The talking machine world (Jan-June 1927)

52 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD March, 1927 St. Louis Dealers Consider Important Merchandising Problems at Conferences Columbia Sales Reach a New High Figure — New Orthophonic Victrola and Radiola Demonstrated at Meeting of Victor Dealers — Atwater Kent Dealers in Conclave — Columbia Branch to Move St. Louis, Mo., March 7. — Maintaining the fast pace set during the month of January, business in the talking machine and allied trades in the St. Louis territory for February was auspicious, and thus far has given no signs of decreasing. Record-breaking Columbia Sales Indicative of the trend during the month is the record-breaking volume transacted by the St. Louis and Kansas City branches of the Columbia Phonograph Co. "A large amount of this increase is directly traceable to the national advertising campaign which has been carried on for the past eighteen months by our company: 85 per cent of which has been devoted to exclusive record advertising," said A. G. Bolts, assistant manager. Now! I The KENT Attachment with the KENTONE SENSITIZED REPRODUCER The KENTONE Attachment has been a successful and standard product for over twelve years. With the new KENTONE SENSITIZED REPRODUCER these two products in combination now are available at reasonable prices. Write for catalog of complete line of tone arms and sound boxet F. C. KENT CO. Irvlngton, N. J. "The electrical recording process which has been used by our company for some time combined with the noiseless surface of the Columbia New Process record has also been of wonderful value in increasing the volume of sales. "Sales of the new Columbia Viva-tonal phonographs have been so heavy that all orders for certain models have been placed on back order for the past five weeks." The Beethoven centennial celebration during the week of March 20 to 26, which is sponsored by the Columbia Phonograph Co., is meeting with increasing success in the St. Louis and Kansas City territories, according to Mr. Bolts. Enthusiastic committees have been formed in St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, Mo.; Cairo, 111.; Wichita and Hutchinson, Kan., and in Lincoln and Omaha, Neb. Many New Accounts One of the outstanding features of the company's activities during the month was the opening of a series of accounts that will undoubtedly result in additional increases in sales. The Baldwin Piano Co. and Nugent's department store here have recently added the Columbia to their line of merchandise. The Rorabaugh Dry Goods Co. of Wichita, Kan., the Rorabaugh Wiley Dry Goods Co. of Hutchinson, Kan., Rorabaugh Paxton Co., Emporia, Kan., and the Rorabaugh-Brown Co. of Oklahoma City, Okla., also have installed the Columbia products. New Home for Columbia Branch Additional emphasis on the volume of business being transacted by the Columbia Co. in this territory is found in the announcement that the local branch of the company has been forced to seek new and more commodious quarters to provide for its expansion. The company has leased the entire third floor of the Meyer Building at 115-125 South Eighth street. The company has already begun the installation of its stock in its new home, and it is anticipated that by March 19 its new quarters will be opened for business. Closing of a longterm lease on the new quarters was approved by W. C. Fuhri, vice-president and general manager of the company, who was a recent visitor to St. Louis. Stages Victor Dealers' Conference The Koerber-Brenner Co., local distributor of the Victor products, is equally satisfied over conditions generally. "Our record business is exceptionally good, while the Orthophonic Victrolas are finding increasing favor," said F. W. Rauch, manager. The company during the latter part of the month entertained seventy-five dealers from Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky, at a conference at Hotel Statler, to demonstrate the new Orthophonic Victrola and the Radiola. The gathering was addressed by W. L. Keyes, Victor representative here, and by Mr. Rauch. A banquet was held in the evening, after which another meeting, addressed by E.' A. Kieselhorst, was held. Following Mr. Kieselhorst's address the meeting was thrown open for general discussion. Interesting sales talks were made also by L. H. Duncan, of I > i i e Haute, Ind.; Phil Schroeder, of Vincennes, Ind., and Lou Shaefer, of Peoria. Conducting Brunswick Classes in Selling In an effort to obtain the maximum of sales efficiency, the local branch of the BrunswickBalke-Collender Co. has concentrated its efforts during the month on teaching their dealers the latest in salesmanship courses. The company is conducting classes almost daily throughout the territory in its latest Panatrope salesman*hip course. Like the others in the trade, the Brunswick Company has been experiencing a wave of good business which bids fair to continue. Atwater Kent Dealers Convene One hundred and fifty dealers served by the Brown & Hall Supply Co., Atwater Kent distributor, held a convention and banquet February 21 at the Hotel Chase. Addresses were made by Norman S. Brown, president, and Fred A. Wiebe, vice-president of the Brown & Hall Supply Co., and H. T. Stockholm, district sales manager of the Atwater Kent Mfg. Co.; Roger Pigeon, Atwater Kent factory representative; H. L. Doty, territorial representative for the Pooley Co. of Philadelphia, manufacturer of H. T. Stockholm radio cabinets for Atwater Kent sets, and C. F. Crane, of the Briggs^Stratton Mfg. Co., maker of "A" eliminators. Norman S. Brown in his address brought out the fact that while between 25,000 and 30,000 Atwater Kent sets and speakers were sold in this territory during the year, the surface was only scratched so far as sales of radio sets were concerned. R. M. McCormick in Brunswick Post R. M. McCormick, of St. Louis, has been appointed head of the Brunswick record sales department in succession to Thomas E. Stevens, who has been promoted to the Chicago branch of the company. Other additions to the company's personnel are L. W. Tixier, sales representative in the southern Illinois and southern Missouri territory; Richard Kasting, special record salesman in Missouri and Illinois, and T. A. Drago, special record representative in Mississippi and Louisiana, operating out of the company's sub-branch in New Orleans. Artophone Corp. Busy Continuing its January activity, the Artophone Corp. has announced that its February volume has shown a tremendous increase over the same month last year. The company reported that there has been no let up in the demand for hand-painted ukuleles, banjo ukuleles, mandolins and guitars, as well as phonographs and records. New Ortho-sonic Distributor Geller-Ward & Hasner Hardware Co. has been appointed distributor for the Federal Radio Corp.'s line of Ortho-sonic radios. Atwater Kent Line on Exhibit at New Haven Show New Haven, Conn., March 7. — At the New Haven Show of Progress, held recently in this city, the Atwater Kent radio was prominently exhibited. This show consisted of six large floors of exhibits by manufacturers, jobbers and retailers. The Atwater Kent exhibit, which was under the auspices of the New Haven Electric Co., local Atwater Kent distributor, was very attractively arranged and situated directly in front of the broadcast station. Atwater Kent radio was also prominently shown in four other exhibits made by retail radio dealc-is