Fine Furniture; 1936-10

Notes:

Issue of a furniture trade magazine published in Grand Rapids, Mich. It began publication in 1936. and OCTOBER • 1936 F. H. MUELLER . . . led the mountain to Mahomet. (See page 18) Two dollars a year 20 cents a copy Grand Rapids, M i c h i g a n ir^- '&»£? i f o r U n e t u r n i u t ' ^ ^ p r o CA=VEL new line of Ca-Vel Upholstery Fabrics, on the furniture you sell, presents new weaves, new textures and new colors that reduce "sales resistance" to a minimum! In addition, they help yOu trade up your customers. You get the better profits that result from the sale of quality items. Go into your regular selling season with a better styled more attractive line-well equipped to take advantage of the easier sales and better profit produced by furniture covered with these fabrics bearing the Ca-Vel label. COLLINS # AIKMAN CORPORATION 200 Madison Avenue, New York, N. V. Weavers of Ca=VeI Fabrics All Mohair Fabrics Guaranteed Against Moth Damage for 5 Years! . A •" '£ For the retailer with a discriminating clientele . . . for the merchant who desires INDIVIDUALISM in his offer-ings of upholstered furniture, MUELLER'S distinctive line of Eighteenth Century Adaptations offers an unparalleled oppor-tunity for new volume, better unit prices and substantial profits. There is a verve, an individualistic appeal in all of MUELLER'S upholstered pieces that sells itself. Quality of covers and excellence of construction are nationally famous. Prices are planned to fit into the price ranges that will insure steady sales and superlative profit on each piece. MUELLER FURNITURE CO. 600 Monroe Ave., Grand Rapids, Mich We appreciate mentioning you saw this m FINE FURNITURE FINE FURNITURE DEALER PROFIT BECAUSE. . . WOLVERINE PRODUCTS ARE STYLED RIGHT - PRICED RIGHT - AND BUILT RIGHT Dealers who invested in WOLVERINE UPHOLSTERY CO. line in the July market have reordered in an un-precedented manner. Our 18th Century and Modern pieces, both, are being received by the trade because they are right—in style, price and construc-tion. The No. 1282 chair, illustrated, is an example. Loose down pillow back and seat, with the latest fabric. And of generous proportions. It retails for $67.50. WOLVERINE UPHOLSTERY CO. GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN FlN€ FURNITUR€ the Homefurnishing Magazine from the Furniture Style Center of America VOLUME I 1936 NUMBER 6 GEORGE F. MACKENZIE. President PHIL S. JOHNSON, General Manager ROD G. MACKENZIE, E d i t o r K. C. CLAPP, Merchandising Counsel OCTOBER The Boiling Wake 4 Page Nine 9 Planning Christmas Promotions, by Ralph Spangler 12 Furniture Frolics, by Ray Barnes 14 Tuning in for Added Volume, by Rod Mackenzie 15 Historic Examples from the Metropolitan 17 Modern Crusade, by K. C. Clapp 18 Biographing Famous Furniture Firms 20 Direct-er Direct Mail, by Ruth Mclnerney 21 A Portfolio of 28 Floor Coverings and Fabric Displays . . 23 The Sketch Book, by Charles Witman 28 Retailing Tips 30 Market Centers of the West 32 Chet Shafer on a Shinglin' Bee 34 Cash for Credit Sales, by Murray French 35 This 5-Way Plan Trades Up Range Sales 39 Humble Kitchen Slaves Become Transformed Cinderellas 40 Is OUR Face Red 43 Homefurnishing News and Reviews 46 New Stores 50 Published monthly by the Furniture Capital Publishing Co., 155 Ottawa Ave., N. W., Grand Rapids, Mich. Acceptance under the Act of June 5, 1934, authorized April 30, 1936. FINE FURNI-TURE copyright, 1936. Eastern office: S4S Fifth Ave., New York City, phone Murray Hill 23909, S. M. Goldberg, representative. Chicago office: 307 N. Michigan Ave., phone CENtral 0937-8, Bassler & Weed Co., representatives. Subscription rates: $2 per year in the United States and American Colonies; $3 in Canada and foreign countries; single copies, 20 cents. l o r OCTOBER, 1936 Federal AMERICAN An Ensemble to Capture and Hold the Interest of Those Who Appreciate True Traditional in Furniture Design 27 Pieces 5 Different Tables 5 Sideboards 3 China Cabinets 4 Chair Designs Other Supplementary Pieces L r 4 ^ p y ^ ^ 1 1 ^ ^ ^ ••> ;• v- . .. • = ' •-•<;,• ••?.: • • • -c ' - • • — -•••' • - • - • • * _ • - - • i4 MADE of all Cuban Mahogany, the finest of cabinet woods. Styled in the most romantic period of the romantic South — this group recaptures the gracious charm of Virginia Manor Houses of the days preceding and just after the Federation of the American Colonies. Aristocratic Furniture Priced for Democracy And so easy for your customers to acquire! One or two pieces at a time, the customer can enjoy the true collector's thrill, assembling the perfect dining room, at her convenience, over a period of time until she has acquired the harmonious whole. Based on the historic past, this ensemble is destined to make future home furnishing history. TRUE GRAND RAPIDS IMTMUUNO A2I048 Furniture you will be proud to sell — your customers will be proud to own. Many other Dining Room and Bed-room groups in a great variety of woods and finishes, as low in price as any dealer dare sell who ex-pects today's sales to build to-morrow's reputation for depend-able furniture and honest values. G R A N D RAPIDS CHAIR C O M P A N Y We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FINE FURNITURE FINE FURNITURE THE BOILING WAKE Aldy Submits 100-Proof Sirs: You fellows are certainly going to town with your FIXE FURNITURE. You've left out the dry drivel that no one ever reads anyway, and filled it full of the live news, timely tips and actually useable infor-mation that any live furniture store can cash in on. It's a teeming textbook, not a pompous "puff-sheet." I hope more and more furniture stores see more of it. Incidentally . . . Early Americana isn't the only thing I collect. I submit a photo (see illustration) of a corner of my base-ment gameroom as proof . . . about 100- proof, I'd say. M. C. A., Hartford, Conn. Those Factory Waiting Rooms Sirs: Amen to the brother-buyer's indict-ment of furniture factory waiting rooms, used as an editorial on your September Page Nine. Of all the depressing, unattractive lobbies m which I ever cooled my heels, those in furniture factories are the saddest. L. L. M., Cincinnati, Sirs: Reading your September issue . . . I came upon an editorial maligning manu-facturers for failing to provide attractive waiting rooms. . . . In defense, I want to ask what need is there to maintain ebb-orate waiting rooms? It is seldom that our trade visits the factory, except those plants that have factory showrooms, and I venture to assert most of these are sightly enough for anyone. . . . Dolling up ,of waiting rooms would entail just an added item of expense and overhead that the buyer is anxious enough to avoid in his purchase of furni-ture. Incidentally, I've seen some mighty dowdy executives' offices m stores . . . and they're constantly being seen by the gen-eral public. S. R. M., Grand Rapids. The Suppressed Ad Man Sirs: Many thanks for your editorial support of the abused advertising manager as contained in the article on page 31 of your September issue. Your paragraph, "If your ad man is something besides a yes-man and an office boy, has ideas of his own, give him leeway to put some of them across," certainly hits the nail on the head. 1 want to tell you that it is becoming in-creasingly difficult for the advertising man-ager in the average store — at least the "borax" store — to be anything but a rub-ber stamp for the boss who usually can think of nothing but screaming ''Lower Prices" in his newspaper publicity. Any originality — any idea of making people desire the comfort and beauty of fine fur-niture— is frowned on and stepped on imme-diately. More power to you, too, in your effort to get merchants to use direct mail. Now is the time for it. E. W., Flint, Mich. How Century Has Grown! Sirs: Calling your attention to an error in the sketch of Aldrich on page 26 of your September issue. You describe the Century Associates as being "a syndicate of better Eastern stores." As a matter of fact, sev-eral stores on the west coast are members of the Century group, to say nothing of others in the Middle West. However, that's picking flaws in diamonds, for both Aid-rich's article about direct mail and the amusing outline of his career were sparkling. Congrats on a swell issue! R. D. M., Washington, D. C. When Glamour Goes Borax Sirs: Mclnerney's plea to glamourize furniture products by endowing them with names is great, and I do think both manu-facturers and retailers are tending this way more and more. However. I trust it does Morgan Aldrich says that Early Amer-icana isn't the only thing he collects and submits this corner of his game-room as proof—about 100% proof—he claims. not get to the point where the borax houses go in for it extensively. Imagine a mam-floor display flashing cards like these: On a coffee table, "Boxwood Beauty;" on a bedroom suite, "Ninety-day Wonder;" on an upholstered chair, "Fanny-Be-Careful." G. E. S., Chicago. So Would a Lot of Others! Sirs: Aside from the fact that Kellar Stem is NOT the president of the G. R. Bookcase & Chair, that his son IS, 1 enjoyed immensely the sketch of him in September FF. Incidentally, do you have Miss Sea-gren's exact address? I'd like to get in touch with her. M. R., Chicago. He'll Take a Fin's Worth Sirs: The next time you run an ad ask-ing for subscribers, why don't you include in it some idea of how much the maga-zine is? Anyhow, here's five bucks. Just keep on sending it to me until the five bucks runs out. Then we shall see. You have a mighty swell publication. N. R.. Detroit. Shafer Has a Reader Dear Mr. Shafer: I feel somewhat acquainted with you altho I have never seen you, but I am a regular reader of the FIXE FURNITURE magazine and so I see your name often. Paul was up to our Lion meeting the other nite and said he thot perhaps we could get you to come over to visit him some time and he would bring you on over for our meeting and give us a talk on organ pumping or some other suit-able subject. We are going to have our ladies nite October 20, Tuesday ev., at 6:30 and we would very much appreciate it if you would be here on that evening. Altho I think Paul is all set now for Congress, still I don't think one more appearance here will do him any harm. I would be glad if you would let me know if this can be arranged as early as possible. Yours from cornish to cornish, V. J., Bellevue, Mich. A Thanks Sirs: We wish to thank you for the very fine issues of FINE FURNITURE that are mailed to our studios. I know that we find many things of interest in them. C. S. C, Grand Rapids. A Tuesday, For Sure! Sirs: Just when, in your opinion, will Shafer really get down to Roody's? T. T. W., San Jose, Cal. Advertising Budgets Sirs: I was interested in the table on page 34 outlining suggested advertising budget percentages and dollars. How much w*ould you advise for a store that is doing, or plans to do, around $20,000 a year? (A) For newspaper, (B) Direct mail? F. L., Cincinnati. For total advertising, $1350 to $1500; newspapers, $950 to $1200; direct mail, $275 to $325. We Agree Sirs: Your editorial in the September issue entitled. "Shabby Stores," was okay. It always gives me a laugh to see some merchant shout through his ads, "Dress Up Your Home," and then walk into his store on worn, squeaky floors, rub against dirty walls and be unable to see the grain in the top of the table he's showing you because the lights are so covered with dust. It "ain't" consistent. C. C, Milwaukee. 1 See Page 28 Sirs: In your June issue you had a draw-ing of a secretary by Henry Koster. I have a customer who is very anxious to secure a piece similar to this one. Will } ou p'ease advise me where I can obtain this piece. M. S. O., Boston. Originally "The Sketch Book" was insti-tuted as a means of illustrating methods employed by furniture designers in develop-ing ideas and turning them into commercial pieces. The drawings were to be original, never having been produced by a manufac-turer. However, two—the metal chair b ' Salvatorc Beve'.acqua, shown in August and this month's contribution by Charles Wit-man— became exceptions through being pro-duced by furniture makers. Many other re-quests have been received for "Sketch Book' pieces and we regret our inability to aid in supplying them, but admit pleasure for the interest in our contributors' work. f o r OCTOBER, 1936 ' / •'" i* • " ' ! BRISK BUSINESS IN COLONIAL REPRODUCTIONS Colonial's authentic historical reproductions in finest Honduras Mahogany are capturing a broad and profitable market, as are the new Colonial dining and bedroom group-ings. The reproductions, many of which are certified replicas of treasured originals in Edison Institute, Dearborn, Mich., and re-produced by special permission, will be nationally advertised this fall and winter. There are New PROFIT POSSIBILITIES In the Rising Tide of HALL CLOCK POPULARITY With liveable homes first on the post-depression programs of most American families, interest in Colonial Hall Clocks has shown a marked and gratifying upsurge. More Colonial Hall Clocks are being sold today than for several seasons past. People accept these peerless time-keepers, not merely for their utilitarian values but as unique and fitting symbols of enduring home life. Colonial stands ready to help alert dealers turn the hall clock trend into profits. As the world's largest manufacturers of hall clocks we have a style for every preference and a price for every purse. Write for ^Descriptive literature COLONIAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY Z E E L A N D • M I C H I G A N We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FINE FURNITURE FINE FURNITURE There comes a Tide . . . . in the affairs of men" ^ AND MERCHANTS To continue paraphrasing Shakespeare . . . " which, taken at its flood, leads on to fortune" . . . Most merchants do realize that the tide has turned . . . Public demand for shoddy upholstery is at the ebb . . . Oh, people still want values — certainly! VALUES, though, not cheap bargains. Fortunate, indeed, is the retailer who has discerned the consumer's desire to buy better furniture . . . who can offer her the very best at moderate prices. RALPH MORSE upholstered pieces definitely meet that trend. They are smartly styled, construction is of the sturdiest, and they are the acme of comfort. Pictured above is one of the MORSE MASTERPIECES, a neiv selection of which tvill be available at the November market. RALPH MORSE FURNITURE CO. GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FINE FURNITURE for OCTOBER. 1936 is Character Furniture , ",.. -M »-*r.