Article January 20, 2003 Issue

The gentle givers

Text And Photographs By Tom Black

When You Walk Into Azar's Oriental Rugs in downtown Birmingham, Michigan, there is a feeling of light and space, even at night. At first you think it might be because of the very high ceilings, large windows, and the multiple fluorescent fixtures, combines with richly colored rugs stacked low and hanging on the walls.

But somehow, these don't explain your intangible, yet difinite, awareness of peace and welcome. Then you notice the smiles and reserved alertness of the several young men who vault from sitting on the piles of rugs to welcome you. As unusual as this is for a commercial business, there's a special purity here.

Azar and Hormos Alizadeh ("It is like 'a-lazy-day,' " teases Azar) are Persian rug dealers, but they are much more than that. Azar started the business 23 years ago. Her parents owned a similar business in Iran, where she began her astute study of the complex Oriental rug business. She is a quiet, short woman with a constant, faint smile and calm hand movements. She would remind one of another Mona Lisa painting, except that this woman's eyes glisten and her face is animated. Talking with her, you become aware of a deep quiet, an uncomplicated motherhood.

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