On ‘Family’ with the Bazars

Imperial Pearl has been run by three generations of the Bazar family. Center, Father, Banice, 87-year-old CEO; right, son and company’s president, Peter; and left, grandson, Josh, chief marketing officer. /PHOTO | IMPERIAL PEARL

The room is filled with warmth, smiling faces, and three generations of the Bazar family: Banice and his children Karen and Peter, Peter’s son Josh, and nephew Todd. The Bazars own and manage Imperial Pearl, a pearl sourcing, jewelry design and manufacturing company out of their East Providence office, showroom and plant. When a reporter asks them, “How do you stay a family and run a business at the same time? What is your secret?” Karen says, “There is going to be fighting. You just get over it.”

Karen is one of four children, all with children of their own. The Bazar family is close, prioritizing time spent with one another as much as they can. Imagine traveling to Cancun with your entire family of 25 people. The Bazars have done that trip and more. Peter laughs, “We have to hire buses to get around!”

Indeed the family has traveled to many places together. Beverly, Karen’s mother and the much-loved matriarch of the family, even went so far as to purchase the Valley Tavern and Inn in Waterville, New Hampshire – just to make sure the family had a getaway that could accommodate them all. True to her intention, the inn has ensured many happy ski excursions and breaks from the work of running a family business.

Beverly and Banice will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary the last week of December. How does the clan stay so close in a time of fraying family relationships? Todd chimes in: “You know how if you haven’t seen your best friend in months it doesn’t even matter? We are all each other’s best friend. No matter when we connect, it’s like no time has passed.”

Fifteen years ago, at an anniversary celebration, Banice noted a similar sentiment, “I don’t know how time went by so fast … it seems like 15 minutes … underwater.” When asked, “What trait do you admire most in your wife?” Banice pauses for a moment before answering, “Her dedication to the family.” Karen observes, “Oh mom loves her children and grandchildren!”

At the curveball question, “What about you? If Beverly was in the room (she was not present during the interview), what would she say about you? Without hesitation, Banice responds in laughter, “She’d say I was a pain in the ass!”

The family’s roots run deep in Rhode Island. In the early 20th century Banice’s father fled the Russian pogroms to build a life for his family in Rhode Island. Originally living in Woonsocket, Banice settled his family in South Providence while he grew his business, with Beverly supporting them as a teacher. At that time in Rhode Island, married women were not allowed to teach. Karen, the youngest of the Bazar children, smiles as she explains how her mother managed it: “She had to go to court. She was the first married woman to teach in Rhode Island.”

Many years and a few company acquisitions later, Banice jokes about Imperial’s success;  “I went from Blackstone Street on the South Side, to Blackstone Boulevard.” And what about Imperial Pearl? The business has undergone a bit of a facelift in the past few years, with a new website, Home Shopping Network (HSN) presence and a shortened name (formerly Imperial-Deltah, Inc.). Chief Marketing Officer and Rhode Island College graduate Josh Bazar, explains how he got into the family business, “I was asked by the Cultured Pearl Association of America if I wanted to learn about how pearls were cultivated, and about the countries who export them.”

Josh spent a month learning in and touring Japan, Hong Kong, mainland China, Fiji, Tahiti and the Philippines. After the trip, Josh was then featured in a documentary about the pearl industry, which caught the eye of producers at HSN. He now has a regular spot on the network where he features Imperial Pearl jewelry. Peter is now the president of the Cultured Pearl Association of America, in addition to president of Imperial Pearl itself.

Indeed, Imperial Pearl is growing. This growth has attracted companies looking to purchase the company but, as Peter tells it, “My mother always said, no, this is our company, it takes care of my family. It takes care of the employees and their families. This is a family business.”

LEAH C. BOURAMIA is an educator, wife and the mother of two rambunctious boys. She lives in Warwick.