Makyadath Lazar has an easy explanation for why his store, Lazar’s Bazar, has emerged as a one-of-a-kind retail establishment in Eugene: “My customers are unique.”
Lazar’s dependence on his customers’ input can’t be overstated. Patrons themselves have truly created the strange concoction of products that characterizes the nearly 30-year-old store.
“There is little we don’t carry. And anything we don’t carry, we’ll order,” Lazar said.
Lazar said special orders that customers have neglected to pick up over the years are thrown on the shelf for anyone to buy. This explains why a person can wander into Lazar’s and find anything from Halloween masks to skateboard gear to martial arts supplies — and that’s just on the first floor.
Beyond the assortment of vintage clothing and trendy urban garb, customers can find stickers, pipes and even camping cookware. The second floor is devoted primarily to an enormous assortment of posters and greeting cards.
Eugene resident Hollow Reed said the establishment reminds him of places normally found in big cities, and that Lazar’s appeal comes from the store’s wide selection of disparate items.
“Basically, it’s a conglomeration of a bunch of shit that nobody needs and can’t use,” Reed said. “And that’s a good thing.”
Lazar agrees: “It’s definitely a different world in here,” he chuckled. “People come in here, forget what they came in for and find something they didn’t even know they wanted.”
Lazar’s Bazar could be described not only as a retail store, but as a museum too. Since the shop’s opening, Lazar, a self-described “sucker,” has attended countless trade shows, snatching up whatever oddities grab his interest — many of which remain on the shelves until that special customer finds it.
Lazar laughs at how long some of his products have lingered. For instance, the owner says one strange little alarm clock has been on the shelf for nearly 25 years. Customers can go in and pick up items that were featured as popular gift ideas, faded into obscurity, and then reemerged as retro-chic. Anyone need an unopened poster of Pat Benetar? Lazar’s is the place for you.
Lazar, who rarely uses his first name, could be described as a true American success story. Arriving in Eugene from his native India in 1974, Lazar began selling tapestries out of a backpack around the University while his wife, Rosie, took a position as a nurse at a local hospital. From there, the young entrepreneur moved into a small space at 13th Avenue and Oak Street, where he sold tapestries, Indian clothing and handicrafts.
Today, Lazar owns three retail spaces Downtown with plans to open a fourth near the University. In addition to the Bazar at 57 West Broadway, he owns two shoe stores — one next door to the Bazar and Shoe-A-Holic, located at 957 Willamette St.
He said his preoccupation with footwear came when his son, Priyamon, took up skateboarding in the 1980s. In the anything-goes spirit of his establishment, Lazar began selling skateboarding products with his son in charge — at 10 years old. The growing sales of skateboarding shoes led to the current, larger operations. Meanwhile, Lazar said Priyamon, now 24, will be the chief creative force behind the new University store, which will specialize in shoes and tobacco accessories.
Lazar gained notoriety in 2000 when he ran for mayor. Spending just $50 of his own money on advertising, the budding politician garnered 7 percent of the vote — not bad for a guy who started off with 12 tapestries in a backpack.
Lazar credits the success of his store to the constant cooperation of his family. In addition to his son’s involvement, Lazar’s wife and three daughters are fixtures at the establishment. He said it’s truly a family operation, and then laughed: “The only thing is, I can’t fire them.”