History and Current Owners
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Ararat Rug Company is Montreal’s oldest family owned carpet business. It was founded by Kerop Bedoukian in 1933 on Aqueduct Street and moved to its present location in 1936. Ararat is now owned by Harold Bedoukian who "grew up” in the business after graduating from Sir George Williams University in 1961. Harold is active in Oriental rug associations in the United States and Canada. He is treasurer of the Armenian Rugs Society, past president of the Montreal Oriental Rug Club and The Quebec Carpet and Textile Society. Harold Bedoukian is the only appraiser in Montreal certified by the Oriental Rug Retailer’s Association, (ORRA). Harold works with his wife, Janice Summers, who is an internationally respected authority on Oriental rugs. She has more than 30 years of experience as a retailer, collector, author and lecturer, and is the author of four books and numerous articles on Oriental carpets. She has taught courses on the subject at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Memphis State University, and the University of Akron and has lectured in Canada and throughout the United States as well as participating in many international Oriental carpet conferences.
Harold and Jan’s
knowledge of the history, design and techniques of oriental rug weaving
extends far beyond their formal education. Their independent studies and
research have spanned the globe, and two lifetimes!
They have travelled extensively in the Middle East where, for centuries, the
manufacture and merchandising of rugs were closely linked to the culture and
often the mainstay of life itself. Jan and Harold have spent time with rug
weavers from the most primitive nomadic peoples to sophisticated urban
communities, whose skills have been refined and distilled from generation to
generation. Harold and Jan have
studied the artisans' crafts
and artistry from the gathering of goats’ hair to the preparation of
detailed cartoons from which rugs are woven. When buying
a rug from Ararat you can rely on
their knowledge and be confident of its quality and assured of its
provenance. |
