Cutting a Rug KAMRAN AND MORRY BAGHESTANIAN TEAM UP TO SELL THE BEST
Baghestanian clan long to get back on its feet. Kamran arranged a rug concession inside a furniture store in Lodi where he could carry his father’s rugs, which eventually allowed for the establishment of outposts in Sacramento and Napa as well. In 1998, Kamran opened his own independent furniture store in Lodi called Classic Living—carrying Morry’s rugs, of course—and his dad officially took over the Sacramento store. Classic Living lasted for 11 years before the economy took a dive and Kamran found himself back where his journey had first begun.
BY JESSICA LASKEY SHOPTALK
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hen Kamran Baghestanian says the family business dates back generations, he’s not exaggerating. The Baghestanian family has been in the Oriental rug business since the late 1800s, and Kamran is doing his part to continue the tradition he inherited from his father, Morry, with whom he owns Morry’s Oriental Rug Bazaar on 56th and H streets. “We’ve worked together for 25 years,” Baghestanian says proudly. “I sort of grew up with rugs, so every day has been a learning experience. To this day, we’ll come across a rug and my dad knows what village or province it’s from—he’s traveled the world and been to all these different places, so he knows how the people are, how they dye their wool, what kind of lifestyle they have. It’s awesome just to listen to him.” Morry will be celebrating 55 years in the Oriental rug business this year, so naturally, he’s gained a lot of knowledge over the years. He was taught the craft by his father as a child in Persia (modern-day Iran), where he would travel to historic weaving villages to learn techniques from master craftsmen. After completing his apprenticeship with his father, Morry established a booming business supplying highquality, handcrafted rugs to Tehran, earning him the moniker of “Master Dealer” before the age of 40 and an assignment to the prestigious Tehran Antique and Handcraft Committee.
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Kamran and Morry Baghestanian own Morry’s Oriental Rug Bazaar on 56th and H streets
When the Islamic revolution riled up Iran in the 1970s, Morry sent then-13-year-old Kamran to the United States to continue his education in a safe and stable environment. The business expanded westward as well, and by the time Baghestanian graduated from Rio Americano High School, he was ready to join his father in what had become the largest Persian rug venture in Northern California.
“At the time, my father was supplying a lot of the furniture stores in the area, like Scofield’s,” Baghestanian recalls. “Then, while I was in college in 1991, Scofield’s rug department closed and we had to act quickly to find a place for all my dad’s rugs. That’s when I opened my first store on Arden Way, Kamran’s Antiques and Oriental Rugs.” Though that business lasted only a year, it didn’t take the
“Some people come in and care that these are heirlooms that one day they’ll pass on to their children. Everything in your home at some point will change, but Oriental rugs are the only thing that stay with the family and look better as they age.” “The Sacramento store has been open for 22 years now,” Baghestanian reports. “I had the space right next to it when I first started, then when I moved the inventory back from Lodi and needed a bigger space, I got the space right next door. So in February