During my recent trip to Afghanistan, I had the opportunity to travel with Alex Zahir, a rug importer based in Knoxville, TN. Zahir was born into a rug weaving family in Afghanistan and has used his familiarity with these rugs to bring them to the USA for sale to stores across America.
Together, Alex and I developed and produced a CARPET EXPORT CONFERENCE for the Department of Commerce that was presented to Afghan business people involved in the carpet trade. All day workshops were offered in Kabul, in Mazar-e Sharif and in Heart. Each workshop was a conference in the truest sense as we were able to get the attendees talking about the obstacles they face in their businesses. I was overwhelmed by the openness and the candor with which they spoke about their businesses. At each venue we had 1o to 12 ladies and the mood was so uplifting and constructive, that even they spoke out on issues that specifically confront the women in the rug making business.
The objective of the conference was to enhance sales prospects in the US market for Afghanistan’s carpet producing organizations by providing knowledge and training. Attendees completed a rather lengthy questionnaire that will give us a snapshot of the mood and condition of the industry in 2011. This will help us see the changes since we began this quest in 2007 and plan our work in the future.
I believe this industry is unique since it requires little investment and is indigenous to the peoples of Afghanistan. It can stand on its own. It can provide a base for industrial development to service itself as carpet finishing returns from Pakistan. As equity grows, local and other investors will build spinning mills to spin Afghan wool. They will construct plants to make soaps and chemicals used in finishing which are now entirely imported from Pakistan.
This was my second visit to Afghanistan and Alex’s first trip to his homeland in 28 years. I saw a totally different city in Kabul. The first thing that hits you is the new airport, and as you head into the city steel and concrete buildings are going up everywhere. There are now billboards selling goods and something that you just did not see back in 2007: traffic jams! After the military draws down there will still be a lot of need for road construction. There is also a significant change in attitude. Now, there is a definite sense of purpose to get on with business.
I will summarize my observations for Washington and I hope to make another trip back to Afghanistan in early 2012 to ramp up the education and training to help the carpet makers there develop an “Afghan brand.”
I feel particularly invested in Afghanistan and the challenges facing carpet makers there. When I first traveled to the war-torn country in 2007, the infrastructure for shearing, washing and finishing the country’s primary craft and commercial export had been destroyed during decades of fighting and chaos. Almost all the country’s rugs were sent to Pakistan for the final production steps.
Consequently, Afghan-made rugs were marked “Made in Pakistan” and the world’s consumers never knew their real origin.
Afghanistan is a major producer of beautiful hand knotted rugs and, in turn, the rug business is one of the largest segments of the country’s economy. The Afghan rug trade employs one million people and another four million in allied fields and this why we want to ensure this industry remains viable and produces income for the population.
For years, I have studied the economics as well as the practical aspects of bringing this equity producing part of the business back to Afghanistan. My continuing mission is to complete what I’ve started, and last month, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Afghanistan again.
Amid various insurgent activities and the assassination of a beloved former President, regional security officers allowed me to spend two weeks meeting with over 180 of the country’s leading carpet producers, encouraging them and educating them on ways to continue to pursue export shipments to world markets. The trip was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
In upcoming posts, I’ll tell you more about the CARPET EXPORT CONFERENCE and its impact on rug makers in Afghanistan and share and in depth interview about my experience that aired on the local ABC channel’s Lowcountry Live .
In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts about American efforts to support the Afghan rug making industry.
Fine Rugs of Charleston will be mentioned in an upcoming issue of Charleston Home and Design. Here are my answers to questions from Editor-in-Chief, Julie Sprankles:
JS: What’s unique about your showroom?
RL: Without a doubt, the Gallery setting.
How is it different from other similar showrooms?
Rob: Many rug stores call themselves galleries, but they usually look like warehouses with waist high piles of rugs. We are able to show all of our 1,000 rug choices as full rugs and discuss variations in size and color that the customer can order.
Why do you love working there?
My ultimate objective is for the customer to leave our showroom with a better understanding of rugs; their design and performance along with an awareness of the choices that they have.
