Four generations. One corner of College Avenue.
The story of H. Tulanian & Sons, Berkeley’s longest family-owned rug business — 1922 to 2024.
A rugman in Philadelphia
Hatchadoor Tulanian (1894–1965), a survivor of the Armenian genocide, builds his experience in the rug trade and runs a business in Philadelphia.
Arriving in Berkeley
Hatchadoor and his bride Zabel arrive in Berkeley. They fall in love with the climate and decide to stay. Hatchadoor sets up his rug shop at 2938 College Avenue.
The corner building
Hatchadoor purchases the 1923 building at 2998 College Avenue, at the corner of Webster, and moves the business there. He adds a concrete floor and drain for washing rugs and wooden pallets on the roof for drying them in the California sun. Neighbors grow used to seeing him drive rugs around town tied to the running boards of his car.
H. Tulanian Oriental Rugs
The shop’s signs promise “Oriental Rugs · Cleaning · Repairing” to everyone passing on College Avenue.
H. Tulanian & Sons
Hatchadoor’s two sons join the business, and it expands to fill the entire building.
A Hollywood cameo
With its oversized arched clerestory windows and fireplace, the building is used as a location in the film Made in America.
The third generation
Brother and sister Gary and Jane Tulanian become the third-generation owners and, along with their niece Kristen, carry the family business forward — proudly continuing one of the Elmwood district’s longest family-owned businesses.
A place in Berkeley history
The Berkeley Historical Plaque Project honors Tulanian Rugs with a plaque on the College Avenue side of the building.
A new chapter
After 102 years, the family sells the building and retires from rug cleaning and repair to focus on consulting and on their popular rug fragment ornaments.
Your trust and support has meant everything to us. We are still available for consultations, rug questions and advice.The Tulanian familyGary, Jane & Kristen
A century of rugs, restored
For generations, rugs that others had given up on came back to life on our workroom floor.
Have a rug question?
Send us a note and a few photos. After more than a century of rugs, there’s a good chance we’ve seen something like yours.