“Treasures of Armenia”

[beatnik]

ArmeniaNow

An exclusive boutique of Armenian hand-made souvenirs and clothes was inaugurated this week in Yerevan’s center. American –Armenian designer Nina Hovnanian-Alexanian, believes that the expressive name of her boutique “Treasures of Armenia” best of all reflects her idea of marketing Armenian products.

“This is not just a souvenir shop,” she says. “Armenia does not have rich natural resources but it has other treasures- its people, its culture. What we are trying to do is promoting Armenian products, to create the notion of a luxurious brand, to discover talented designers and to develop the concept of Armenian quality production. Whatever is introduced here has a mission to present Armenia in the best way.”

The work of more than 50 Armenian artists and designers are represented in paintings, on women’s suits, embroidered with Armenian ornaments, sculptures and other things. And these are not items for the vernisage shopper: Small holiday ornaments cost about $15, while other pieces range from $100-300, and the most expensive reaches $3,000 for a set of gilded cups and knives.

Hovnanian-Alexanian says that she does not like the idea that exclusive items should be cheap in Armenia, just because it is a developing country.

“Armenia has great stuff, a great potential. I don’t want anybody to think that they have to pay less because it is a developing nation. If a tourist can pay $1,000 for a pair of shoes outside of Armenia I want them to pay $1000 for a pair of shoes in Armenia.”

Her personal works, bags with replicas of Armenian prominent painter Martiros Sarian are also on sale in the store, which has a studio next door.

“Our doors are opened for all artists who have talent but do not have a space to exhibit their handicrafts. We accept everything- with the only condition that it should be unique, Armenian and really exclusive,” the owner says.

Hovnanian-Alexanian started to work in Armenia as a designer in 1995. In 2001 she founded the Information Center, a guide office for tourists.

She said that after being involved in tourism development for 5 years she realized that Armenia is a great but still undiscovered country which does not have a very distinguishable image and has few chances to represent its culture abroad.

In 2004 Hovnanian-Alexanian founded “Treasures of Armenia: Designers Guild and Armenian Crafts Emporium”. However she succeeded to open a store only now. She says that the reason is that the renovation of the building took a lot of time and efforts, because it was old.

{ai126802.jpg|right}The store is located upstairs Abovian 1, next door of Sil Plaza, Armenia’s first up-scale shopping mall. The building was built in 1914 and a number of prominent Armenians lived there, such as prominent doctor Aram Ter-Avetikian, and writer Hovaness Toumanyan.

During Soviet times the building was nationalized and was turned into an apartment building. The designer acquired the building from four families, who were living there in 1999. She first was planning to turn it into an apartment and studio, but then had the idea of creating the boutique and studio.

The shop, too, is a metaphor of sorts for the changing neighborhood. On the street below, pensioners sell trinkets and seeds for pennies, while above them are luxury items unreachable in every way. (Perhaps in unplanned irony, the shop has decorative archways that were salvaged from demolition sites of the Buzand street area, where disadvantaged residents complain about being made homeless by rich entrepreneurs.)

“I love Armenia,” says Hovnanian-Alexanian. “ I still feel a little confused about running a business in this country. I heard some horrible stories of people who came from abroad and failed at business here for some unclear reason. But I am hoping that everything will be getting better.”

The designer/businesswoman is also planning to open similar Treasures of Armenia stores abroad, or to place a section in the exclusive stores of the USA and Europe.