Moreno, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Craigie, Miss Honroe Back, Wm. Hobbs Richardson, Joseph Carter, V. B. Chattan, R. E. Daynes, C. H. Muers. L. A. Dornseiff, Wilber Spray, E. Holland and W. G. Bailey. POSSESS THE POTENTIALS. Animals are born with an intellect sufficiently alive for their needs. But the human animal is born without intellect — only with the potentials.