*" ~ ':. KEELER BLDG. GRAND RAPIDS %khly Appealing TO THOSE OF CULTIVATED TASTE AND AMPLE MEANS A representative collection of historic Carved Oak will attract the patronage of the most desirable furniture buyers in your community. Families who seek permanent enrichments for their homes, who prize the cultural values inherent in fine craftsmanship of authentic background, have a natural preference for Carved Oak. "The Oak Room" is your sales opportunity. With incomes up, many families are for the first time in the Carved Oak bracket. They will respond to your suggestion that every home should have, for charm and variety, an "Oak Room". A serious approach to the Carved Oak market will reward you handsomely in the months just ahead. See us at the November Market in Grand Rapids, where we shall make notable additions to our hundreds of distinguished pieces for the living room, din-ing room, bedroom, hall, study, office, studio and club. NO RETAIL STOCK COMPLETE WITHOUT Cattoeb GRAND RAPIDS BOOKCASE & CHAIR COMPANY Carved Oak Specialists HASTINGS, MICHIGAN IVe appreciate mentioning you saw this in FINE FURNITURE FINE FURNITURE 26, 1936 Accountants Report 96 Per Cent Increase in July Over Year Ago. Grand Rapids furniture industry showed an increase of 96 per cent in orders taken in July compared with 30 per cent a year ago, ac-cording to Seidman & Seidman, ac-countants. Shipments were 65 per cant better. For the seven-month period ship-ments showed a gain, of 62 per cent compared with the corresponding period of 1935. f of h o f, f •> I r 1 n i d p t Increase in orders-JULY GRAND RAPIDS-96; FURNITURE INDUSTRY-52% These figures, recently released by Seidman & Seidman, certified public accountants, supply impressive evidence of the outstand-ing leadership of the Grand Rapids Furniture Market. A constantly growing number of progressive furniture and department stores find at the Grand Rapids Market, the furniture that meets their requirements exactly and profit-ably . . . furniture that sets the standards in quality and saleability . . . that definitely leads in styling and craftsmanship . . . and that is priced to attract both class and mass markets. The next mid-season Grand Rapids Market (November 5 to 13, inclusive) promises to be the most important since 1929. Come to this market for the "best buys" in furniture, whether it be for promotional volume, or exclusive trade. It will pay you handsomely. GRAND RAPIDS FURNITURE EXPOSITION ASSOCIATION fo t M8W We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FINE FURNF l o r O C T O B E R , 1936 NINE Though other pages bare the minds Of many men, the credit or The blame I'll bear for what one finds On this, Page Nine.—The Editor. OCTOBER ODYSSEY More than superficial significance has the October Odyssey of some dozen prominent furniture manufacturers to the retail battlefront in the Southwest. Primarily a Guild project, this excursion from Grand Rapids perhaps signalized the beginning of a better era in manufacturer-merchant relation-ship. Certain it is that consumers were flattered to meet actually the men behind the products they buy. This in it-self was confidence-inspiring . . . and confidence in the integrity of furniture products has been sadly lacking for many, many years. Further, it is entirely possible that the junketing manufacturers themselves may have learned some-thing from this sojourn . . . something of the retailer's prob-lems . . . something of the buying public's point of view . . . something that will enable them to vision the progress of their product beyond the factory loading platform . . . something of what it takes to accomplish the last and most important steps in distribution. Desirable indeed is a general firming of relationship between factory and store. We hope it's a trend that will grow and multiply throughout the industry. fi-r s 40% ENOUGH? With furrowed brow and weary eyes we have been follow-ing for some months the terrific controversy waged in the blinding 8-point of a pulp-paper trade weekly as to whether manufacturers of major appliances should allow department stores more than a 40% discount from list, and as to why the drygoods boys can't make a profit on that spread. The answer is so obvious and simple as to be almost ridiculous. The truth of the matter is that department stores really don't WANT more than 407o, because they persist in not taking it when they get it, cutting even that margin when they habitually and constantly resort to markdowns. One of the chief causes contributing to such excessive markdowns is that too many competing lines are carried by one store, defeating desirable concentration of sales effort and energy on one or two lines. In fact, the whole selling phychology of the department store is keyed to the rapid promotion of small, fast-turnover items rather than to large, long-life items requiring real sales-manship and steady, long-haul merchandising ability. ff I. E. S. For awhile there, we were becoming almost convinced that the I. E. S. lamp movement besides being undoubtedly the salvation of the home-furnishing industry, would be instru-mental in curing hemerrhoids, flat feet, rickets and the blind staggers. Enthusiastic proponents of scientific lighting were all agog over the many ills and ailments caused by poor illumination, and they laid it rather thick on the poor public and the slightly bewildered dealer. But the I. E. S. drive, after the first rush of effervescent ballyhoo and the inevitable reactionary lull, has now hit an even keel. Properly promoted, it can help sell plenty of lamps for furniture stores. The kick has been that utility companies have seemed to hog the show, but in reality most of them are eager and willing to perform the educational work and give actual sales of merchandise to stores. They're try-ing to build load rather than sell lamps. ff If you'll have a friendly talk with your local utility manager, chances are he'll work with instead of against you. ff DRAPERY DEFICIENCIES Stores with drapery departments may be interested in the results of a study by the New York American among house-wives. Meat of the information elicited was that stores fail to fulfill their function in these respects. Drapery displays are found by the majority of women to be unsatisfactory and inadequate; women are almost unanimous in their belief that stores are not willing to offer suggestions and advice on use and types of draperies and curtains in their homes; housewives would welcome with open arms lectures or talks on window-treatments by qualified members of stores' dec-orating staffs—a type of educational promotion generally neglected. How does YOUR store measure up in its merchandising of window fabrics? ff TRAILER THREAT Should the furniture industry "view with alarm" America's present propensity to establish homes on wheels? Just how permanent is this trailer-craze going to be, and how will it affect the manufacturing and retailing of household furni-ture? Without a doubt, the effect on sales of household goods will parallel the effect on stabilized home life. If we are to become a race of motorized nomads, then the tra-dition that is the raison d'etre for much of our present homefurnishings will be gradually lost. However, it is dif-ficult to conceive that the foundation of the American Home is threatened, as alluring as the call of the road may be-come. Trailer-living will pall as it becomes common. Never-theless, it will grow within the next few years to the extent that an industrial back-to-the-home campaign may be found necessary. Further, it is almost sure to have an effect on home architecture and the design of household furniture. ff . . . And 1 says, "Yeh, Mabel, I know childbirth is terrible but did you ever have barber's itch?" 10 FINE FURNITURE It's the F I N I SH that Counts . . . AND ON FURNITURE •*•*?. IN RACING... The THOROUGHBRED always wins. Cabinets and case goods may be well constructed and may utilize the most costly of woods, but if the finish is faulty, they fall short of meeting the exacting demands of both merchant and consumer. Use of GRAND RAPIDS VARNISH CORPOR-ATION products always insures the most satis-factory results for any type of furniture wood finishing. And here is a THOROUGH-BRED — faultlessly styled, artistically designed, correctly priced, with a beautiful FINISH —a sure WINNER! GRAND RAPIDS VARNISH CORPORATION Manufacturers of Fine Quality Varnishes — Lacquers — Stains — GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FIXE FURNITCRV; Enamels I m\ FINE ARTS BUILDING Newest and Most Modern Exhibition Building in Grand Rapids Y E A R ' R O U N D E X P O S I T I O N S DAY o r N I G H T Your product shown in the F I N E A R T S B U I L D I N G , Grand Rapids, is on display in a "hotel" for merchandise. Coustructed for furniture display, it is the only building in Grand Rapids devoted exclusively to furniture exhibits. Floor arrangement, lighting, ventilation and the highest type of general service is conducted in the interest of the furniture and house-furnishing exhibitors. The FINE ARTS BUILDING is in step with Three-quarters of a Century of Progress of the Grand Rapids Exposition. FINE ARTS CORPORATION operating FINE ARTS and PANTUND EXHIBITION BUILDINGS We appreciate mentioning you saio this in FINE FURNITURE 12 FINE FURNITURE aut/ior/ WANTED — Young man to learn advertising work in retail store. ABOUT twenty years ago, MX. Ralph Spangler came across this blind ad in an Oklahoma City newspaper, answered it, then forgot about it momentarily. The next day he got a phone call. A voice at the other end of the line said, "Mr. Spangler, can you come over to the Harbour- Longmire store for an inter-view?" "What do you want to see me about?" asked Spangler, puzzled. "You answered our ad for a man to learn the advertising work, didn't you?" And the voice identified itself as belonging to J. F. Harbour. "And that," says Spangler, "was the first time I ever had even a remote idea of getting into the furniture business. I re-member vividly the succeeding few months when I became inti-mately acquainted with three-piece mahogany-and-cane living room suites — with lamp shades that were flat and heavily fringed." Previous to his furniture adver-tising career, Spangler had taught school, done accounting and con-tract work for a telephone com-pany and later for the Oklahoma National Stockyards Co. During the period, 1917 to 1924, Ralph was associated stead-ily with Harbour-Longmire ex-cept for a few months in service. From 1924 to 1926 he was adver-tising manager for Genet's of Tulsa, then for A. Leath & Ce. Planning CHRISTMAS PROMOTIONS by RALPH SPANGLER Advertising Manager, Harbour-Longmire's, Oklahoma City, Okla. / CHRISTMAS is a unique sea- V_/ son. People then will buy in large quantities, without cut prices. For most good stores, it is one of the best selling seasons in the year. You need not promote the cheap-est things made. Rather the biggest profit comes from promoting the best, the most fashionable, the most interesting things you can get, to be offered at your best selling prices! Which may be several notches above the cheapest things made! First Step • The first step in plan-ning your Christmas promotions should have been completed months ago. If not, better do it late than never. Get out your sales figures for last Christmas season. In our store, this season begins long before Decem-ber. Last year we had sold a car-load of wheel toys by the first of October (lay-aways for Christmas). Analyze your sales of each im-portant item. If you don't already know, discover at which prices you can get the most sales of this item . . . and (2) the prices at which 81 I I I I i l l I I I I I I 1 1 I W i l l In 1928 he returned to Genet's where he remained for two years, organizing in 1930 a private ad-vertising and sales promotion agency that did work for I. H. Moore Co., Crusader Syndicate, Dickinson-Goodman Furniture Co. and others. The agency was discontinued in 1933 and Spangler spent nine months with the Har-bour Furniture Co. in Muskogee, Okla. He then went with the Genet-Rhodes Furniture Co. in Tulsa, remaining until 1935, finally returning to his first and present affiliation—the Harbour- Longmire Co., Oklahoma City. Spangler was born in Rock-ville, Ind., 44 years ago come June 28. He attended college at the University of Oklahoma where he sang in the glee club and played a great deal of ten-nis. His favorite sport is still tennis, although he now plays you can get the most sales volume. Get individual figures on chairs, lamps, cedar chests, rugs . . . on each item which gave you any con-siderable volume last year. If you did not do this in your buying, decide the definite factory numbers of each type of an article which will represent your BEST SELLING PRICE for getting the most sales. These best selling prices will dif-fer widely in different stores — as will best selling styles, and the best selling articles themselves. The important thing is for you to have in black and white on paper —not hazily in the back of your head—a definite list of the exact numbers from your stock—which you can expect to attract the most Christmas business to your store. This merchandise is your ammu-nition for the campaign ahead. Strategy • Now for your campaign strategy. Remember that Christmas season is different from any selling season in the year. The tightest purse is a little easier opened. considerable golf and likes to swim. There isn't anything that Ralph would rather do than to be ac-tive in the furniture business, and he looks forward to the day when he might have a good store of his own, or an important inter-est in one. He believes that the retailing of furniture is highly important in the development of our modern civilization. "Our whole prosperity and progress as a nation," he says, "is largely dependent upon how the women of today — and the girls who will be the women of tomorrow—are educated to want better homes. And we can't leave so important a job entirely to the other fellow. Magazines, movies, schools are accomplishing much in this respect, but it is up to us to be of immediate, direct and intelligent help." f o r O C T O B E R , 1936 13 , i : "•- . - . ••••* i : * Where is the person who does not spend more for gifts than he plans? It follows that your attack should be different. Start with your main floor—and your windows. Make them so dif-ferent that when your "regulars" enter your door they will stop and wonder if they are in your store or in a Christmas fairyland! There are innumerable ways to get Christmas atmosphere. To attempt to list even those most commonly used would require an-other article. Make Christmas dec-orations as striking as your budget will permit. No store is too small to spend some money for this pur-pose. Force every person who enters your store to be very conscious of the approach of Christmas. Here is just one rule: YOUR DISPLAYS CAN BE NO MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THEIR BACKGROUNDS! Use the walls of your store . . . the pillars through the floors, the temporary dividers you erect. Make them radiate a Christmas atmosphere in keeping with the merchandise you will fea-ture. Timing • In December, time takes a double importance. When there are twice as many customers in the store as you have salespeople to wait on them, every minute counts. Plan the placing of traffic items where a minimum of time is needed to complete the transaction. Our store is virtually a big de-partment store for the home. We do a volume which permits us to assign salespeople to particular types of merchandise. We may have four or five girls who will give their entire time to our doll shop. Others sell only small electrical appliances. If your store is one where the same staff sells anything and every-thing, time is even more important. While you are selling a dollar item, the customer wanting to spend $100 may walk out. Have your small gift articles grouped . . . and displayed at the most convenient points possible. Main Floor • If your store build-ing permits, plan to change your first floor more than once during December. Divide your campaign into weeks. Pick the three or four types of items that give you the most vol-ume. Concentrate on them. A Christmas sale of chairs may justify so impressive and dramatic a dis-play near your main entrance that customers will think they are enter-ing a chair store! Because our elevators cannot handle the peak crowds attracted by our toy department, we are forced to keep toys on the first floor up to Christmas Eve. You may not be able to completely change your entire first floor each week, but do all you can to drama-tize your selling; eiforts. Related Items • There is a ques-tion whether to display related articles together. The old theory was to place small tables and lamps with lounge chairs. Our experience is to the contrary. We may "spotlight" a featured chair on a small stage and with it show a table, lamp, ash tray, book, house slippers, etc. And then group the other colors and covers avail-able around it. But we find that we sell more in less time and with less effort in that season of the year if we show items of a type together. An important exception is the ensemble where several items are offered in a group at one price. Schedules • Now we are ready to plan advertising schedules. You must be your own judge whether to advertise one type of an article at a time or to mention a wide variety. WThatever you do, do not over-look the fact that your public zvill not consider a sales offering more important than you do. So add all the importance to each presentation you can. It helps sales. And whether you feature one item at a time or try to include as great a variety as you can, build your advertising program about your best selling prices . . . the prices which you have evidence to show will get you the greatest num-ber of sales. Educate your sales-people whenever possible to sell prospects something better than they plan to buy. You can help "sell-up" by arrang-ing effective displays of your "step-ups" beside your featured items. In making the analysis stressed as the first task of this Christmas promotion planning, you may have discovered that suites and outfits brought a major portion of your December business. If so, by all means give them the prominence in your program that their volume potential justifies. Too many stores think they cannot sell suites in December. Do not overlook the sales possi-bilities of outfits. Even in stores of the highest type, volume can be pyramided with "ensembles." Specimen Christmas promotional advertisements illustrating Spang-ler's theory of featuring a pricing program built around "your best selling prices." 