Why do customers love shopping there?
In addition to the education, clients enjoy the friendly surroundings of our renovated building and, of course, our dependable sales associates.
What can a customer expect to see or experience when they walk into your store?
1,000 rug choices, every one a different combination of color and style direction. It’s a very impressive array, especially when shown on individual rack arms and categorized into whether it fits in a Traditional or Contemporary decor.
What is the secret to surviving a lagging economy?
Service, service and, above all, service.
As a business owner, what’s your secret? Let us know in your comments below.
In this blog entry I want to get back to my core. That is rugs, rugs, rugs! In the following I have excerpted and adapted an excellent article from the November 2010 issue of “Arts and Antiques” magazine. The author, Sarah E. Fensom, expertly analyzes the market for antique Persian rugs
The current market for oriental rugs can be broken down neatly into two parts: decorative and collectible. The decorative segment is far larger and caters to those who buy rugs, essentially, to decorate their homes. “For those using rugs simply to decorate there are certain trends that go in and out of style—like fashion. Often color has a big part in this,” says Sumru Belger Krody, head curator of the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. In this category, aesthetics are the main draw, and though buyers might spring for a very fine carpet, it is look, color and size that drive them to choose one piece over another.
The collectible market is smaller but is much greater in its enthusiasm. It is sustained by those who collect rugs for different reasons. Perhaps they collect on the basis of region, time period, tribe or the like but with the intent to acquire and display their rugs as pieces of art. Hadji Rahimipour, vice president of carpets and rugs at Bonham’s’ Auctions, explains that he judges fine-art quality carpets according to four features: origin, age, quality of workmanship and condition. “Carpets are not like paintings, which you can’t touch or get too close to,” he says. “Carpets go on the floor—that’s the beauty of the old rugs.”
But, Peter Poullada, a San Francisco-based independent collector and rug scholar, adds that the analogy between carpets and artworks breaks down somewhat because “we can’t celebrate the artist.” However, for hard-core collectors, the anonymity of Middle Eastern weavers is no drawback but actually a large part of the interest. What makes each rug and artwork is the cultural context in which it was created and this context has a large bearing on style, colors and, consequently, collectability.
Kazak tribal rug, late 19th century
Within collectibles there are two distinct groups; “village rugs” are products of a cottage industry whose manufacture was an event for an entire village. The men raised and herded sheep, while the women hand-dyed the wool using all-natural dyes and weaved the carpets on giant looms. Elisabeth Parker, the head of Christie’s rugs and carpets department, describes the production of these textiles as a “women’s industry.” She explains, “The men of the villages would sit around watching the sheep and smoking their pipes, while the women would be spinning wool and weaving rugs. These rugs were rarely standardized and always contain motifs reflective of the village and the times for the tribes creating them. They were most often used to trade for other goods with other tribes that did not weave rugs.
Many “village rug” collectors focus on specific tribes or regions as a matter of personal taste, but certain types of carpets have maintained their popularity over the years. Rugs from the 85 distinct tribes of the Caucasus, the crossroads between the Black and Caspian seas, are prized among collectors for their variety, bold geometric patterns and bright colors. Peter Poullada recalls a collector who embarked on a still-unfulfilled quest to acquire a rug from each of the 85 regions. As of June 2010 he’d paid nearly $250,000 for rugs made by 84 of the 85 tribes.
Lavar Kirman from 17th century
The other group, “court or city rugs”, were made in workshops in the great cities of Persia and the Ottoman Empire and are the antithesis of their tribal counterparts. Usually they exhibit perfect symmetry and a rigid standardization of their weave. They were manufactured in workshops according to patterns made by professional designers on commission to patrons or even royalty. The oldest surviving city rugs date back to the 15th or 16th centuries, but examples that old are extremely scarce, and very valuable.
