Fun Facts

1. John has NEVER filled out a job application in his life! He has spent every summer since he was a little boy at the store and came to work full-time right after his graduation from Babson College in 1975.
2. The store was named for John's maternal grandfather, founder Michael (Melkon) Arakelian.
3. John's father, John Balayan, Sr., was the second generation and John is the third generation of one family owning the business, which has been in New Haven since 1908.
4. John's paternal grandfather was a silk worm farmer in the old country, but he never reached American soil.
5. John is that rare person who truly loves what he does. He loves being surrounded by rugs, meeting the public and working hand-in-hand with his wife.
6. John personally selects each rug with his own hands and knows the very large stock of the store by heart.
7. Arakelian Rugs is located in the Westville section of New Haven, a short distance between Anthony Street, where John lived during his first 12 years of life, and Davis Street, where he and Sandy went to school together from kindergarten through sixth grade.
8. John married another New Haven native, his fifth grade girlfriend Sandy Miller. Sandy and John were in kindergarten, first and fifth grade classes together, and have been married since 1978. They have two daughters, Ariana and Lorien, who work in the store when they can. Sandy has worked full-time in partnership with John since his father's retirement in January of 1999. John and Sandy work together daily and are enjoying it tremendously.
9. On any given day, you will find the four dogs owned by John and Sandy "working" (usually sleeping) at the store. Many customers just stop in to see the Shih Tzu, Greyhound, Yorkie and Chihuahua when they are going by. These dogs have slept on some of the finest Persian rugs around! (note: the dogs aren't for sale!)
10. John's mother-in-law lived on Edgewood Avenue near the corner of Orchard Street when she was growing up in New Haven. Her backyard was adjacent to the back of the store and she remembers the rugs that would hang over the fence between the yards drying. John and Sandy's lives have always been interwoven!
11. John can spot a rug and identify it's age and type on TV, in movies and across crowded rooms. Feel free to challenge him to a "Name the Rug" contest!
12. John is the most tactful person on earth! Imagine having to tell a person that their auction purchase is a machine made rug, not even worth the value of it's purchase price!
13. The biggest myth John dispels daily-rugs are too expensive! Considering the amount of work and detail in each of these works of art, they are amazingly affordable. It is like putting precious artwork on your floor and enjoying it daily. Rugs also come in a variety of price ranges.
14. When the building that presently houses Arakelian Rugs was built in the mid-fifties; it was virtually on the outskirts of New Haven. Fields, farms and undeveloped land stretched beyond the building into what is now upper Westville and lower Woodbridge.
15. John's second career choice would be something related to the sale or enhancement of automobiles, especially fine Italian cars. Since Sandy would never agree to him being a race car driver, he would get just as close as he could!