14 FINE FURNITURE FURNITURE FROLICS y/vu R>ty BARNES |N THIS COP-NgP-GASKANS. OMAHA, H&B^ASKA, AETAILE-P-, OOES |H POP- PLOWfcR- GAP-OENlNCi, BAS&BAU- AND NWHESTHNCT- |~ATS STEAKS AND &AV-ED POTATOES,AHD UlBlCiHS IN TWIS CORNEP-O-C |."DADD/TATE,PPES. ;, CONTINENTAL FUP-N CO. HIGH POINT H-C STARTED LIFE AS A P-AILP-OADEP-. RELAXES in GrAP-D&H AND ON "WE &OL IN H-OMETOWM CIVIC AFPAJfcS. HOME Yffl TOWN CIVIC-AFFAIRS LoOK-S LIH-E TO HAVE /A LITTLE P I E . HAWYCCANFIELO J3ATESVIL.LE. IND. MAHU-V ^ 1 JAMES BUCKINGHAM HOWAP-D VtCE-PP-ES. !NCH/^P-OE OF SALES. GRAND R.APIDS CM IE. CO, HIS BoyHOOD AMBlTiON WAS TO BE A CONWBoy BUT HE TOOK IT OUT ON tfAPwess p-Ace HORSES. WESTERN TAUCrHT SCHOOL. HASNT ANY HOBB/. HAS OIVEM UP HUNTING AND THE U.S. CONOPESS ,IH HE SEP-VEO HIS FROM iQX"b TO iq^t>. EATS BEEF STEAK AND W&I&H& .« 3O0L6S. /^ j * f o r OCTOBER. 1936 15 TUNING IN FOR ADDED VOLUME RETAILERS of home furnishings who have ex-ploited radio advertising over a period of years are enthusiastic in its support. It is now not a matter of selling goods but rather a problem of how can the advertiser make the medium work to the best advan-tage for him. Many and devious are the methods employed. Some use only spot announcements at regu-lar intervals while other more ambitious souls sponsor elaborate programs utilizing dramatic and comic per-formers. Practically every advertising agency of national im-portance advocates the use of radio in conjunction with other advertising mediums, such as newspaper, direct mail, etc., but all of them — according to a recent sur-vey— discourage the establishment of a program "just for the sake of trying it out." Experimental use of radio is expensive and ineffective. Only through long By ROD MACKENZIE Editor, FINE FURNITURE and continued promotion can its benefit be estimated. Our memory is not particularly good, but somewhere recently, we read that "repitition is reputation." Take cognizance of outstanding nationally advertising pro-grams and note how this expression rates. During a discussion on radio advertising with Stanley Barnett, manager of station WOOD in Grand Rapids, Mich., we asked the question: "Have you any furni-ture accounts that can trace increased volume to radio?" Testimonial • Barnett smiled as he thumbed through the morning mail and extracted a letter. "How's this? only radiio WHEN a man has been in the retail furniture business 33 years, starting at the hopeful age of 13, he should be expected to have a few poignant mem-ories. Affable Gillis Vandenberg confesses to more than a few. He recalls a lot of hard work, long hours and small pay. "It was in 1903 that I started washing windows and running the elevator for the Winegar Furniture Co. in Grand Rapids," he reminisces. "Eventually I was advanced to the rug depart-ment where I learned the uplift-ing trade of laying linoleum." Gil's smile is infectious and his 6-feet-210-pound frame is no more expansive than his far-famed generosity. He pauses to take a meditative pull on his cigar. "Now that I look back on it, I guess the hard work actually paid pretty good dividends, be-cause I remained with Winegar's for 19 years. Furniture retailing was different in those days. And prices too." He chuckles. "D'you know, we used to buy carloads of bedroom suites from the Luce Furniture Co. and instead of hauling the merchandise, only a few city blocks, by drays, they would switch a carload over by rail. Yes, sir, we sold solid oak suites for $15.95 apiece—carloads of them." In 1922 Vandenberg purchased a third interest in the Harley Smith Furniture Co. in Grand Rapids and eight years later be-came president and general man- GILLIS VANDENBERG ager by buying the balance of Smith's stock. He has adhered to definite merchandising policies, one being thumbs down on sales of any nature. Another example of his individualism is the allocating of Boyhood ambition to become president of furniture store so he could play golf without annoying his conscience. his entire advertising appropria-tion to radio. "Gil" believes that customers of homefurmshmgs are smarter today than they've ever been in the history of the busi-ness. He attributes this to the tremendous amount of educa-tional work being done by women's magazines, radio and movies. Through the depression he has increased his volume with-out increasing his capital, 1934 being 40% over 1933, 1935 show-ing a 50% gain over 1934 with the 1936 graf continuing profit-ward. But Gillis is growing restless. It's nearing mid-afternoon, and that means golf. One learns that his boyhood secret ambition was to become president of a furni-ture store in order that he might indulge in his favorite sport with-out pangs of conscience. Through his affiliations with the Lions Club, Masons, Elks, Moose and American Legion, he is never without a partner or guest when he steps out of the locker room at the Cascade Country Club. And brother-golfers take heed, for he carries a purposeful bag of clubs. In fact "Gil" Vanden-berg is just as determined a golfer now as he was a window-washer for Winegar's 33 years ago, and a successful merchant today. 16 FINE FURNITURE Quote. There's no doubt you know our contract with you expires at this time. If you will kindly send your salesman to see us, we wish to renew this. We also wish to express our appreciation for the fine work that your broadcasting has done for us. As you know. we have used your service continuously for one year and have enjoyed the best business that we have had in several years. This has been the only advertising medium that we have used, so we can only credit the radio for our fine increasing business. Unquote. Does that answer your question?" We admitted that it was really more than we'd anticipated in the way of a lead, but we expressed amazement at one of the statements in the letter. "Do you mean to say that this store doesn't use newspaper advertising? That your radio program is its sole method of appealing to the consumer?" Barnett nodded as he pressed a button. An attend-ant appeared at the door. "Put on one of the Harley Smith Furniture Co. recordings, and one of the an-nouncements too, please." No Prices • A few moments later our ears were assailed with voices engaged in a dialogue emitting from the loud-speaker in the manager's office. The act was brief, entertaining and led plausibly to the climax, which revealed in the final few words the fact that homefurnishings was the theme of the broad-cast. Then followed a brief statements by the announcer: "There is a heap of meaning in the word 'home.' There is also a heap of difference in the furnishings for that home. The Harley Smith Furniture Co. has the reputation of selling dependable, correctly-styled furniture of quality, at moderate prices. Remember that easy credit terms can be arranged for any piece of furniture you select at Harley Smith's. So visit this dependable store at once and make your selection. Gillis Vandenberg, Chet Stander or Dick Kimm will gladly show you their extensive line of smart new fur-nishings. Free storage for later delivery. Remember the name—• Harley Smith Furniture Co., Pearl St., near the bridge." Armed with this information we cornered Gillis Van-denberg, president and general manager of the Harley Smith store. Mr. Vandenberg is an affable person who has been in the furniture business for 33 years. "And you've increased your business 50% over 193S through the sole use of radio advertising?" We were frankly puzzled. No Sales • Vandenberg was equally frank. "I've nothing against newspaper advertising, except, that I have a personal prejudice against sales of any nature. If you're promoting a certain piece it's good and well worthwhile to illustrate that piece in a newspaper ad. You'll undoubtedly sell a lot of them. Personally, I've never made much money on special events. But I have increased my clientele, in numbers, and what's better, in quality, through radio advertising." Vandenberg is warming up. He likes radio. He's made money through it and he's just increased his contract by four times over last year. "You've just listened to one of our programs. Not a word, about prices. But I do stress the personal appeal through mentioning my salesmen's names. The quality of merchandise. And it works. People come in every day and ask for one or the other of us, by name." Customers Smarter • Don't lose sight of the fact that Vandenberg has been in the business for 33 years. He knows customers. "They're smarter today," he asserts. "The women's magazines, radio and movies have educated them. They know what they want when they come into the store. That's why I don't try to appeal to them through the newspaper. And why my message over the air is so simple. I've got the advan-tage too, because when they come into my store they are not going to ask to see a certain advertised bar-gain—- that I'll probably lose money on by promoting —• but they're coming m for an article that is actually needed in their home." Amateurs, All Right • But Vandenberg is only one side of the radio argument. R. D. Morgan, vice-presi-dent of the American Furniture Store, Milwaukee, has found that two diversified weekly radio programs has stimulated prospects in his territory. The first of these programs consists of a weekly half hour amateur program which has become very popular in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Due to tremendous na-tional interest in amateur programs, the American Fur-niture store management finds that great attention is centered upon this broadcast featuring local talent, which is put on the air every Friday evening. Public Hero • The second program, each Sunday afternoon, is one which concerns the finding of Wis-consin Public Hero No. 1. Each week the life and accomplishments of one public hero is dramatized, and this program, too, attracts people from practically every walk of life. The Wisconsin Public Hero program, recently inaugurated, brought in more than 150 letters the first week. Good returns have been coming to this furniture house in the way of an increased volume of sales to customers in the city and excellent results have been noted in the sale of furniture to families living some distance from Milwaukee. The most valued prospects are those brought to the store from the country dis-tricts, as that class of customer usually comes to the city with a definite purpose in mind — that of buying something that is essential. The present series of these broadcasts will consist of thirteen dramatizations, the final vote being taken by mail at the completion of the series. What? No Prizes? • No prizes are offered to listeners, the only compensation offered by the broadcasts going to the person chosen by vote at the completion of the series. The winner, Public Hero No. 1, will be given $100 as well as a gold medal. The broadcast of the original series, an amateur hour conducted under the auspices of the store, completed a 26 weeks run at a local theatre during the winter, and a new series of half-hour broadcasts was started in February. One of the requirements of entering the contests during the amateur hour is that all applicants must apply at the American Furniture store for an audition. This, Morgan states, has brought more than 60 applicants to the store each week, or a total of more than 1500 for the 26 weeks period. Auditions Advertise • Although some of the amateurs coming to the store are not potential customers, the fact that the auditions give so many persons a chance to be heard on a stage and on the air reacts in a very satisfactory manner so far as advertising the American Furniture store is concerned, and Morgan is convinced that this is a very effective method of impressing the company's name on the minds of the buying public. f o r O C T O B E R . 1 9 3 S Historic Examples from the METROPOLITAN Through the courtesy of Richard F. Bach of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, T^^_^__ FINE FURNITURE this month inaugu- • Mi : [ I • / / rates a monthly page presenting H \ \ ' ' <: • • / fe authentic examples of historic furniture. £ I V! i ) j 1/ . I..-II ...!,,„,„: #„.,.; XMH-P,...,,, ..,!,,„, -i.l...1,.,^. • t V i | | (f / / , - , 111, , i \ , « <i.,,-k ,,,.,1,,.-.,.,> -i.l ..ir. H L i ' ! ' ! L l l i n - . ' l . . i r . - . l . - i l l l - l . - . . • ,, ', : ; I » ll,.,ll,,m, l'hil.,,l,l|,l,i , < l i i | , | , , i > , l . i l I- ^ " • ' r h . i i r . n , . , l i , , ^ . , n v I.,I, f .-iilei IIIIIIII: t tttji) I mji-li ^lii-r.ilon .inn ^ | i • \ .h.nr. ,.., i r> 1.-. 1 .i.i.l til.I..I. i'..-ii|>li..|.|..|.,.l. H ' . ' \ >' • ;•• i , ] • £ - ' . \ ii..m «in« . h.iir. •ii.ilM.u.in>. • 9 \ , • I , I t L :.' in r.-.l -ilk .l.iin.i.k. I 7f.<l-TII. • *••*• " ' * • ' • * . • . • I I I I I I I I : < t»\> > \ in .> r i •• i n In l i . u k . , l , . , i r . i l i S l l i < , n l i [ r > . (,.•„!.•,, I nth.I, I, ,,l .,,-„, , | , . , i . . . p.iii I l.l.i. I.. , . . . l>. < l . r . , .n r.ni., I."ill f ..-Mliirj . I h u t t u n i i l i i u l j . l t ( l i i | > | » n . l . i l . - . i n n i - l i i i r . I T o i l . 