The “court or city rugs” of Laver Kirman in southwest Iran are known for their languid lines, rich colors and large proportion. It was a 17th century Laver Kirman that set the record at Christie’s New York last spring for the top-selling rug at auction, attaining a whopping $9.6 million, (shown at left). Elizabeth Parker acknowledges the desirability of such a piece, saying, “We’d all like to own 17th-century Persian carpets, but only a museum in Qatar could afford it!” And, that is exactly where this prize resides today.
Each and every Oriental rug is a balanced mix of aesthetic beauty, functionality and material culture. Sumru Belger Krody notes, “We appreciate art for beauty, but when we hear the history of the piece we learn how it has affected lives. The dyes, the materials of rugs—a pretty red isn’t just a pretty red, it really means something to people.” This is the mystical allure of rugs.
“The wolf is away from the door…..” I have said this in the past few days referring to our business in September and the first weeks of October. But, I continue, “I think he is still circling the house!”
In this environment, who knows what will come next. Will the ‘wolf’ be back? The past two years has been the most difficult of my entire career. I have never seen a period when a businessman is completely unable to forecast his company.
At Fine Rugs of Charleston, by every measure, September was best month we’ve had in over two years. Our clients and designers give me a feeling that there may be a resurgent demand in home decorating. However, you can’t really call it “pent up demand” in a classic sense. That implies that customer needs which went unfilled for a period are now being filled. Not by a long shot; things are totally different now and we are adjusting to the changes.
Clients have dialed back their price points, but not their style expectations and quality standards. This is natural in a recovery and logical when you realize that as business people we always endeavor to have our customer’s trade up. When the ‘wheels fell off’ in late 2008 we may have maxed out our client’s appetite for extravagance. I see now in our own rug selection we had let a quest for freshness and color push our price points to the sky. Frankly, I didn’t realize this until the past few weeks as business has begun to improve.
What are we doing differently? Well, we have addressed our price points by adding a number of more moderately priced, but stylish rug collections to our mix. For the past year and a half our vendors have been scouring the globe in search of value and these products are now coming to market. Fine Rugs of Charleston is among the top rug and carpet showrooms in the nation and we are often offered first crack at new lines.
The one pictured here, is a custom Wool program in looped, or cut pile, construction that hits the lowest price point we have ever offered in a custom rug.
Interior Design firms, including Margaret Donaldson Interiors and Riverside Designers use rugs from this collection. The adjacent room was designed by Jennifer Ferrell of Riverside Designers.
These rugs simulate our Tibetan rugs where we sell a 9×12 rug for up to $8,000. The 9×12 rug in this collection (net) sells for only $2,300. Standard and custom sizes are offered and the lead time is 3-4 weeks. Come in and see the Delray or Sierra Collections. Believe me, this product line is helping us “keep the wolf from coming through the door!”
Last week I introduced you to SmartStrand carpet– durable, affordable and green carpet with a lifetime guarantee against stains. I explained how SmartStrand stood up Martha’s Stewart’s red wine test and a two week beating from Ricko the Rhino.
Then, this past April, the folks at Mohawk wanted to see if the Family Circle Cup was a match against their carpet. The Family Circle Cup attracts more than 90,000 visitors to Daniel Island, SC to watch the world’s best women tennis players.
Mohawk covered the stadium entrance and exit walkways with snow white carpet, subjecting it to nine days of foot traffic. Those who have attended the event know the temporary parking lots are not paved. Each night, the same professionals who clean my customers’ carpets, cleaned the white carpet on display at the tennis tournament. They used the standard cleaning mix, and the results were spectacular!
The carpet was pure white again every morning when the gates opened.
While the Rhino challenge proved that SmartStrand comes clean, even under extreme circumstances, the test at the Family Circle Cup demonstrated the carpet’s ability to stand up to many, many cleanings.
On Day 6, Mohawk invited kids to the “Mess Makers Challenge.” The activities all took place on SmartStrand carpet and left a spectacular mess to clean up. Did it pass the test? You already know the answer, but this video proves it. If you don’t see the player, click here.
These examples and events, along with a growing body of satisfied consumers, support a tremendous future for Mohawk’s SmartStrand carpets.
