I visited BHA Piano Center at 868 S. Patterson Blvd. in Dayton, Ohio. BHA is located in a large, warehouse-type building near the downtown area and not far from a local hospital. The outside of the store is cinder blocks painted white with red trim and black lettering spelling the store's name and the slogan "America's Largest Piano Store!" Inside, the store is less warehouse-like, although rather large. A handful of sales help, all male and dressed in shirts and slacks, roams through the showroom looking for people to help. In addition, a piano player entertains browsers with his own recital of piano melodies.
BHA strictly offers pianos, organs, and their related accessories. No other musical instruments are available. The list of brands that they offer is impressive, however, and includes such well-recognized names as Weber, Baldwin, Kawai, Kimball, Steinway, Wurlitzer, and Yamaha, as well as more esoteric brands like Pearl River, Mason & Hamlin, Petrof, Schimmel, and Young Chang. The store offers a few digital brands as well as the traditional ones, Kurzweil, Roland, and Yamaha. Both grand and upright pianos are available, and various types of electronic keyboards. Only a few accessories are sold in the store, mainly stands, lighting, and care kits for the pianos.
The company's mission is "to supply the finest quality pianos and service in the USA at a TRUE discount price," and this includes the sale of pre-owned grand pianos, which the owner promises will be priced $2,000 lower than his best competition on eBay ("Bob Royer-President"). The efficacy of the sales staff added to the competitive pricing has made the store highly successful in the area, with its only significant competitor having gone out of business a few years ago.
The sales staff is helpful, and although I find it annoying to have them always offering to help me, they are diligent about answering questions and e
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