17 18 FINE FURNITURE MODERN CRUSADE Converges on Southwest carrying banner of higher service to merchandising allies F. H. Mueller, president oi the NAFM and of the G. R. Furniture Makers Guild, rates FINE FURNITURE cover position because his was the long-cherished hope and carefully laid plan for this, an unexampled pil-grimage of manufacturers to retailers. Right, a group of Grand Rapids junketeers ready to embark on their October Odyssey. T TNIQUE in the annals of the furniture industry, LJ and perhaps unprecedented in any industry what-ever, is an October junket of a Grand Rapids group of historic-quality manufacturers who uninterruptedh*, for more than a generation, have maintained their policy and product dedicated to the fine in furniture. Visiting retail members of the Grand Rapids Furni-ture Makers Guild in the Southwest, the expedition has intrigued national attention, commendation. Newsworthy because it reverses the usual procedure of dealer visiting exhibitor, this crusade in the cause of better homefurmshmgs may be the first of similar good-will contacts unquestionably tending to improve, in a dignified yet highly distinctive manner, the rela-tionship between manufacturer, retailer and consumer. Leading the delegation of Grand Rapids notables was F. H. Mueller, president of the National Associa-tion of Furniture Manufacturers whose pet idea this has been for many years, coming now to culminat:on. Says Mueller, "The primary objective of this trip is to exchange viewpoints with merchants and with civic leaders, that every constructive factor in our industry may be moved forward to the benefit of all, particularly the ultimate consumer." No cheap circus stunt is this bit of distinguished and clever showmanship. In the chartered Pullman car "Boston," the delegation rode, ate, slept during the ten-day, eleven-city itinerary. Aided by local asso-ciations of commerce, luncheon clubs, other civic organizations, local Guild merchants set aside arrival dates as Grand Rapids Days. Inspire Customers • To store customers, certain of the pilgrimage spoke each day or night on subjects pertinent to the desirability of finer homefurnishings. Most of these talks were radiobroadcast. Mueller told why the Guild, a non-profit organiza-tion, is essential to the welfare of the industry; out- Earl M. Johnson, Guild sec-retary- treasurer, holds the same office for Johnson Furniture Co. and Johnson- Handley-Johnson. Both con-cerns are iounder-members of the Guild (above). F. Stuart Foote, Guild vice-president, is secretary-treasurer of the Imperial Furniture Co. Foote has served the Grand Rapids Exposition Association in many capacities, over a long period of years (below). Joseph G. Griswold, pres-ident, Widdicomb Furniture Co., also of Furniture Man-ufacturers Assn. of Grand Rapids. With a host oi friends in the trade, his support oi the Guild lends it great strength (above). J. Fred Lyon, president of the John Widdicomb Co., produces one of the top lines in the Guild group of manufacturers. He knows furniture thoroughly and how it should be designed, styled and constructed (below). f o r OCTOBER, 1936 19 lined its plans, procedure, services and safeguards. Forces that conspired to evolve Grand Rapids as the furniture capital of America were traced by F. Stuart Foote, secretary-treasurer of the Imperial Fur-niture Company and Guild vice-president. He likened Grand Rapids' position in the furniture industry to Detroit's dominance in automobiles, Belfast's fame for fine linens, Amsterdam's renown as a diamond center. E. G. Weir, business manager of the Guild, and at various points other directors, gave irrefutable evidence that the home is the bedrock of every national security; that this firm foundation should be proven, perpetuated and safeguarded. A. P. Johnson portrayed the relation-ship of fine furniture to a fuller and more gracious life. Salesmen Encouraged • At each point of call Guild directors conducted two store meetings, one of an executive nature, the other to include sales organiza-tions. Professed objective of the latter was once Napoleon's—"I shall persuade each private soldier to understand that he carries in his knapsack a major's baton." The Grand Rapids good-will cortege included, be-sides Mueller, Foote, Johnson and Weir, these Guild men: Homer H. Tibbs, sales manager, Imperial Furni-ture Co.; Earl M. Johnson, secretary-treasurer of the Guild and of the Johnson Furniture Co.; C. S. Dexter, Guildirector and general manager of the Grand Rapids Chair Co.; Ralph D. Morse, Guildirector and president, Ralph Morse Furniture Co.; J. G. Griswold, Guildirector and president, Widdicomb Furniture Co.; J. M. Brower, Guildirector and president, Brower Furniture Co.; L. F. Calahan, editor of the Stylist magazine. Official hosts of the crusaders in various cities were the George Innes Co., Wichita, Kan., Oct. 1; Harbour- Longmire Co., Oklahoma City, Okla., Oct. 2; Fakes & Co., Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas, and the Goodman- Kantz Furniture Co., also of Dallas, Oct. 3 and 5; G. A. Stowers Furniture Co., San Antonio and Houston, Texas, and the N. Waddell Furniture Co., also of Houston, Oct. 6 and 7; Booth Furniture and Carpet Co., Shreveport, La., Oct. 8. L. F. Calahan, editor of The Stylist, official consumer publication of the Guild. Larry is in a large measure responsible for building the prestige of the Guild by means of printed word and picture widely circulated in better American homes (below). . » • * - E. G. Weir, Guild business manager, whose persever-ance and unflagging faith have built the Guild into a powerful influence for the constructive and ethical progress of the entire furni-ture industry (above). Representative of the daily programs was that of Harbour-Longmire's in Oklahoma City. From 7:30 to 10 p. m., Oct. 2 the store held "open house" for its Grand Rapids guests, feature of which was a "style revue." Preceding the revue, a number of the visiting executives addressed the gathering. The revue itself was an impressive, representative display of new fur-niture creations exhibited for the first time at the July furniture exposition in Grand Rapids. Enthusiastically receptive were Guild merchants. Typical of favorable reactions is that of W. M. Long-mire, Harbour-Longmire, who said in a letter, "For nearly two generations, I have personally made no less than two pilgrimages each year to Grand Rapids — some years three and four •— to attend their seasonal furniture markets. Now for the first time as a group these world-renowned creators and producers of fine furniture are coming to Oklahoma City." Ralph Morse, president, Ralph Morse Furniture Co., is executive, producer and star salesman for a fine upholstered line and a great Guild enthusiast (below). E. Berkey Jones, president of the Wm. A. Berkey Fur-niture Co., himself designs this line of Traditional re-productions and follows through with supervision of construction. Yachting is Jones' favorite relaxation (above). C. S. Dexter, Guildiroctor, chairman of its finance com-mittee. He is secretary-treasurer of the Grand Rap-ids Chair Co. Dextor has served in many pxocutive capacities both in the Grand Rapids and the National associations (below). J?'- John Mershon Brower, active head of the Brower Furni-ture Co., manufacturers of quality upholstered pieces. He is a Guild backer and enthusiast, besides being unusually active in civic affairs in his home city (above). FINE FURNITURE amous furniture firms IT'S a far cry from manufactur-ing barrel staves and barrel head-ings to the creation and production of exquisite bedroom and dining room furniture. But such a diver-sity of products has been experi-enced during the lifetime of the Charlotte Furniture Co., one of the pioneer plants of central Michigan. Incorporated in 1873 under the name of the Charlotte Manufactur-ing Co., this small factory — really it was merely a woodworking shop •—• early got into the manufacture of furniture as a natural development. Soon they were making dining and library tables. Until 1912, the factory had its own sawmill, and a source of sup-ply for lumber was no problem, Charlotte being in the center of Michigan's then great forest tracts. In 1912, the plant was moved to its present location — an efficient unit which has been improved as modern manufacturing needs de-manded. Reincorporated in 1919 under the name of the Charlotte Furrrture Co., the firm began making antique reproductions and adaptations for bedroom and dining room. In 1933, type of production was Here's the factory crew of the .11 C- :• lotte Manufacturing Co. sta i"i . : .i front of the original plant. In those days (about 30 years ago) the firm spe-cialized in library and dining tables. changed to conform to the times, and more commercial suites were introduced into the Charlotte line. Most of these were of solid Mich-igan hardwoods — maple, cherry and walnut. During the war, Charlotte Manu-facturing Co. won its service stripes by making sides and tail gates for L ncle Sam's escort wagons, many of which saw active service in France. Pitt M. Higby was one of the The present plant of the Charlotte Fur-niture Co., Charlotte, Michigan, is shown below. In this factory is produced an outstanding line of solid wood bedroom furniture in maple, walnut and cherry. PITT M. HIGBY founders of the Charlotte Manufac-turing Company. He was its first secretary and manager. His son, H. A. Higby, joined the firm in 1896 and is still at the head of the business along with his own son, Frank P. Higby, who entered the company in 1912—three generations of the same family, two of whom are still very much in the saddle. • * j. i ' z £ ** L G • v f o r OCTOBER. 1936 21 c//rect-er DIRECT MAIL HPHE mail had just come. I figured wearily that X other homemakers had a sorting system similar to mine. You see, much of that direct mail was destined to fall by the wastebasket-side. I usually keep out everything printed on good enameled paper stock, having good photographs. The cheap, sulphide papers, the poor pictures, get tossed away. Brutal? But obviously, the dealers who send forth their messages carelessly, who don't care enough about the merchan-dise they carry to portray it meticulously, are insincere. And that's being brutal with housewives. Recently, I broke a rule and glanced through a cir-cular gotten out on grayish, rough paper, mimeo- The Customer's Viewpoint by RUTH McINERNEY graphed lop-sidedly, and with illustrations that didn't register in places. To my amazement I found it came from a dignified, distinctive furniture store in the shop-ping district. A job-lot printer whose intentions were good but equipment bad must have been behind the production. The piece gave every indication that the customer's view—through green eyes EVER since FINE FURNITURE started six months ago, wide-spread comment has been aroused by the series of "Customer View-point" articles which have ap-peared regularly. So much in-terest have they stimulated, in fact, that the editors themselves became curious as to what this Ruth Mclnerney person was like — her background, history and personal attributes. Never having seen the lady, we asked her by letter to sit down at her typewriter and tell us all about herself, with a por-trait for good measure. She de-murred at sending the portrait— we really can't see why — but readily broke down and told us the highlights of her personal history. Seems Miss Mclnerney was born at an early age in Chicago where she ultimately went to school after acquiring a large mop of red (now auburn) hair to shade her green eyes. She be-gan writing professionally almost as soon as she grew out of pig-tails, contributing a series of "Embarrassing Moments," "Bright Sayings" and "Favorite Recipes" to Chicago newspapers at a buck a throw. "Heaven forgive me," observes Miss Mclnerney, "for the happy homes I must have broken up with the recipes. But they helped to give me pin money and I con-tinued to earn small amounts via the typewriter from then on, putting myself through St. Thomas Apostle high school, Chicago Normal College and some courses at the University of Chicago. "When I got out of college, I started out to be a school teacher, but had no serious intention of continuing as such if I could help ix." Miss Mclnerney's first impor-tant contribution to literature was a book written after grad-uating from college. It was called, "I'll Take That," being a treatise on how to judge mer-chandise— mostly home furnish-ings. Although the work was never published in its entirety it is even now being used in leaflet form among several women's clubs. Part of the book was pub-lished as articles in The Amer-ican Home and other publications. She did some customer re-search for the McCall Company, getting women's viewpoints on all sorts of home-making problems, wrote these up. The findings were used as the basis for sev-eral of McCall's policies there-after. Later, Miss Mclnerney became New York correspondent for a number of home-furnishings mag-azines, and has been engaged by various furniture and home-furnishing firms, as well as by national magazines, to conduct customer-viewpoint research. Re-sultant survey articles have ap-peared in Fortune, Advertising RUTH McINERNEY and Selling, Nation's Business and other prominent periodicals. The young woman is 5 feet Sl/2 inches high, weighs 112 pounds and revels in Chow Mein, hiking, P. G. Wodehouse, Beet-hoven and travel. When she re-tires— if ever—she wants to roam the world and write the books "that editors seldom print be-cause they 'aren't what the pub-lic wants.' " "And my immediate objective," concludes Miss Mclnerney, "is to prove to business in general that an educated consumer is the most profitable one; to convince retailers that merchandise pre-sented dramatically, from the customer's viewpoint, sells best." 22 FINE FURNITURE retailer, recognizing his own inexperience in direct mail, had placed the job in the hands of even a lesser expert than himself. And the chances were an authority could have produced a circular of beauty and appeal for about the same expenditure. Infrequent and Inferior • My feeling about direct mail coming from some furniture stores is that it is few and far between, usually talks price predominantly, covers a lot of territory ranging through many of the periods, and leaves an atmosphere of confusion. Eye-brows go up, interest goes down. "But which should I buy—and why?" Meanwhile, the store's direct mail identity and its real identity play a sort of Jekyl and Hyde with one another. The customer's in the middle, trying to decide whether the ABC Store is a reputable-appearing inferior store, or an inferior-looking repu-table store. A good photograph is worth a thousand words and a handful of customers. Selling by remote control re-quires the finest reproductions of excellent photographs. But the finest illustrations are beyond the reach of individual dealers, even we homemakers realize that. There again, pooled resources and the services of expert publishers not only keep production costs down but make the best photographs available. Good cuts enable us to visualize the merchandise more exactly in our own homes. Here is a splendid picture of a coffee table . . . "Hmm. Say, that might look well near the sofa. Why, of course it does. That little ledge design works in perfectly with the general scheme. Looks as though it were purposely built to go with the sofa." The chances are that meandering haphazardly through the department, the housewife would miss entirely the little but important detail of the table's ledge design. A booklet filled with good photographs, sent to her in her own home, enables her to go about the rooms, musingly fitting pieces into her own rooms. Take Mind Off Price • Good photographs with good copy take our minds off price. Price as a sales stimu-lator is merely a shot in the arm to retailing. Price appeal to merchants is