RIP Mr. Boyajian
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Richard Boyajian: 1922 - 2006
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Brought the world to Hyde Park
By Trevor Jensen
Tribune staff reporter
January 13, 2007
This corrected story replaces an erroneous story published Jan. 12,
2007. The original story has been deleted from the archives.
A trip to India in the late 1960s fueled Richard Boyajian's fascination
with native handcrafts, which eventually led him to open a Hyde Park
store stuffed with unusual bric-a-brac from around the world.
Mr. Boyajian, 84, died Saturday, Dec. 23, in Lacey, Wash., three months
after being diagnosed with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease,
said his daughter, Laurel Boyajian. Mr. Boyajian and his wife, longtime
Hyde Park residents, had moved to Washington two years ago to be closer
to their daughters.
Boyajian's Bazaar was an apt name for the store at 1305 E. 53rd St.
that Mr. Boyajian opened in 1980. The shop had the aura of an exotic
foreign market, cluttered with an eclectic inventory of incense, beads,
soapstone carvings and crystals.
"It was hard to even walk up and down the aisles, it was so jam-packed
full of trinkets," said Alison Harris Alexander, who bought the store
from Mr. Boyajian in 2004 and runs it under the same name. "It's a
little bit cleaner now, but I try to keep the flavor the same."
A Quaker convert with an acute social conscience, Mr. Boyajian aimed
for the store to provide a market for craftspeople from around the globe,
Alexander said. Boyajian's Bazaar also provided an outlet for his gift
of gab; customers who dropped in to browse more often than not stayed
to chat.
"He was comfortable with people and loved to talk, especially about
science," Alexander said. "He'd keep you at the counter quite a long
time."
Said his wife, Polly: "He really loved his customers. It wasn't like
going into a store where you pick out something and leave. You'd stay and
talk."
Mr. Boyajian was born in Chicago to Armenian immigrants. His father
installed and mended rugs and carpets, but the family had little money.
Mr. Boyajian at an early age scored a coup when he got a job selling
Liberty magazine, his wife said.
During World War II he was in the Army and afterward used the GI Bill
to pay for an education at the University of Chicago, where he received
a master's degree in biochemistry, said his daughter. Around this time
he met his wife. She quickly knew she was in for an interesting ride.
He was a birdwatcher, and on an early date he took her on a long car
trip to see prairie chickens perform their mating dance.
"He was very impressed with me that I was willing to go," she said.
He began a long career as a science teacher, working at Gage Park and
South Shore High Schools before a long tenure at the University of
Chicago Lab Schools, from which he retired upon opening Boyajian's Bazaar.
A progressive social philosophy influenced all aspects of his life. An
early advocate of recycling, Mr. Boyajian cut up cereal boxes for note
cards, and his customers went home with their purchases inside plastic
bags previously issued by Mr. Boyajian's grocery store.
On regular family camping trips through the 1960s, the family would
usually pull off in a field along a country road to pitch a floorless pup
tent and cook over an open fire, his wife said. His wife and daughters
eventually persuaded him to invest in better tents and a gas stove.
In 1968, Mr. Boyajian traveled to India on a teaching mission, and the
following year the entire family visited the country. On these trips he
embraced the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and the handiwork of the local
people. He started collecting exotic crafts, which filled the family's
home before he opened his store.
Mr. Boyajian and his wife also traveled through Romania and the Soviet Union with the Chicago Community Renewal Chorus, to which he lent his
rich bass voice for many years. He was also active in folk-dancing
circles and could be counted on to attend anti-death-penalty rallies in
Chicago and later Washington.
Boyajian's Bazaar provided a focal point for his interest in creating a
global community. After selling it to Alexander, he lingered as long as
possible.
As Alexander remembers, Mr. Boyajian's plane was due to depart for his
new home the morning of Jan. 4, 2005. At 7 p.m. Jan. 3, his wife called
Alexander at the store. "Could you please bring Richard home?" she
asked.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Boyajian is survived by
another daughter, Holly Boyajian; a son, Glen; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service is set for Saturday in Lacey. A Chicago service is
scheduled for Aug. 19 at the Quaker House, 5615 S. Woodlawn Ave.
