Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-03-15
A DECoRAHlAN's SUCCESS.
Il. o. Marsh, Wei Known DEBORAH
Music Dealer Gets Fine Write
Up in Piano Trade Maya
zine OF Chicago.

'~hSiISl W ualC FIlOdoS, VI ILLS CiIy, ~
Ieeived the following excellent write.
up, which we publish below:
Twenty-four, years. ago, E. o.
Marsh established the Marsh Music
House of DEBORAH, Iowa. He hal mst
Graduated from the American Con
seryatory of Music, Chicago, where
he took a course in rcornet playing.
At the samei time, his wife completed
her piano course at, the same institu-
sion Today Mr.. Marsh owns a three
story building which houses this
business, has national trade in band
andDorchestra instruments and music
books and has the agency for nine
counties in Iowa and Minnesota fo:'
Bauer, Crown and Concord pianos.
Incidentally he has been handling
the product of Julius Bauer & Co.
aud the Geo. P. Bent Company dur
ing practically Ill of the time that he
has been in business. o 'f't4
MI MAI Sll . SuCGCpS Gi IiS iCtulA
piano business IS a REPUTATION of the
claims of some people that a piano
dealer nowadays must feature cheap
pianos if he would win his share OF
this worlds goods. Mr.. Marsh start
ed in the piano business with a,well-
defined idea of the, value of public
confidence and with a conviction that
he would profit in the long run If he
specialized in high-grade pianes} at
fair prices He put his faith .andnhis
culture in the tpublic's appreciation OF
honest goods and honest dealing and
ne has made a success along those
lines.
Mr.. Marsh sold pianos in a small
way for three years before Se estab-
lisaed the Marsh Music House. That
exa aims how 1T is that he Sold his
first julius Bauer. & Co. piano TWEEN
ty-seven years aao or three years be
fore zee established his present bust
ness. 1t was over twenty years ago
that he sold his first Crown Ptanp
and he is still s-alling both the Bauer
and Crswn lines Later he added
/ the Concord piano and those three
instruments in their various styles
and designs constitute hhis stock to-
day.
Not often do we come across l.
dealer who has stuck 10 a single line
for more than a generRtion. Mr..
Mash has done so and has made the
agencies for these instruments assets
in his territory. In all his career.
Mr.. Marsh has had the agency for
but fire different makes Of pianos,
two OF which BE dropped. he con-
ducts a prosperous branch store at
Harmony. Mimi. with NJ. T. Rrufiodt
in charge With the sales organize
ton that he has bNilt up he eovers
seven oou1ties in Iowa and two in
Minnesota, running automobile
trucks from both of these stores and
covering the territory in very
thoro manner.
His building in Decorah is a mod
ern three=story structure with an
elevator and its own heating plant.
He has displayed the ability to at
tract to his organization clean, hard
working men, and his head salesman,
l.. e. Brufodt, has been thirteen
years in his employ. w. l.. Tobia-
son has been associated with him fif'
teen years as tuner and Clarence
Johnson has been five years with the
organization. kMa .'
Mr.. Marsh's activities are not at
all limited to the piano business,
however. He has large trade in
band and orchestra Instruments, both
wholesale and retail. His 144-page
catalog contains complete line OF
band and orchestra instruments and
supplies. He also publishes 'catalogs
OF band and orchestra music ana
prominent dealers in all parts OF the
United States are numbered among
his wholesale customers. His mail
order business in these Instruments
is by no means confined to the Unit
ed States for he has numerous GUS
toners in Canada and several in for
eign countries. Last year Mr.. Marsh
took pleasure trip to the Pacific
Coast for the purpose Of visiting the
San Francisco fair and ,grasped the
opportunity to call on nine of the
largest dealers in the West. He sold
eight of them quantities of his pub
locations, and among these was the
house of Sherman. Clay & Co. in San
Francisco.
When it is added that Mr.. Marsh
has been teaching bands and orches-
tras for the past quarter century and
is at the present time the leader oil
the orchestra of ten pieces at the
lGrand Opera House in DEBORAH, one
4 4. L. nrntfy