The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1914)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 24a TRADE REACHES NEW HIGH POINT IN MILWAUKEE. Considerably Ahead of a Year Ago and Woul Secure Sufficient Talking Machines and Reveals a Spirit of Hustle and Optimism d Be Larger if Jobbers and Dealers Could Records — A Visit to the Leading Stores That Bodes Well for Summer Trade. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Milwaukee, Wis., April 9. — The talking machine business in Milwaukee seems to be holding up unusually well, considering the fact that general business conditions are still a little quiet. Both jobbers and dealers report that trade is considerably better than at this time a year ago, while most of them believe that the outlook is good. The sales of machines and records during the month of March climbed to a new high point, and the indications are that this activity will be kept up during April. The total volume of business up to this time this year would have been much larger but for the shortage of machines experienced with all the leading lines. Jobbers have been doing their best to get larger shipments from the factories, but they have been only partly successful, and stocks are remarkably low all along the line. The shortage seems to be especially noticeable in the Victor field and dealers handling this line say that their stocks, especially in Victrolas, are far from being equal to the requirements of the trade. Some of the leading houses have only two or three Style XI Victrolas in their stores, while the supply of Styles IX and XVI is getting low. L. C. Parker, enterprising manager of the Victor department at Gimbel Bros.' Milwaukee store, has had his responsibilities doubled by having been made manager of the Gimbel piano department. E. S. Bridge, who has had charge of the piano sales at the Gimbel store for several years, resigned recently, and the management of the store decided that Mr. Parker had met with such remarkable success in handling the talking machine business that he was the only man to take charge of the piano department. In order that Mr. Parker might more readily handle the piano business, the department has been moved down from the sixth to the second floor, where it has been given quarters adjoining the Victor hall at the Gimbel store. Mr. Parker has built up a live, enterprising sales force and the business of both departments is climbing to a new high point. A. G. Kunde, Columbia jobber and dealer, 516 Grand avenue, proved recently that he is a real philanthropist by donating a big Columbia machine to the patients of the Blue Mound tuberculosis sanatorium, located just west of Milwaukee. The main building of the sanatorium was destroyed by fire recently and the patients lost their talking machine, a pool table and various other means of pastime, and Mr. • Kunde' s sympathy was aroused. D. C. Preston traveler in Wisconsin and Minnesota for the Talking Machine Co., of Chicago, will henceforth be a citizen of Milwaukee. Mr. Preston, whose wedding was scheduled to take place on Easter Sunday, is establishing a home of his own, and he believes that Milwaukee offers the most central location and best railroad facilities of any city in his territory. Paul A. Seeger, manager of the Victor department at the Edmund Gram Piano House, has been meeting with such a brisk demand for Victrolas that his stock is lower than at any time since the department has been opened at the Gram store. Mr. Seeger says that the call has been especially strong for Victrolas IX, XI and XVI. One of the display windows at the store of the Hoeffler Manufacturing Co. blew in during a heavy wind storm on March 25 damaging a Victrola and an automatic piano, which were on display. E. F. O'Neil and Sam Goldsmith, traveling representatives of the Victor Talking Machine Co., recently called upon the Milwaukee trade. W. P. Gibbs, traveler for the Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Co., of Cincinnati, O., was another recent Milwaukee visitor. D. M. Groulx, Victor dealer at Green Bay, Wis., has established a successful branch agency at Oconto, Wis., with Oscar C. Watterich. Mr. Watterich, who is a jeweler of Oconto, is carrying a large stock of Victor goods and finds Oconto offers an excellent field for talking machines. The Edison line has been placed with two wellknown Milwaukee houses by the Milwaukee Phonograph Co. Edison jobber in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Charles H. Schefft & Sons, 849 Third street, also carrying the Victor goods, have put in a full line of Edison machines and records and are featuring them in special quarters. C. Niss & Sons, Inc., one of the leading retail furniture concerns of Milwaukee, 697-709 Third street, is opening a new talking machine department and has taken up the agency for the full Edison line. It is understood that several other Milwaukee houses are negotiating for taking on the Edison line. Since the opening of the new year the Milwaukee Phonograph Co. has secured eighteen new dealers in Wisconsin for the Edison disc line. William Idle, special traveling representative of Thomas Edison, Inc., has been in Milwaukee for some time, assisting Manager William A. Schmidt, of the Milwaukee Phonograph Co., in establishing new Edison dealers in this city. Mr. Idle expected to give a special Edison recital at the Hotel Pfister in Milwaukee on April 15, when several of the new Edison disc machines were to be featured. Invitations were issued to several thousand Milwaukee people. The Gensch-Smith Co., 730 Grand avenue, handling the Victor line, has met with such an increase in business since it opened its new piano department, where it features the Wurlitzer pianos and players, that it is planning on increasing its sales force once more. Henry Sask, who has conducted a successful Columbia store at 1602 Vliet street for several years, has opened in handsome new quarters on Vliet street, between Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets. Mr. Sask has considerably more space than in his old store, while everything is new and modern. His window displays at the new store are attracting much favorable attention. The Victor business at the Boston store during March established a new high record, according to C. W. Abbott, manager of the Victor department. The demand for high-grade machines was so strong that Mr. Abbott has been unable to keep his stock up to the normal point. Victor sales at the J. B. Bradford Piano Co.'s store have been climbing to a high mark of late, due to the fact that every salesman in the piano department has been taking an interest in the talking machine end of the business. The salesmen are encouraged to sell all the machines that they can and most of them have been making good use of their opportunities. The Bradford house regularly gives up half its window display room to exhibiting the Victor goods. WE DONT-DO YOU? Do You Believe These Claims? What does it mean to say, "We are the largest" — "We are the best" — "We always ship complete the same day," etc., etc.? "Bosh"— Idle, Careless Claims Who wants them? We don't know who is the "BIGGEST," etc., because it is not possible to get the details of a competitor's business. You Want A Jobber to "Make Good" We are here to SERVE YOU and have you JUDGE by what WE DO. Try It Now— Send An Order Let it be MACHINES or RECORDS. Don't let your Competitor be a "BLACKMAN DEALER" at your expense. Very sincerely BLACKMAN TALKING MACHINE GO, J. NEWCOMB BLACKMAN, Pres. 97 CHAMBERS ST., NEW YORK