Mueller, J.

MUELLER

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 1/8/2009 at 13:58:06

J. Mueller

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.40, Council Bluffs)
J. Mueller, musical merchandise, Council Bluffs, is a native of Bohemia; subsequently became a resident of Prussia, where he resided for ten years, and in 1857 came to the United States and settled in Wisconsin. In 1859, he came to Council Bluffs and engaged in teaching music. He continued teaching as a business until 1864, when he began the sale of musical instruments and musical merchandise, running the two together until 1869, when he gave up teaching and turned his attention exclusively to the sale of instruments and music. In the meantime, however, he was burned out, by which disaster he lost $8,000 worth of goods, and was left $1,300 in debt. He lost none of his energy and business ability, and in a short time was making fair progress toward accumulating another handsome property. In 1869, he began business in the old Bee Hive building, where he remained until 1881, when he removed to the fine building which he now occupies, and which is his own property. The building is twenty-five by eighty feet, three floors and basement, all of which is filled with musical instruments, musical merchandise and toys. He now does an extensive wholesale trade, having about three regular men on the road and six or seven men in the house. He imports largely in sheet music and instruments. The Chickering & Sons, Weber and J. Mueller are mong his best pianos, and the Burdett Standard and Western Cottage organs; of the latter organ he is Western agent, and has sold of them in the eight years about 3,400. His annual sales now aggregate about $100,000. His success cannot be ascribed to luck, for every step of progress has been carefully considered before an important business movement has been made. There are probably but one or two instances in Council Bluffs of like success.