Royer was a standout athlete at Northridge High School before heading overseas to fight in WWII. After the war he returned to Dayton and sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door. His success with vacuum cleaners led him to include home appliances.
In 1953 Royer began selling pianos and organs in addition to appliances from his Main St. store.
Royer moved BHA to its current location, 868 S. Patterson Blvd., in 1969. His son Bob joined the business in 1974 after graduating from Miami University. He said his father was not only an excellent businessman but also a great dad and a wonderful local personality.
“He personally knew all the celebrities like Phil Donahue, Lou Emm, Don Wayne, Gil Whitney and many others. He was an icon in the piano and organ business for his promotion ability and free lesson program. We were Kimball piano and Conn organ companies largest dealer in the nation for a single store outlet.”
Royer said BHA, now in its 61st year of business, will continue to operate and grow. He said the company now sells more than $1 million of pianos online.
There will be a celebration of Royer’s life at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 27 at Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 8690 Yankee St., Centerville.
Mark DePaul of Huber Heights was among the Miami Valley residents who remembered Royer, his dog and his jingle fondly Tuesday.
Now 57, DePaul said he first saw Royer in person at the Montgomery County Fair at age 13.
“It was a big thing to meet Emmert Royer,” DePaul said, noting that back then, Royer routinely gave kids who could recite the jingle a dollar.
DePaul’s wife worked for one of Royer’s children. She was among those to share her condolences on his family on Royer’s Legacy.com page.
“May it help to know that the legacy Emmert Royer left behind will always be remembered,” she wrote.
Amelia Robinson contributed to this report.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2167 or kmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author