what the spoils system is to politics. Local housewives look to the neighborhood furni-ture store as an authority on authentic furnishings information. In newspapers, no retailer can afford or take the time to do full justice to descriptions of his merchandise—the story of the period, how to recognize and appreciate it, its relation to other periods, why some goods are better quality than others and what to expect in results from either, how to get new interior decoration ideas and work them out, how to apply new color schemes to the individual home. So far, the regular home magazines have not taken very seriously the subject of educating the housewife on furniture. Possibly, reader interest demands too broad an appeal. It's up to the furniture stores and departments to educate the public on furniture and furniture news. You tell us about good furniture. Tell us regularly, often. We'll appreciate accurate, authentic, timely in-formation brought directly home to us in the morning's mail, all grouped together in an ensemble of helpful homemaking. News of the moment for every room m the house, told clearly, illustrated with crystal precision. Each year groups of young housewives, soon after the lilies-of-the-valley have been put away between the pages of the family Bible, decide to "learn all" about furniture. The better to have a lovelier home, my dear! Devoutly, they inquire: "How shall I tell Chippendale when I see it?" "Look at the legs," says one expert. "Always exam-ine the pediments," admonishes a second. "Study the chair tops," advises a third. The housewives look at each, then at all three. And by the time they have listened to assorted pieces of advice, read numerous confusing articles on the sub-ject, they finally settle down to a hard, middle-aged housewife attitude. "Furniture seems to be more question mark than period. And what's the difference, anyway!" It's up to clear-thinking, businesslike furniture men to simplify furniture facts for us. Direct-er direct mail will do it. The breakfast room takes a bow! Combining kitchen utility with dining room eye-appeal, this kitchen has been trans-formed to comply with the Modern mode. Oyster-white oak suite has china cabinet, with portable utilities/ table, four chairs and small server. Table can be extended to accommodate eight. Stoves, refrigerators, cabinets, sinks and floor covering harmonize to make a new, typically American breakfast room. Suite is manufactured by G. I. Sellers & Sons, Elwood, Ind. Exhibited in the American Furniture Mart. f o r OCTOBER, 1936 23 FLOOR COVERINGS & FABRIC DISPLAYS • INTERIORS & WINDOWS • selectev as outstanding/. . . by FINE FURNITURE'S Editorial Staff •11! lllE 24 FINE FURNITURE LOE s t R's, BROOK LY H W.R.MOORE, MEMPHIS >Hri^it-R-J.C):vGAMR£ {or OCTOBER. 1336 25 LOESETJ'S. HOTZLER BROS., BALTIMORE Co. CLEVELAND W.&J. SLOANE WICHITA WHOLESALE. FURNITURE CO. 26 FINE FURNITURE NTERI f ViP^. .:•-! '••- ? • r' •• : NEW YORK-TOT. it l o r OCTOBER. 1936 27 1 ••• . • • ' . ' I . - \ : . . A - . • ;•• FINE FURNITURE FAMILIAR DESIGNS, INTERPRETED By F A M O U S DESIGNERS French Chippendale WE believe, and not without some sense of satis-faction and confidence, that this month's Sketch Book introduces an innovation in departments of this character. Here's why: We suggest to "Charlie" Witman that he sketch an upholstered group as a possible contribution to the Sketch Book. He develops several from which we select a chair and a davenport. "Charlie," infected with that dubious emolument of having one's name appear in print, shows the drawings to Herman Schoonbeck. Astute Herman, conscious of the follow-ing of FINE FURNITURE (see page 37, September issue) decides, pronto, to scoop the upholstered world. "Detail that group at once, Charlie. I'll make it for the November market." "Herm's decision thus establishes this month's Sketch Book as an innovation, as the illustrations on the opposite page will appear "in person" in the Schoonbeck showroom in November. In developing the group Witman was motivated by a detail taken from Herbert Cescinsky's "Book on English Furniture" of a finely carved French Chip-pendale piece. The sketch in the upper left hand corner portrays the motive. This type of cabriole leg is one of the more common ascribed to Chippendale, principally because he employed it extensively in his more expensive chairs. Mistakenly, however, he has often been given credit for its introduction into Eng-lish furniture. A comparison of the original and Witman's commer-cial pieces will effectively demonstrate how period sources are drawn upon and adapted through modi-fication of ornament and line. In this instance, for the purpose of remaining within commercial boundaries, the ornamentation carved in a solid mahogany frame, retains the French Chippendale feeling at a substan-tial reduction in cost. The acceptable silhouette of the pieces will be covered with high grade French tapestry or brocatelle. Contingent upon the cover selection, the fireside wing chair will retail from $70 to $100 and the davenport range will approximate $135 to $230. inspired by ancestral artisans CHARLES T. WITMAN . . , wants time to pause and enjoy a beautiful sunset. WITH a heritage such as Charles T. "Charlie" Witman boasts, it is extremely doubtful that he could become associated with any business other than that of making furniture. It all came about in this manner: On Witman's mother's side — which goes back to the Netherlands —his grandfather and uncles were furniture decorators. As though that were not enough, "Charlie's" father and his brothers were Dutch cabinetmakers. The fact that his father deserted the ancestral profession to operate a hardware store, might have been somewhat embarrassing, but young Wit-man rectified this by taking over the store at the time of his father's death, selling it a couple years later, and returning to the business of making furniture. Which brings us ahead of our story. Painting in oil at the age of 12, "Charlie" was well on the road to-ward carrying on his progenital profession. In high school at IS he began studying furniture design under the able tutelage of Charles T. Graham and three years later became his teacher's assistant at the Retting Furniture Co. at the munificent sum of $3 a week. The urge for more academic training found Witman two years later at the Chicago Art Institute where he remained for three years, gradu-ating in 1909 from the Decorative Design course. And now the story can be picked up at the hardware store, which, you recall, Witman sold. "Charlie" then became chief de-signer at the Wilmarth Showcase Co., where he remained for 12 years, specializing in store architec-ture. But the ancestral ghosts were haunting Witman so he returned to the homefurnishing designing field, ultimately associating with William L. Kimerly in the Kimerly-Witman Studio. For several years this com-bine serviced many of the large fur-niture concerns scattered over the United States. A few years ago Witman opened a free lance design-ing service of his own operating out of Grand Rapids. "Charlie" is an ex-president of the Grand Rapids Furniture De-signers Association, has been a member of the Y. M. C. A. for 34 consecutive years, is a deacon in his church, a Mason and plays a questionable game of golf. Profes-sionally, he desires to make better furniture and by so doing make sufficient money to put three sons through college. Hunting and fish-ing afford relaxation, keeping a scrapbook is his hobby and he asserts that he will do his share of the world's work, providing he is permitted sufficient time to pause and enjoy a beautiful sunset. f o r OCTOBER. 1936 29 ..,-.. ^ ^ •3. Unas':. 3-:. 30 FINE FURNITURE RETAILING TIPS . Honeymoon Cottage for Christmas Furniture Sales — Floor Coverings for Yule Gifts Promoted Early—Strategic Spotting of Items Stops 'Em—Curing the Habitual Shopper —N. Y. Stores in Rug Preview—Refrigerator Tempera-tures Lowered, Dehydration Decreased. Christmas Weddings HAVE you ever thought of the number of young people who choose Christmas as their wedding-day? Peffer Furniture Co., Stock-ton, Cal., gives wide publicity to its Honeymoon Cottage during the season when practically every store is feverishly advertising Christmas gifts, doubles its furniture sales by turning aside from advertising inex-pensive individual gifts to stressing complete suites running into three figures. Instead of running an ad in the conventional form, the store had the form made up as the front page of a newspaper. Cuts were used — several executives, one a fine piece of furniture, a shop scene showing the making of a divan. Various items from furniture stock were mentioned, but always in the form of news stories. It carried the story of the wedding of a young couple, and mentioned that the new home was fitted up with Honeymoon Cot-tage furniture. Close tab is kept on all the en-gagements and coming weddings. An invitation is sent to the young couple to inspect Honeymoon Cot-tage of four rooms. Changes in fur-nishings are made frequently, and the entire suite is kept strictly up to date. A special play for the Christmas bride is made during November and December. Knowing that most young couples are not particularly well blessed with this world's goods, the whole ensemble is offered for $40 down, $3.50 weekly. In order to make the display more effective and give it the true Christmas spirit, a great Christmas tree, lighted and gaily decorated with tinsel and ornaments is set up in the living room of Honeymoon Cottage. Pre-Holiday Rug Promotion •ptJLLOCKS, Los Angeles, start JL) their Christmas campaign on floor coverings early in October, feature rugs in windows and news-papers. Realizing that many people need new floor coverings for the holiday festivities and that it is almost impossible to secure a win-dow to feature them in December, the October floor-covering theme suggests "Select Your Rugs for the Holidays Now." Many customers select their rugs and have them laid away until just before Christmas. .'.: Cochrcme Chair Co., No. 2806. In lots oi eight priced to retail at $25 each. This plan naturally increases holi-day sales volume. The manner in which rugs are displayed is responsible for many orders. An alcove has for a wall hanging a large rug of Chinese blue and gold, against which is placed a big Christmas tree, lighted and decorated with ornaments and American tinsel. At the base of the tree, wrapped in white crepe paper, tied with broad red ribbons, to which are attached Christmas cards, are a number of rolled scatter rugs. A card beside them suggests: A PRACTICAL, MUCH APPRECIATED GIFT FOR THE HOME Pool the family budget Give an Oriental Scatter Rug On the floor, in racks, and draped over divans are Chinese and Per- An interesting corner display in Barker Bros., Los Angeles. Poster calls attention to the decorative Ca-Vel Heathertone with which the pieces are upholstered, while the inviting lounges suggest an actual test oi the fabric. Accessories care-fully carry out the informal tone of the entire setting. f o r OCTOBER. 1936 31 sian rugs, 2x3 feet, at $15.00, $17.50 and $22.50. Persian brass and copper utensils, Chinese porce-lain, ivory objets d'art add to the artistry of the rug display. Corner Stoppers T7RACMENTS of sales talks driv- J7 ing home important points about merchandise, focusing immediate attention on neatly printed cards, "spot" furniture items in strategic corners of the Del Teet Furniture Co., Denver. After trying out this stunt, versatile C. W. Delaney, Jr., store president, says it upped sales ten per cent. Borrowed from the billboard ad-vertising technique of spotting the most effective signs on the curves of highways, the plan calls for these small "billboards" on the store corners, where traffic — walking — naturally slows down. The placards thus point out salient features: "This table is carved from solid walnut." Another points to unusual construction at the base. Another, over a display of a modern piece, points out, "Modern is smart, modernistic is smarty." "An item is always displayed in the spot where it will secure maxi-mum attention," Delaney avers. "However, casual attraction doesn't suggest a sale. The placards create No. 1140 type table desk. Northwestern Cabinet Co., retail price $45.90. further interest, and further exam-ination, giving the salesman the necessarv clue." Curing the "Shopper" CHOPPING customers, who ask kJ to see each pattern in stock and then remain "undecided," are the bane of all rug salesmen's existence. At the Calkins White Bros, fur-niture store, Pueblo, Colo., such customers were becoming a serious problem. They'd look, promise to Federal group by G. R. Chair Co., dis-played in show win-dow at Luberger's, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The group, composed of 25 pieces, permits diversified selection for room ensembles. come back, but never be seen again in the rug department. Finally, Manager Hoglan decided to do some investigating. Whenever a customer came into the store and looked at linoleum he took her name and address and if she didn't return in a couple of days he made it a point to make a personal call at her home. In 90% of the cases where she had bought linoleum he found it was the same as what he was offering but found she had purchased it anywhere from 10c to 30c per yard less than his price which, incidentally, was a price agreed upon by three merchants of the town who had purchased the identical linoleum on a "deal." So Hoglan cut the price of the linoleum which he had bought on the deal almost to cost, and in its place featured another brand of linoleum just a little better, which retailed at about the same price. When a customer came to look at linoleum he always showed them the linoleum which he had bought on the deal and then compared it with the substituted brand. The re-sults were amazing. Related Hoglan: "Out of the six rolls that I pur-chased on the original deal I still have some on the floor, while of the other brand I sold about 135 rolls and over 35 rolls of higher priced linoleum, which is about four times the amount of linoleum we would sell ordinarily. Aside from the large volume of linoleum sold at a profit-able figure, it also gave us many leads into other sales which we probably would never have gotten had all of the merchants in the orig-inal deal maintained their price." N. Y. Stores Preview Rugs STORE previews of new Fall wool pile rugs and carpets, in collaboration with the Institute of Carpet Manufacturers of America, have attracted favorable attention from the buying public in metropol-itan New York recently. Ensembles featured, in addition to the latest fashions in American-loomed, wool pile floor coverings, new offerings in furniture, draperies and accessories. Several large stores planned their previews by working directly with home furnishings editors of leading publications in a cooperative effort. Women are showing an active in-terest in new styles and a decided readiness to buy better merchandise. New Low-Temp Line ALINE of electric refrigerators providing lower temperatures with less dehydration recently has been announced by the Norge divi-sion of Borg-Warner. Production was started on this Low-Temp Rollator line as a result of consumer research three years, which indi-cated health protection and appetite appeal to be the ranking considera-tions when purchases of electric re-frigeration were being considered. In conducting tests prior to pro-duction of new models, Norge engi-neers established three comparative zones: 1. The zone of prime fresh-ness within which mineral elements, vitamin content and replenishment value of each perishable remained unimpaired. 