I recently acquired a 1924 cookbook published by a local community
group in Indiana.  Part of the fun of looking at old cookbooks of
this type are the advertisements.  Among the many ads was one for a
Gulbransen Registering Piano.  The ad states, "Ask for demonstration."
Surprisingly, the ad was not sponsored by a music store, but by a drug
store.

This got me curious.  Did the drug store sell player pianos along with
prescriptions, hair tonics, and other sundry items, or was it there on
loan for promotion from a music store?  Did they have a Gulbransen
franchise?  Did the drug store sell rolls as a sideline?

We'll probably never know the answers to these questions.  But, it is
fascinating to think that in the 1920's, it was possible to walk into
a local drug store and see and hear a player piano making music.

Joyce Brite