----------
ttjensen@tribune.com
Copyright (c) 2007, Chicago Tribune
```
Richard Boyajian: 1922 - 2006
--------------------
Brought the world to Hyde Park
By Trevor Jensen
Tribune staff reporter
January 13, 2007
This corrected story replaces an erroneous story published Jan. 12,
2007. The original story has been deleted from the archives.
A trip to India in the late 1960s fueled Richard Boyajian's fascination
with native handcrafts, which eventually led him to open a Hyde Park
store stuffed with unusual bric-a-brac from around the world.
Mr. Boyajian, 84, died Saturday, Dec. 23, in Lacey, Wash., three months
after being diagnosed with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease,
said his daughter, Laurel Boyajian. Mr. Boyajian and his wife, longtime
Hyde Park residents, had moved to Washington two years ago to be closer
to their daughters.
Boyajian's Bazaar was an apt name for the store at 1305 E. 53rd St.
that Mr. Boyajian opened in 1980. The shop had the aura of an exotic
foreign market, cluttered with an eclectic inventory of incense, beads,
soapstone carvings and crystals.
"It was hard to even walk up and down the aisles, it was so jam-packed
full of trinkets," said Alison Harris Alexander, who bought the store
from Mr. Boyajian in 2004 and runs it under the same name. "It's a
little bit cleaner now, but I try to keep the flavor the same."
A Quaker convert with an acute social conscience, Mr. Boyajian aimed
for the store to provide a market for craftspeople from around the globe,
Alexander said. Boyajian's Bazaar also provided an outlet for his gift
of gab; customers who dropped in to browse more often than not stayed
to chat.
"He was comfortable with people and loved to talk, especially about
science," Alexander said. "He'd keep you at the counter quite a long
time."
Said his wife, Polly: "He really loved his customers. It wasn't like
going into a store where you pick out something and leave. You'd stay and
talk."
Mr. Boyajian was born in Chicago to Armenian immigrants. His father
installed and mended rugs and carpets, but the family had little money.
Mr. Boyajian at an early age scored a coup when he got a job selling
Liberty magazine, his wife said.
During World War II he was in the Army and afterward used the GI Bill
to pay for an education at the University of Chicago, where he received
a master's degree in biochemistry, said his daughter. Around this time
he met his wife. She quickly knew she was in for an interesting ride.
He was a birdwatcher, and on an early date he took her on a long car
trip to see prairie chickens perform their mating dance.
"He was very impressed with me that I was willing to go," she said.
He began a long career as a science teacher, working at Gage Park and
South Shore High Schools before a long tenure at the University of
Chicago Lab Schools, from which he retired upon opening Boyajian's Bazaar.
A progressive social philosophy influenced all aspects of his life. An
early advocate of recycling, Mr. Boyajian cut up cereal boxes for note
cards, and his customers went home with their purchases inside plastic
bags previously issued by Mr. Boyajian's grocery store.
On regular family camping trips through the 1960s, the family would
usually pull off in a field along a country road to pitch a floorless pup
tent and cook over an open fire, his wife said. His wife and daughters
eventually persuaded him to invest in better tents and a gas stove.
In 1968, Mr. Boyajian traveled to India on a teaching mission, and the
following year the entire family visited the country. On these trips he
embraced the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and the handiwork of the local
people. He started collecting exotic crafts, which filled the family's
home before he opened his store.
Mr. Boyajian and his wife also traveled through Romania and the Soviet Union with the Chicago Community Renewal Chorus, to which he lent his
rich bass voice for many years. He was also active in folk-dancing
circles and could be counted on to attend anti-death-penalty rallies in
Chicago and later Washington.
Boyajian's Bazaar provided a focal point for his interest in creating a
global community. After selling it to Alexander, he lingered as long as
possible.
As Alexander remembers, Mr. Boyajian's plane was due to depart for his
new home the morning of Jan. 4, 2005. At 7 p.m. Jan. 3, his wife called
Alexander at the store. "Could you please bring Richard home?" she
asked.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Boyajian is survived by
another daughter, Holly Boyajian; a son, Glen; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service is set for Saturday in Lacey. A Chicago service is
scheduled for Aug. 19 at the Quaker House, 5615 S. Woodlawn Ave.
----------
ttjensen@tribune.com
Copyright (c) 2007, Chicago Tribune
```