2. The zone of edibil-ity within which, though not of prime freshness, each food remains in edible condition. 3. The zone of spoilage. The new line of Low-Temp Rollator refrigerators is said to maintain temperatures below 40° with less dehydration than in an ice box; to require no more kilo-watt consumption than conventional Norge refrigerators; to keep food in Zone One temperatures nearly twice as long as any other electric refrig-erator and almost three times as long as in ice refrigerators. 32 FINE FURNITURE MARKET CENTERS of the WEST men who are making them nationally important MODERN marketing of ture is undergoing ; significant change, as eviden the building of the impressive new Western Furniture Ex-change and Mer-chandise Mart in San Francisco. Responsible to a g r e a t degree for the steady growth of this exposition center is its president, Harry T. Moore, whose efforts in this direction, begun in 1915, a r e now cul-minating in a splendid new structure costing £2,500,000. It will be finished in the summer of 1937. The largest mercantile building erected in San Francisco since 1900, it is being widely publicized throughout the West as one of the greatest forward steps in home-furnishing industry of the Pacific Coast, and is expected to emphasize the city's strategic position as a market and distribution center. 15 at First Market • Fifteen out-of- town dealers attended the first market at the old San Francisco Furniture Exchange 21 years ago, but it was the definite inauguration of Moore's sound plan that has de-veloped steadily—the idea of a fur-niture exchange where buyers could come and make their selections under one roof without the expense or inconvenience of going from fac-tory to factory. Subsequent markets found the attendance steadily increasing so that the first location—five upper floors at 1055 Market St.—was out-grown in six years and the present Furniture Exchange at 180 New Montgomery Street was dedicated in 1921. Now—15 years later—an Architf ct s conception oi the imposing new edifice that, beginning Summer of 19J7, will houso the i-xhibits of the Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart in San Francisco. Left, Harry I-Moore, president, whose untiring efforts over a period of 21 years are now being rewarded. imposing new building at the corner of Market and 10th Streets will mark the next step in Moore's plan. The scope of the San Francisco markets has increased until the present Exchange houses exhibits of furniture, floor-coverings, draperies, curtains, lamps, giftwares, house-wares, radios and appliances—firms representative of all sections of the country. These permanent exhibits are a constant attraction to buyers from the entire West and more than 35,000 merchants visit the Furni-ture Exchange annually, exclusive of market week periods. In 1931 the personnel of the Fur-niture Exchange was strengthened when Frank J. Runyan, formerly managing director of the Retail Furniture Association of California, became vice-president of the build-ing. Nine Floors • The new home of the Western Furniture Exchange will be a nine-story building with basement and tower. Floor space will approximate half a million square feet, and will increase the floor space of the present structure • Ti, Frank I. Runyan. formerly head of the Retail Furniture Association oi Cali-fornia, who since 1931 has been Moore's associate and vice-president. by 150%. The interior of the build-ing is to be modern, with exterior finished in ornamental terra cotta and the entrance lobby in marble. Lighting, heating and ventilating will be of the most advanced types. Four high-speed elevators of newest design, as well as two freight elevators of extra large capacity, will expedite service throughout the building. Los Angeles OWNED, operated and con-trolled by 300 members of the Los Angeles Furniture Manu-facturers Association, the Los An-geles Furniture Mart became an actuality only a year and a half ago when 1700 buyers attended the first f o r OCTOBER, 1938 33 . • I exhibits in the attractive building at 2155 East 7th St., in January, 1935. Attendance at the July, 1936, market more than doubled that figure. The Los Angeles Mart is a co-operative organization—a veritable chamber of commerce—with many closely knit departments contrib-uting to smooth operation, and pro-tecting the growth of Southern California's furniture industry. Beginning 30 years ago with a membership of only a handful of furniture manufacturers, the Asso-ciation has been the "interference" which has cleared the way for the industry in that section, allowing it to rise to a near-front position in the national furniture picture. An administrative board consist-ing of nine members, elected by general membership of manufac-turers, sets the operating policies. Responsibility for physical opera-tion of both building and associa-tion is vested in the Mart's man-aging director, A. V. MacDonald, who is assisted by Herbert C. Iske, former furniture manufacturer, and John H. Graves, former retail man. How Income is Spent • Forty-five per cent of all rental fees is applied to paying for the Mart—their own building; 20% goes for the opera-tion of the Association; 35% is utilized for yearly performance of work for both building and asso-ciation. Manufacturers' rental fees are expected to decrease gradually during the next few years, reaching a minimum of 50% of the present rate as the building is paid for. The following departments are maintained in the Mart by the Association: TRAFFIC — Handles year-'round freight rate legislation; works to- The Los Angeles Furniture Mart, operated and owned by local manufacturers and out-of-town exhibitors. A. V. McDonald (above) is the managing director and is assisted by Herbert C. Iske, former manufacturer, and John H. Graves, who was once a retailer. The beautiful lobby of the Mart is shown in the lower photo. ward removing competitive advan-tages against local manufacturers; handles all rates and freight claims; audits transportation bills; assumes complete jurisdiction over distribu-tion problems of all exhibitors. POOL CAR — Attends to actual shipping. Merchandise is assembled in the Mart's loading sheds and combined shipments of all exhib-itors are pooled into carloads, enabling dealers to take advan-tage of lower landed rates. Collects C. 0. D.'s, marine insurance, and attends to all preparations and packing of factory shipments. CREDIT BOARD OF CONTROL •— Lends assistance and counsel to re-tail dealers; attempts by friendly advice and assistance to dealers to help keep all retail outlets function-ing. Publishes list of delinquent accounts for manufacturers who dis-cuss them at periodic meetings and analyze accounts. LABOR RELATIONS — Established as means of encouraging closer, more friendly relations between employer and employe. Works to preserve normal working conditions for the industry. LEGISLATIVE •— Scrutinizes munic-ipal, state and federal legislation, watching for measures unfair to in-dustry. LEGAL — Enables Association to advise manufacturers with regard to taxes, licenses, etc. A resident auditor is maintained to furnish departmental reports of all accounts of Association. His work is supplemented by the Mart C. P. A. work, preparing frequent financial statements for members. The Mart also operates its own restaurant, parking lots and has all the regular departments necessary to a market. 34 FINE FURNITURE CHET SHAFER 'LAZIEST HUMORIST IN THE WORLD" ON A SHINGUN' BEE Woodcutter, ROD MACKENZIE CHET SHAFER . . . "Right up an' peckin' Three Rivers, Mich., September IS —(Special to FINE FURNITURE). I got started down toward Roody Culver's Undertaking Parlors & Furniture Repository along about noon today. But I ran into Norm Armstrong, the painter, paper-hanger and decorator who gave Squire Bill Kennedy some pretty stiff competition last summer, espe-cially after the Squire bought that steel boat and refinished it from cornish t' cornish. Norm is the painter who painted Uncle Pressly Caldwell's house that Doc Mapes bought and now has rented while I was painting the House of the Golden Rathole, and I'll venture—(this was a year ago last summer) — I'll venture that when I get my painting done next summer and compare the two jobs I'll have nothing to be ashamed of. I didn't know if Norm had any-thing of any particular interest to say to the readers of FINE FURNI-TURE but I figured it was my busi-ness to find out before I went on down to Roody's. Now I'm glad I did, because Norm told me all about his Uncle Tommy Lobdell. Shinglin' Bee • Norm's Uncle Tommy Lobdell — (that was his mother's brother) — lived up in Sleepy Eye, Minn., and one time he had a shingling bee to get his barn shingled—(it was a bank barn)— that was more than 100 feet long, which is a long barn, even for Min-nesota. Forty-rod Lemonade • While all his neighbors were on the roof shingling, Uncle Tommy dragged out a big crock of lemonade and began stirring it in the hot sun. Did this make the neighbors mad? They piled down off the barn to remonstrate. But Uncle Tommy was only fooling. He immediately went out into a hay field and got a two-gallon jug of Forty-rod out from under a haycock. Then the shingles did fly. Army said this wasn't any reflec-tion on his Uncle Tommy because his Uncle Tommy was very relig-ious. He wouldn't think of working on Sunday. But sometimes he'd get so busy he'd forget what day it was and work right through Sunday and he wouldn't wake up to what he had done until along about Tuesday or Wednesday. So then he'd lay off two or three days to make up for it. Thimble Tunking • Army said his Uncle Tommy was little, like his mother, and he said he'd never for-get how he would crawl under her sewing-machine when she was sew-ing and slip off the belt. She wore a big heavy German silver thimble and his mother would reach down and tunk him on the head with it— and he has never forgotten those tunks. Army said it would pay anybody well to sit down some time and read the history of the Minne-sota Valley. "My Uncle Tommy's an' my Dad's name are in there plenty," he said, "but there's nothin' in it about that Shinglin' Bee." I told Army I thought maybe it would be a good idea for me to have a Painting Bee up at the House of the Golden Rathole—and maybe then I'd get it done before next summer. But the trouble with me would be that I haven't got any haycocks. From Cement to College • After I left Army I started down street again and got as far as the corner across from the bank that is in the hands of the receiver, who won the golf championship last August down at the Country Club on Prairie River, that used to be called Hog Creek. But I got to thinking about what Army's Uncle Tommy Lobdell did when he hauled a wagonload of frenzied pioneers across an open prairie away from a band of Sioux Indians. And it seemed to me for a little while that I could render a similar valiant service to the depos-itors in the bank. Then Dutch Barks came along and said his son, Cy, was going to a business college to get a dypiomy so he wouldn't have to put in the hard licks laying cement sidewalk like he did, and I asked Dutch how things were down at the Old Blue Goose Hotel which he runs with the help of his wife when he isn't laying sidewalks. "Right up an' peckin'," said Dutch. "Uncle Tommy was only foolin'" Strivin' for a Haycock • And by that time I was pretty well confused about Uncle Tommy Lobdell and Roody and the Sioux Indians and the Receiver, so I thought I'd bet-ter get up and write this dispatch. And it seems to me now that the thing for everybody to strive for in this life—especially in the furniture industry—is a good handy haycock. yrs (sgd) CHET SHAFER. President of the Sage & Seers Association of America. i o r OCTOBER, 1936 35 CASH for Credit Sales is a community problem, not a competi-tive battle ground. That's axiomatic. But it remained for Seattle to work out a system whereby one central bureau takes from the shoulders of the indi-vidual retailer his three great credit worries, which are: 1. Passing on credit applications. 2. Collections. 3. Financing his credit sales. These are all handled by Seattle's Retail Service Bureau, set in operation June 1, 1935, by Wells J. Huntley, for years identified with the credit depart-ment of one of Seattle's largest furniture stores. Hunt-ley was astounded at the tremendous waste and inefficiency of the conventional system of granting credit and collecting. His research resulted in the organization of the Bureau which now has 1400 co-operating retailers on its roll of which 161 are furniture, hardware and radio stores. The Plan • Here is the plan in brief: The Bureau enters into a contract with merchants in all retail trades whereby the merchant gives unquestioned credit to all holders on RSB purchase cards. The Bureau then "cashes" the retailer's credit sales invoices daily, at a discount that is probably less than the actual expense if the merchant carried the credits in the usual way. This ready cash permits the merchant to concen-trate on selling rather than on finance, enabling him to discount his bills and extend his credit business along legitimate lines as far as he likes. The plan is attractive to the customer because she receives only one monthly statement. It comes direct from the Bureau and is itemized according to tax, food, auto, apparel and miscellaneous. She writes only one check. In sending this check she can pay also any bills from stores not operating under the RSB plan. Writes the author: "The plan is attractive to the customer because she receives only one monthly statement. It comes direct from the Bureau and is itemized according to tax, food, auto, apparel and miscellaneous. She writes only one check." Some doubts arise in our mind, however. Would the prompt-pay customer not resent such a statement coming from a Service Bureau rather than from her merchant? Would she not, with some justice, conclude that the merchant regarded her as a poor credit risk? What do other retailers think of the plan? We'll be glad to have your opinions.—The Editor. 1400 Seattle retailers centralize their credit problems in a Retail Service Bureau. by MURRAY C. FRENCH Retail Analyst The Bureau sends her a receipt and forwards the money to the proper concern. 