Rugs are in my blood
I am the Granddaughter of a rug merchant, which makes me a 3rd generation rug merchant.
Rugs are in my blood.
A TASTE OF THE ORIENT
My Grandfather traveled the world, with his camera in hand, buying carpets for his retail rug store in Canada.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s he travelled extensively to the Middle East. Very few people in his hometown city of Hamilton, Ontario had travelled to these exotic lands.
My Grandfather in India WITH HIS CAMERA
His trips were a source of local interest and were often chronicled in The Hamilton Spectator. Upon his return from these travels he would often lecture to local community and church groups and show photographs and films from his trips.
Here is an excerpt from one of his talks:
“We had plane tickets to fly to (from Shiraz to) Tehran.
Our chauffeur delivered us seven minutes after the plane had left the grounds. I was really peeved that we had missed the plane and expressed my feelings in the many different languages that I knew, and I was sure he could understand me. He did not say much, and we could do nothing but return to our guest house.
Two hours later, when we were sitting on the terrace of the guest house, I saw him running breathlessly towards us and when he came, he said "Agha, I saved your life” and explained that he was passing in front of the Telegraph Office and learned that the plane that had left Shiraz two hours ago had crashed on Mount Damavand and everybody had perished. "It was the wheel of God, " he said. Allah had used him as an instrument to prevent us from going to our dooms.
The distance from Shiraz to Tehran is 900 kilometers, about 650 miles [and] we left Shiraz at noon and arrived at Tehran 26 hours later.”
My Grandfather planted the seed for Organic Weave
My Grandfather at the Taj Mahal
On one trip, In the late 1940’s, my grandfather traveled to India to buy rugs.
On this trip, he met a young man who impressed him to no end. This young man met my Grandfather at his hotel in Varanasi, the epicentre of rug making near the holy Ganges river, and asked my Grandfather to buy his rugs.
My Grandfather told the young man that he was leaving India the next day and business would have to wait until his next trip.
On the next morning, my Grandfather woke up, looked out the window of his hotel room, and saw dozens of rugs on display on the grass surrounding the hotel.
The young man had traveled all night by ox and cart back to his village to collect his rugs, and then back to my Grandfather’s hotel in Varanasi (an hour drive by car).
Impressed, my Grandfather gave this young man, Mr. Damodar Das, his first order for export.
Since that day, our families have traded rugs and over 80 years later, Mr. Das’s grandson is my partner in Organic Weave.
I am deeply humbled by the connection our families share – third generation to third generation and I imagine that our ancestors are cheering us on.
Rugs are in my blood, and lucky for me, I love rugs.
The first Alexanian store!
(1930's)
Alexanian Flooring
My favourite photograph from our family archive is this announcement, which was published in the Hamilton Spectator on the day before my parent's wedding:
Another favourite photo from the archives...this is an Alexanian store in my hometown, which opened in the 1970's, with its George Jetson inspired architecture.
This is the store I visited most often during my childhood.
Alexanian Store in the 1970's - Source: Alexanian Flooring
My Grandfather survived the Armenian Genocide and traveled to North America at the age of 19. He married, had a family and grew his rug business from one retail store to many – today there are 20 stores.
By 1958 he claimed to have travelled 304,000 miles outside the country since World War ||. He was also an accomplished linguist and could speak six languages.
He was known for his attentive customer service, and I strive to offer the same kind of service with Organic Weave.
Portrait of Aris Alexanian by Karsh
I'm deeply proud of my family's legacy in the rug business, and I would like to think that my Grandfather would be proud to know that I started my own rug business, using the tools and connections I gained from "growing up" in this business.
A photo of my Grandfather, with my Grandmother, sits behind me in my workspace. Everyday I look at the photo and imagine him giving me encouragement.
This post is dedicated to my Grandfather, whom I never met, but who laid the foundation for my work in the rug business. Rugs are in my blood!
The Author: Linda Alexanian
Linda is the Founder of Organic Weave. As a third generation rug merchant, Linda is passionate about the art of making handmade rugs with all natural materials.
I'm grateful to my Alexanian cousins: Alene and John, who have kept the archives and published a book about our Grandfather's life: The Magic Carpet Ride: The Adventures of Aris Alexanian 1901-1961
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