Emmert Royer started BHA Pianocenter in a 6,500 square foot former raincoat factory in Dayton, OH in 1949. At first, they sold appliances - the name originally stood for Best Home Appliances. Later they got into pianos and organs. In the sixties they were the leading Conn organ dealer in the country. Even though the organ business is practically dead, BHA still has rooms and rooms of organs, including one dedicated to Allen organs.
BHA is different in many ways from piano stores in Sacramento. First of all, they own their building - and they have so much extra space that they rent it out to other businesses (including the billiards business in the basement.) They also own all their inventory outright, instead of "flooring" it and paying a monthly finance charge to the manufacturer. They offer a lifetime of free weekly piano lessons to any piano buyer. They also have a strong presence on the Internet. On their website they have pictures and prices of many of their used pianos, and they also list them on eBay. Bob Royer, the current manager and son of the founder, says his goal is "to sell fine preowned grands for $2,000 less than [my] best competition on eBay."
No comments:
Post a Comment