1 % on Delinquencies • All bills are due on the tenth of the month and if not paid that month carry a serv-ice charge of 1% a month. This applies to ordinary open account sales made on "purchase cards." The handling of instalment sales is explained by Harold L. Blancher, the Bureau's Director of Public Relations, thus: "On instalment sales the terms vary with the type of merchandise. For instance, clothing is sold on a maximum of four months' budget terms excepting on fur coats and larger units. The general average is six months' time, while in larger permanent units of repossession value such as furniture, radios, electrical appliances, etc., we extend the terms to 12 36 FINE FURNITURE months. A small carrying charge is a feature of the budget plan. ''We have not gone beyond 12 months' time for two reasons. First, we have felt that we wanted to keep our resources liquid so that we might properly serve the 30-day business and second, we felt that long-term financing is more of a straight finance business and the field there is quite generally covered at present." The Bureau does not change in any material way the essential re-lation between merchant and cus-tomer. With its specially trained staff it simply takes off the dealer's shoulders the task for which few retailers are well equipped—that of granting credit properly and collect-ing efficiently. The retailer does not have to run all his credits through the Bureau. But it stands to reason that if the Bureau is unwilling to take the risk on an individual, then the retailer may well beware. Stops Overloading • The point is that no individual retailer can tell when a customer is loading himself up with too many obligations to other merchants. All this is an open book to the Bureau. Before the cus-tomer gets himself in too deep the Bureau calls a halt, then helps him solve his problems. In the case of purchase cards the Bureau assumes full responsibility. This is likewise true in much of the budget business. In some types of budget business the merchant assumes 50% of the responsibility for losses, and in the long term con-tracts the responsibilityis entirelythe merchant's. On instalment sales the merchant arranges terms with the individual customer, then phones the Bureau for clearance. He gets the note and the deal is closed. The Bureau has a many-sided appeal to the retailer, according to Blancher. "One type of merchant uses it because of its credit control," he savs. "Another because of the accounting service and still another because it advances cash daily on his credit accounts, thus placing his finances on a sounder basis." This unique system has of course attracted widespread attention, re-sulting in many inquiries from chambers of commerce, credit men and merchants. At the same time there has been an insistent demand for expansion locally. "These inquiries have led us to develop a program whereby the sys-tem can be installed in other cities," says Huntley, who is president of the Retail Service Bureau. "This would be accomplished through the co-operation of local capital, but it would be under the supervision of our staff. The pro-cedure avoids costly experiments and mistakes which naturally accom-pany such a venture but which we have already encountered and over-come." The Bureau is located at 217 Pine Street, Seattle. FILM SHORT EXTOLS BETTER LIGHTING ANEW series of advertising films for use on movie theatre screens feature new styles in lamps and the message of "Better Light •— Better Sight." These are produced by a leading producer of commercial films at the request of more than 400 retail advertisers in the furni-ture trade. The new series is based upon the need for correct lighting in homes. Only late model lamps and lamp fixtures are used in the brief, news-reel film, each carrying an interest-ing visual sales message regarding correct lighting and lighting fixture style coupled with the spoken mes-sage delivered by the off-stage an-nouncer. In addition to contrasting the re-actions of children at play and studying under poor lighting condi- The scene changes to a well-decorated living room and an attractive young woman enters, turns on the lamp and sits on the divan to read. tions with those youngsters whose parents have provided correct home lighting facilities, the films present scenes, featuring lamps, of correctly furnished and decorated rooms in average homes. The films are ex-tremely brief to minimize screening charges and are shown during the daily programs at selected theatres. A typical film featuring furniture lamps throws "light" on the very interesting subject of lamps. Sev-eral lamps are seen in full-screen view after which the scene changes to a well-decorated living room, and an attractive young woman enters, turns on the stand lamp and sits upon the divan to read. The an-nouncer, during this action, says: "Lamps that combine beauty, com-fort and better sight are a vitally necessary part of every well-furnished home. We have lamps in a wide variety of styles and you are sure to find a design that harmo-nizes with the design note of your rooms, and, of course, like all our home furnishings they are priced to save you money." Then follows the " t r a i l e r " announcements, calling specific attention to the dealer. The films are to be given national distribution in many of the 6,000 theatres under screening agreement with the film company, through sponsorship in the regular screen advertising service of the furniture retailer accounts of the company. f o r OCTOBER. 1936 37 OUTSTANDING QUALITY VALUES • • • in MODERN KNEEHOLE DESKS • • • No. 97 No. 96 No. 101 No. 97 — Willow-finished Walnut, five-ply Walnut top, 38 x 21^/2 inches, retail price §24.70 No. 101 — All surfaces selected Walnut veneer. Three drawer pedestal, one center drawer, top 42 x 24 inches, retail price - - $47.50 No. 96 — Willow-finished Walnut, five-ply Walnut top, 40 x 22 inches, retail price $29.50 No. 95 Willow-finished Walnut, three drawer pedestals, full center drawer, five-ply Walnut top, 42 x 23 inches, retail price - $35.90 No. 66 — Five-ply Walnut top, ends, front and back. Curved corner, chrome and black hardware, top 43 x 22 inches, retail price - $59.50 No. «)."> No. (>6 BAY VIEW FURNITURE COMPANY HOLLAND MICHIGAN We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FINE FURNITURE 38 FINE FURNITURE GRAND RAPIDS' MOST POPULAR EXHIBITION BUILDING Here you will see the lines that represent the cream of the furniture industry. In the Waters-Klingman Building are housed FIFTY PER-CENT of all the exhibits in the Grand Rapids Market. EVERY BUYER who has attended the last two Grand Rapids markets has paid at least ONE VISIT to the Waters-Klingman spaces. Why ? Because only in the Waters-Klingman Building can he find a complete assortment of decorative home furnishing merchandise to meet his every requirement. " YOU'LL FIND IT IN— THE WATERS-KLINGMAN BUILDING' EXHIBITORS ALLEN CHAIR CO. ARCADIA FURNITURE CO. AMERICAN AUTO-FELT CORP. BARTON FURNITURE CO. J. BART UPHOLSTERY CO. BECHTOLD BROS. UPH. CO. BOBB FURNITURE CO. BROWER FURNITURE CO. BROWN BROTHERS CO. COCHRAN CHAIR CO. CONANT-BALL COMPANY DA VIES FURNITURE CO. DOEZEMA FURNITURE CO. DUTCH WOODCRAFT SHOPS EAGLE-OTTAWA LEATHER CO. ESTEY MFG. CO. FALCON MFG. CO. FICKS REED CO. FINE ARTS FURNITURE CO. GRAND LEDGE CHAIR CO. G. R. FANCY FURNITURE CO. G. R. BEDDING CO. GRAND RAPIDS LOUNGE CO. GUNN FURNITURE CO. HART MIRROR PLATE CO. HERMAN FURNITURE CO. HERRMANN LAMPS, INC. HOLLAND FURNITURE CO. JAMESTOWN LOUNGE CO. KOZAK STUDIOS KUCHINS FURN. MFG. CO. LENTZ TABLE COMPANY LOEBLEIN, INC. MANISTEE MFG. CO. MENTZER REED COMPANY MURRAY FURNITURE CO. F. A. NICHOLS CO. O'HEARN MFG. CO. PIAGET-DONNELLY CO. RAND-McNALLY & CO. RED LION FURNITURE CO. RED LION TABLE CO. ROCKFORD CHAIR & FURN. CO. SHAW MFG. CO. SKANDIA FURNITURE CO. CHARLES R. SLIGH COMPANY THANHARDT-BURGER CORP. WARSAW FURN. MFG. CO. WEST MICHIGAN FURN. CO. W. F. WHITNEY CO. STICKLEY BROS. CORP. WILLIAMS-KIMP FURN. CO. WOLVERINE UPHOLSTERY CO. WOODARD FURNITURE CO. ve appreciate mentioning you saw this in FIXE FURNITURE f o r OCTOBER, 1936 39 This 5-Way Plan TRADES UP RANGE SALES HALF the gas-range purchasers at the American Furniture Co., Denver, are traded up. They buy a more expensive range than they had planned. O. P. Jones, housewares buyer, says that from 75% to 85% of all range buyers can be and are sold a better item if the selling is prop-erly done. Three merchandising factors that have to be coordinated for successful selling of this type are (1) display, (2) personnel train-ing and department management, and (3) the individual salesman. Display is so planned that every demonstration is necessarily a com-parison between two ranges of dif-ferent price lines. The quality stoves (from $89 to $159) are placed in a row along the right side of the department wall. Highest price models are at the front. In the center of the display, ranges are mainly in blocks of four. Each of these contains different quality numbers with the two closest in price side by side. Thus, two items side by side are priced $59.50 and $79.50. Placed back to back may be two others, $79.50 and $89.50. As the salesman shows all of the features that are proven sales points on the $79.50 range, he keeps in mind both the higher and the lower priced unit. If the prospect's response is, "I like this range, but it is a little more than I wanted to pay," then the lower item is shown. Many of the features will, of course, be dupli-cated, but the thermostatic control and one or two other refinements will be missing. This is pointed out, and the value of the added points are stressed. The Trade-up • Since there is always the possibility that the cus-tomer's budget is actually limited, the lower price article is never treated with contempt, but, on the other hand, another common sales error is made taboo. "Many salesmen, wanting to com-plete a sale, are afraid of the trade-up," says Jones. "They will say to a customer, 'The lower price will give you practically the same thing, and there is no use paying for lux-uries.' The features of the better quality stove are carefully pointed out, and the fact established that 1. Never ask a sales question that permits the customer to give a negative answer. 2. Make the customer tell what she wants. Then build her up to a higher price. 3. Tell her ALL the points that prove the value of the better stove. 4. Close the deal by making the final question follow a series of ques-tions requiring a POSITIVE answer. 5. Stress obvious features of superiority . . . women can't comprehend hidden value. they are worth the extra money. If the final decision is that they are not worth the added cost, in rela-tion to the individual budget, that is the customer's business. It is important to give her every oppor-tunity to buy the added features— and three times out of four she will if they are properly presented." When, on the other hand, a cus-tomer hesitates, but does not object to the price, the salesman's job is to take her to the next step up. Pointing now to the added points in the higher quality item, he again explains the worth of the added features until, finally, she makes a statement about her preferred price. Trade-up Philosophy • Once the customer's own price desire is estab-lished, the trade-up goes on accord-ing to definite plan. The salesman knows what he is working for. According to Jones, the whole pro-gram of selling up the scale is based on knowledge that "the individ-ual's dollar is considered by him more valuable than any other per-son's dollar." Applied specifically, the woman who wants to pay $75 for a gas range expects the features of a $100 article. The salesman, with correct technique, can sell her the $100 item although she tells him at first that she doesn't want to pay more than $75. This forms the basis of the American's mer-chandising policy. The cheapest articles carried are at the extreme rear of the depart-ment. Then, the medium prices are grouped in the blocks of four, in such a way that each is but a step from the next highest division. Thus the comparative method is carried out in every showing. Jones finds this plan assists a salesman even if he is concentrating on the sale of only one—the highest price carried, for example. Points of superiority are driven home much harder, he says, when another item not quite so fine is on the floor and close by. Customer Resistance • With cus-tomer- resistance to sales conclusion the average reaction, the trade-up comparison plan has a possible out-let for the hesitating customer. "A woman will often say that she cannot make up her mind between two ranges. This serves as an ex-cuse to put off the purchase and to shop around. Then we hit the superior points for all they are worth. We try to make the prospect admit that the cheaper type is not quite satisfactory, and then that the other is what she does want." The trade-up and selling program recognizes that often a woman does have to consult her husband before completing a deal. This delay is handled by countering tactic with tactic. A definite appointment is made for both of them—after store hours if necessary. The sales rules in the program are summed up as follows: 1. Never permit a negative answer. Instead of asking, "Are not these extra features worth another $20 to you?" the salesman asks "Don't you like this point?" If the answer is "Yes, but they are not worth the added cost," then the salesman has his cue for completing the sale on the lower price range. 2. Never ask what price the cus-tomer is interested in. This stops all trading-up possibilities. Let the customer tell her desires, and then build up from there. 3. Make the customer see the value of the better item, even if she thinks she cannot purchase it. 4. Close the deal by making the final question follow a series of questions that require positive answers. 5. Stress the obvious features. Hidden qualities have no sales appeal, particularly to women. HUMBLE KITCHEN SLAVES BECOME CINDERELLAS 1. MOORE CO., Joliet, III. Guardian model. 2. DETROIT VAPOR STOVE CO., Detroit. Model 4026. Suggested retail price, $124.50. 3. TAPPAN STOVE CO., Mansfield, Ohio. Model WD-11. Suggested retail price, $129.50. A. NATIONAL ENAMEL & STAMPING CO., Milwaukee. Nesco Super Deluxe model (kerosene). 5. KELVINATOR CORP., Detroit. Model 63 45. 6. MOTOR WHEEL CORP., Lansing, Mich. Duo Therm model range (fuel oil). 7. PERFECTION STOVE CO., Cleveland. Cabinet model range (kerosene). Note also oil-burning refrigerator. 8. CHAMBERS CORP., Shelbyville, Ind. Model 14 (showing steak-sizzler feature). Suggested retail price, $169.5 0. ESTATE STOVE CO., Hamilton, Ohio. Model 545. Suggested retail price, $109.75. AMERICAN STOVE CO., Magic Chef model series 3700. •n a for OCTOBER, 1936 41 42 FINE FURNITURE X \ j i J J J •?•*•»" j FINE ARTS B'LD'G GRAND RAPIDS \A*. -w- LIVABLE MODERN T APPEALING SOu^DiK CHAlSST LUXURIOUS ENGLISH LOUNGE FljfT-.. U^ : MLJ; YOU BUY VALUE...When You Buy PAALMAN Tables When your customers are concerned with appearance and econ-omy, PAALMAN'S diversified line of occasional tables affords a satisfactory selection. Established for over 20 years as a builder of quality merchandise, PAALMAN FURNITURE COMPANY is in line with today's upward trend in consumer preference for better furniture. . . Fresh designs executed with superb skill, priced to enable you to realize a profit—these are the reasons you buy VALUE when you buy PAALMAN tables. For years our Tea-wagons have been unexcelled in character and as profit-making items. Our display in the Keeler Build-ing includes a variety of these and other occasional and novelty tables, dinnettes and music cabinets. No. 2805 Cocktail Table No. 101 Hospitality Table 20th Anniversary Year Order Now for Your Holiday Requirements PAALMAN FURNITURE CO. GRAND RAPIDS > / MICHIGAN Display in the Keeler Building We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FIXE FURNITURE f o r O C T O B E R , 1 9 3 6 43 IS OUR FACE RED! Due to an error in transcribing notes taken at the recent furniture markets, cuts on this and the following page were shown in the September issue with wrong retail prices. We hasten to make all possible amends by re-publishing them, correctly priced. Apologies to all concerned, and it won't happen again. . - < * U l . t n ' . , / , . , . ; . I . II i , i n r A I " , K ' . I I / ; , I 11 • -..".(I. •••<••*'-••• XA No. 1020 bedroom group, Crane & McMahon, retail price, four pieces^ $253,50. No. 376 bookcase, Colonial Desk Co., retail price $58. - I':".