Arax Market brings the world to Watertown

Arax Market celebrates 45 years in Watertown

On the corner of Mount Auburn Street and Melendy Avenue a large, olive green sign with bright, white lettering marks the entrance to Watertown landmark Arax Market. The mom-and-pop shop sells specialty Armenian and Middle Eastern food products. In the front of the market, an array of  fresh produce overflows from cardboard cartons. Various selections of cheese line the refrigerator shelves in the back, and glass displays hold  pastries like nutella chocolate baklava.

Elizabeth Bassmajian opened Arax Market with her brothers and husband Hagop in 1974. Ownership has stayed in the family, and Elizabeth and Hagop’s three children have since taken over the every day business operations. This year the family celebrates the market’s 45 anniversary.

Bringing a piece of Armenia to Watertown

The Bassmajian family roots derive from Armenia where the cuisine differs from traditional American hamburgers and New England clam chowder. When they first came to Watertown, the Bassmajians had trouble finding the ingredients and food  they ate growing up. The family decided if they could not find the food they needed, they would have to sell it themselves.

“They needed their cuisine, and the only way to do it was to do it themselves.” Betty, Elizabeth and Hagop’s daughter, said.

With a large and growing Armenian population in Watertown, the demand for specialty food existed. The challenging part was growing the market by selling to their non-Armenian neighbors.

“They were foreigners in a foreign land,” Betty said. “They had to introduce all this food and culture to the Americans and get them used to the cuisine, the culture, and everything like that.”

The Bassmajians spent most of the 70s and 80s establishing their market. Hagop used to travel all over the United States looking for vendors selling specialty foods he could bring back to Watertown. He did this until Arax Market became secure enough that vendors sought them out instead of the reverse. Now, 45 years later Arax Market has become a staple in the Greater Boston Area.

A family affair

Elizabeth and Hagop have three children: Harout, Betty, and Shant. All three were born in Watertown and have worked in their parents shop since childhood. In the past few years, Elizabeth and Hagop have passed on their business’s proverbial reins to their children.

Every morning at 5 a.m. Harout heads to Boston’s produce market. He hand-picks all the produce and fruit for the store. When he finishes, he loads everything onto a truck and heads back to Watertown. Shant and Betty run the business side of the shop. They find vendors and order supplies. All three supervise daily operations.

“There is always something to do,” Harout said. “You can work 24 hours a day non-stop and there would be something to do.”

The three are at the market seven days a week, often working more than 12 hour days. They hardly ever close the store or take time off. According to Betty, the longest they have ever closed the store was for her wedding.

“It’s a love-hate relationship with the store. We don’t have a life.” she said. “My parents gave their whole lives to the store, and now we have given our whole lives to the store. It is our baby. We do everything for this business.”

Modernizing mom and pop

Elizabeth, Hagop, and their children have kept tradition at the center of the market. They sell traditional food they cook with natural ingredients and try to keep the store as old fashioned as possible.

“We upgrade stuff, but people don’t want us to make it look like a big box market,” Betty said. “They like us to keep it the way they remember it and how it is back home. They want that kind of feeling.”

The new generation has brought some changes. Betty experiments with the food. She uses Armenian and American influences to create concoctions like Nutella chocolate baklava, pesto hummus, and quinoa salad mixed with Armenian spices.

At first, Elizabeth and Hagop uncertain of their daughter’s experiments. However, they warmed to the changes as customers reacted positively. Some experiments aret better than others.

“We were brought up with this food, but you need to play with it and have fun with it,” she said.

As society continues to change, Harout said, the shop also has to adjust. In the future, he thinks the market will offer more meals to go and maybe start delivering.

“I find more people have less time to cook,” Harout said. “That is why you see more of the meals in the boxes, on the go, and stuff like that. That is the scary thing. I don’t know what is going to happen in ten years. Everyone is so busy with work. People just don’t have time to sit there and cook.”

With all the new shops and restaurants opening up, Betty said the family has to stay one step ahead of the game to keep up with all the transitions in Watertown. The town’s upcoming construction plan at Mount Auburn Street concerns the family. Watertown plans to narrow Mount Auburn Street down to one lane traffic and to remove some parking spots in the area. While it is hard to predict the impact, Betty believes it will hurt the business.

“I get ten to 12 deliveries a day. If my delivery truck don’t have anywhere to put their car, how am I going to get deliveries? If there is nowhere to park in front of the store, how am I going to get my customers? It is running the convenience.” she said.

Preserving a tradition

The family does not want to go anywhere and is determined to keep up with the improvements of the town. After 45 years in Watertown, the Bassmajians and Arax Market is ingrained in the community.

“Our customers are our family. We cry with them we live with them. I see a lot of them almost every day. It is a different bond. It’s not like your typical grocery store,” Betty said. “You can buy apples everywhere but you cannot buy that relationship. It is amazing.”

As the Bassmajians say, for over four decades Arax Market has been bringing the world to Watertown, and they hope to continue that tradition.