-. < ^ u • I . . . :•. No. 1381 nest of tables, retail price $15.50; No. 1710 drum, retail price $21.50, both Hek-man Furniture Co. • * . . . • • No. 1239 drum (right), retail price $24.50; No. 1237 coffee table, retail price $17.90; No. 1223 drop leaf, retail price $24.50, all three pieces Wood Products Co. No. 5192 chair, retail price $120; No. 5240 lamp, retail price $32; No. 5245 wood basket, retail price $32, Romweber Industries. 44 FINE FURNITURE JVo. 71 dining room, Tomlinson, retail price, 8 pieces, $344.30. JVo. 5384 drum table, Mersman Bros., retail price $15.90. !«o. 3527 drop leaf, Brandt Cabinet Works, retail price $20. iVo. 1360 sofa, Ralph Morse, retail price $309. r : : r . . •; • • • - - . . •.•frrr. ! , , . * • » ! • • • - ' • ; • ; • . • • , • - . . • • • • '. ^ • * ' " ' ' »' No. 3333 coffee table (above), Brandt Cabinet Works, retail price $9.50. No, 121-2 dresser (below), Kindel Furniture Co., retail price, four pieces, $214. ' ? • • • Vo. 1X9 dresser (above), Sterling Furnilur Co., retail price, four pieces, $279. No. 890 dresser (left), West Michigan furni-ture Co., retail price, four pieces, $193. f o r O C T O B E R , 1 9 3 6 45 X TEGO-BONDED TEGO-BONDING has always offered economies of opera-tion and marketability. Now the actual price of Tego Glue Film has reached a level where it is becoming expensive not to stand-ardize on Tego-bonding. Millions of square feet of Tego-bonded plywood have already been produced commercially. The practical problems of pro-duction have been overcome and the quality of the resultant prod-uct has set a new, established standard. RESINOUS PRODUCTS AND CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC. 222 West Washington Square PHILADELPHIA RESINOUS PRODUCTS V PROVEN PROFITABLE . . . new blond Modern At the summer market ESTEY presented Prinzwood as a solution to the problem of the blond wood trend. Its wide acceptance has proven its merit. In the November market ESTEY will add another blond wood group. Different, beautiful and sophis-ticated. You can not afford to miss seeing this recent development of ESTEY'S crafts-manship in modern interpretation. . . . promotional Sheraton ESTEY'S exquisite 18th Century collection has also been augmented for the November showing. The "Cripplegate" series, that in July offered the merchants something finer in the upper price brackets of late 18th Century designs, will include two smart Sheraton groups. The new suites, however, will enhance the interest already exhibited in this collection, as they will come in a truly promotional price range. AT THE GRAND RAPIDS MARKET FIRST FLOOR WATERS-KLINGMAN BUILDING ESTEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY OWOSSO MICHIGAN We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FINE FURNITURE 46 FINE FURNITURE Homefurnishing News and Reviews New Seattle Association Raymond S. Patterson, chief executive of the General Furniture Co., is the first pres-ident of the newly organized Seattle Furni-ture Manufacturers Association. Formed for the purpose of treating with local manufac-turing problems, this association held its first meeting in September. Entirely sep-arate from the Northwest Furniture Manu-facturers Association, but cooperating fully with it, the new body is striving to attain a membership of 20 firms in the Seattle area. Other officials chosen at the September meeting are: F. Clyde Lamb, Washington Furniture Co., vice-president; Marcus Steen-dahl, North Coast Chain Co., secretary-treasurer. K. C. Furniture Travelers' Club At the annual meeting of the Kansas City Furniture Travelers' Club, H. E. Weldon was elected president; Ross Calkins, vice-president; L. H. Grampf, secretary; Michael Hodes, assistant secretary; H. B. Wing and H. E. Butler, directors. 0 Winston-Salem Retail Association Observation of National Furniture Week, election of officers and a talk by John Gil-more, president of the Southern Retail Fur-niture Dealers Association, were the high lights of a September meeting of the Win-ston- Salem (N. C.) Retail Furniture Asso-ciation. Secretary Gilmore explained provisions of the Robinson-Patman act to prevent dis-crimination against small buyers. He also told of the functioning of the legal collect-ing department of the association. New officers are: L. V. Herndon, Haverty Furniture Company, president; A. E. Fowler. Huntley-Hill-Stockton, vice-president; Fred C. Disher, Better Homes Furniture Com-pany, secretary; J. J. Gray, Rominger Fur-niture Company, treasurer. N. Y. Retailers Institute Retail merchants of Upper New York State will participate in a retail Merchan-dising Institute in Binghamton, Oct. 20. The Institute is the successor to the Regional Retailers Clinic launched last Fall by the Retail Merchants Bureau of Bing-hamton. Several nationally prominent speakers and authorities on retailing will address the conference. 0 Utah Retail Furniture Assn. Elected president of the Retail Furniture Dealers of Utah was Lance Graham, Christiansen Furniture Co., Salt Lake City, in September. Other officers: Victor Day, Crawford & Day Furniture Co., Salt Lake City, first vice-pres.; R. W. Madsen, Jr., Sterling Fur-niture Co., Salt Lake City, second vice-pres.; Lorenzo C. Forsey, Standard Furni-ture Co., Salt Lake City, secretary-treasurer. The following directors were chosen: S. W. Russell, Dixon-Taylor-Russell Co., Provo, Esper Sorenson, Co-op Furniture Co., Salt Lake City; F. A. Madsen, Sterling Furni-ture Co., Ogden; J. T. Leigh, Leigh Fur-niture Co., Cedar City; Oliver W. Edwards, Edwards Furniture Co., Logan. Ways to improve merchandising, and mar-ket problems were discussed. MARKETS GRAND RAPIDS Fall Market Nov. 5 — 13 Winter market dates not set. CHICAGO Fall Market Nov. 9 — 14 Winter Market Jan 4 — 16 JAMESTOWN Fall Market Nov. 8—14 LOS ANGELES Winter Market Jan. 25 — 31 N. Y. Winter Market Market dates for the New York Furni-ture Exchange have been set for Jan. 18 to Jan. 29, inclusive. A Grants Use of Designs A non-exclusive license to use certain of its modern maple designs for juvenile fur-niture has been granted the Lullaby Fur-niture Corp. by R. N. Greenwood, president of Heywood-Wakefield Co. of Gardner, Mass. Specific patents are two designs for chests. 1) Camden Increases Capacity A new plant adjacent to its present fac-tory site has been completed by the Cam-den Furniture Co. of Camden, Ark., and production of approximately 1200 units a day is now being turned out by both plants. To Design Heywood Lines Gilbert Rhode, Alphons Bach and Norval Tyrrell have been retained by the Heywood- Wakefield Co. of Gardner, Mass., to design its new lines of Modern furniture for the summer markets. Jamestown Fall Showing Nov. 8—14 Repeating the popular Sunday opening tried for the first time last Spring, the Jamestown Fall Market, starting Nov. 4, will be in full operation with all spaces open on the intervening Sunday, Nov. 8, and carrying through Saturday, Nov. 14. "There will be few changes in the line-up of exhibitors whose furniture buyers have come to expect to see in Jamestown, since most tenants are tying up spaces on long term leases," says L. J. Heer, manager of the market. Activity in Jamestown factories has stead-ily increased since early last Spring and practically without exception are running to capacity with heavy back-logs of orders. The Jamestown Market has been steadily climbing to an objective of 1,000 buyers, having missed that figure by only thirty registrations with its attendance of 970 last Spring. Heer predicts the Fall Market will witness the passing of the 1,000 mark in registration. Organize Upholstery Firm J. Vassie Wilson, Ben L. Herman and Doris Pope are the incorporators of the newly organized Wilson Upholstery Co., Inc., with offices in High Point, N. C. 0 Foote, Jr., Imperial's Ad Man Robert Footc, son of General Manager F. Stuart Foote, has been named advertis-ing manager of the Imperial Furniture Co. of Grand Rapids. McKay Line Holds Preview Late in September, the McKay Co. of Pittsburgh held a two-week preview of its new line of chrome steel furniture under the direction of Thomas Smith in the com-pany's New York showroom. New Book on Woods "From Forest to Furniture—a Romance of Wood" is the name of a new book just published by W. W. Norton and written by SATURATION PERCENTAGES OF VARIOUS ELECTRIC APPLIANCES On basis of those now in use in 21,000,000 American homes with annual incomes of $1,000 or more. Flatirons 72% Radios (socket only) 70% Vacuum sweepers . . . 40 % Clocks 38% Washing machines . . 34 % Refrigerators 28% Toasters 20 % Percolators 12% Space heaters 6 % Oil burners 4V2% Ranges 4 % Power ironers 3V2 % Water heaters 1 % Ranges and oil burners apparently present an opportunity for substantial future sales by home furnishing stores and departments, but actually are hampered by unfavorable rate structures or installation costs or both. Power ironers as a natural corollary to active merchandising of washers obviously offer the best large-item sales possibilities. The potential on refrigerators is still very attractive, and while the saturation on radios is palpably high, a large percentage of those now in use are sets that all-wave reception has out-moded. l o r OCTOBER. 1936 47 Readers OF THE QUALITY GROUP IN the Grand Rapids Furniture Exposition the John Widdicomb Co. is recog-nized as the leader of the quality group. This prestige has been established over a period of fifty years, because, we believe in the purity of design, in workmanship and that our merchandise is a definite contribution to the livable American home. In reviving the charmingly simple French Provincial style, the John Widdicomb Co. has once again asserted its leadership. The integrity "with which this group has been developed — the dresser is herewith illustrated — is typical of this concern's craftsmanship: Beauty, meticulous in every detail, this group is sym-bolical of our desire to furnish the merchant with merchandise that is profitable and that will continue to be a source of credit to his store. JOHN WIDDICOMB COMPANY New York Showrooms, No. 1 Park Ave. Showrooms at factory- 601 Fifth St. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN We appreciate mentioning you saw this in FINE FURNITURE 48 FINE FURNITURE Malcom H. Sherwood. Told in story style, the book traces the use of basic woods in the furniture industry, and is of practical use to both manufacturers and retailers of furniture. Its price is $3. A Organize Liberty Veneer Co. To manufacture and deal in all kinds of wood furniture, the Liberty Veneer Co. has been organized in Liberty, N. C, with an authorized capital of §100,000. Cyrus Shaff-ner, Sidney Shaffner and C. L. Bray are the incorporators. To Make Washers ior Kelvinator The recently incorporated Appliance Manufacturing Co. organized by the Dester Co., Fairfield, Iowa, to make washing ma-chines which will be marketed by the Kel-vinator Corp., has purchased the Buckeye Jack Plant of Alliance, Ohio, and is con-ditioning it for occupancy and production. A Prepare Accessory Exhibit Space To provide more space for exhibits of furniture hardware, upholstery fabrics, veneers and similar accessories, the north half of the eighteenth floor of the American Furniture Mart is being remodeled, to be completed before the Fall market. Designers will use some of the new space. S. Davidson Retires Retiring after 51 years with his firm, S. Davidson, former chairman of the Des Moines firm bearing his name, has severed all connection with the Davidson Co. and will live in Kansas City. Continuing as president is J. Davidson. New member of Below, an unusual wing chair. No. 1242, by Schoonbeck of Grand Rapids and e x h i b i t e d in the Imperial Furniture Co. showrooms. Width, 33"; depth, 34"; height, 39". Seek Better Cost Accounting To keep iurniture prices within reach of consumers of moderate means is the objec-tive of a recent conference in Asheville, X. C, where 40 manufacturers representatives the firm is L. E. Cohen who comes from Minneapolis to be general manager. Campaign Against Taxes A fund of #10,000 to carry on a cam-paign against gross receipt, net income and sales taxes probably will be raised by the Council of Texas Retail Associations, says Herb Dill, secretary of the Retail Furniture Association of that state, and acting secre-tary of the Council. If raised, the money will be spent for educational propaganda. Above, No. 210 sideboard, one oi the long line of mahogany Eigh-teenth Century reproductions by John Widdicomb Co. of Grand Rapids, exhibited in their factory showroom. sought to establish a basis for more accurate cost accounting among Southern plants. The next meeting of this branch of the Southern Association will be held in February, when reports on progress will be submitted. Washer Sales Smash Records All records for sales of washing machines were shattered in August when 173,678 units were shipped from factories. Previous high month was March, 1935, when ship-ments of 169.139 washers were recorded. A total of 1,204,227 units have been shipped during the first eight months of this year —30.56% ahead of the same period of 1935. Shipments of power ironers this year are running ahead of 1935 by 17.2%. Rock-Ola Takes More Space Additional factory space to the extent of some 20,000 square feet has been acquired by the Rock-Ola Manufacturing Co., Chi-cago, in its leasing of a five-story building in the immediate vicinity of the main plant. Two of the five floors already are in use. Mart Gets New Ad Men Again A newly created position in the Merchan-dise Mart, that of trade promotion manager, has as its first appointee J. N. Stewart who for 14 years was sales promotion manager of the Excel Phonograph Co. John S. Dun-combe, for 10 years advertising manager of R. Cooper. Jr., has been made advertising and publicity manager of the Mart. Assist-ing him will be Robert Gamble. 0 Makes Metal Furniture Line Beginning operation this month with 100 employes, the Hampden Specialty Products, Inc., has gone into production of metal furniture in Easthampton, Mass. August Sales Top 1935 Events August furniture sales in department and furniture stores throughout the nation enjoyed substantial increases over August, 1935 events, running from 18% to 35% ahead of last year. Retailers were almost unanimous with their comment that people were grading up in their purchases, although stores persisted in featuring the low end of their lines in ads. Department stores fared slightly better in the August events than did furniture stores because the latter pub-licized their sales more widely and effectively. 0 . . . And Refrigerators, Too Domestic sales of household electric re-frigerators in July, 1936, were 34% ahead of July, 1935, according to a recent NEMA report. Units sold by manufacturers this July numbered 186,639 as against 140,250 last July. Bede Plant Expanded Erection of a new two-story plant to pro-vide for necessary expansion has been an-nounced by the Bede Furniture Co. of Milford, Ind. Bede makes novelty furniture and upholstered chairs. Mattress Plant Branches A second mattress factory in Scobey, Miss., is being planned by George Scar-borough, who now operates a plant in Tupelo. C L A S S I F I E D A D S Classified rates: Undisplayed, 5 cents per word. Minimum charge $2. Display rate, $5 per column inch. One inch minimum. Minimum display advertise-ment accepted/ 2 inches. Classified charges payable in advance. Ten per cent discount ior th

Date Created:

1936-10-01T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Collection:

1:6

Subject Topic:

Periodicals and Furniture Industry

Language:

English

Rights:

© Grand Rapids Public Library. All Rights Reserved.

URL:

http://cdm16055.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16055coll20/id/178