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In my last post, I introduced you to SmartStrand carpet, which was introduced to the market in 2004. Fine Rugs entered the broadloom business two years ago, and we’ve installed this carpet in a number of homes. I’m so happy with SmartStrand’s performance, that I’m offering a lifetime replacement guarantee. Visit the Fine Rugs of Charleston website for more details.
Before I made this aggressive guarantee, I studied the product and came away very impressed with it’s potential to be, by far, the best carpet ever developed. I searched carpet cleaning data bases and read hundreds of consumer comments. I did not see one single customer complaint on the carpet’s performance, only glowing reports of satisfaction. And reports of shipping delays between 2005- 2007 were reconciled after DuPont and Mohawk increased capacity.
It Passes the Red Wine Test
In 2009, SmartStrand carpet was featured on The Martha Stewart Show. In the segment, Martha touted the product’s availability in a collection of beautiful styles in hundreds of colors. She stressed that she hesitates to serve red wine at parties because of fears of spills and stains. Then, she gleefully poured red wine on a sample of SmartStrand carpet and removed it with plain warm water. Her audience was very impressed!
A Rhino: No Match for SmartStrand
SmartStrand can even withstand the constant tracking of mud, dirt, and the daily surprises left by Ricko, a 2,800 pound black rhinoceros. The 12-year-old rhino lives at the Birmingham, Alabama Zoo. For safety reasons, he spent two weeks inside an enclosed space after a tropical storm. And needless to say, Ricko soiled the SmartStrand carpet under his feet– in many ways.
After two weeks, the carpet was removed and the cleaning began. Sections of carpet were selected for “before and after” displays and the results were obvious. “To be honest, I didn’t expect it to come clean at all.” said zookeeper Billy Cochran.
“I never had a doubt,” said David Duncan, Mohawk’s Vice President of Marketing. “We didn’t clean it using any extraordinary means. We used the same formula, at the same strength, available to every consumer who purchases Mohawk FloorCare Essentials from their local retailer.”
SmartStrand vs. Family Circle Cup
Stay tuned for my next post. I’ll explain how Mohawk put SmartStrand carpet to the test again at one of the most visible sporting events in the nation.
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I’ve seen a lot in my 40 years in the floor covering industry. But I truly have never seen a product as revolutionary as this. I have studied it and, considering my technical background, I just love this product! I feel so good about it that I will offer a full replacement of the carpet if stains can’t be removed.
So, what is this product and what are the specifics of my guarantee?
The product is SmartStand made by Mohawk Carpet. It offers exceptional softness and color clarity and is naturally fade and bleach resistant. But its best feature is that stains, including red wine, pet urine and mustard can be removed with warm water. Mohawk has offered SmartStrand since 2004, and with more than 5 years in the market its performance has been proven. There have been nearly no complaints from consumers.
It’s Green:
SmartStrand is made with a new fiber, invented by DuPont, called Triexta. DuPont has trademarked the fiber under the name Sorona®. Beyond these marvelous performance properties, Sorona® has significant environmental benefit. By weight, 37% of the raw material used to make the fiber is derived from corn sugar instead of pure petroleum. And, the production of Sorona® requires 30 percent less energy than the production of an equal amount of nylon. Greenhouse gas emissions are 60% lower.
SmartStrand: Simply a Better Buy. We guarantee it.
Upon the installation of SmartStrand carpet you will be given a Guarantee card that reads:
“We believe in this carpet so much that, after two years, we will visit your home and clean your carpet at no charge. After 24 months and before 36 months, at our cost, we will clean your SmartStrand carpet. If it will not come clean we will completely replace the carpet. All we will ask you to do is move the furniture while we clean your carpets.”
We will clean your carpet once, after it has been installed for two years. But the stain guarantee is for the life of the carpet. I know of no similar or stronger guarantee!
If you have any questions, please call me directly at 843-577-3386. You can also visit our website for more information.
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The carpet at left is known as a Serapi. It’s a wool handknotted rug made in northwestern Persia up until about 1920. These rugs command incredible prices and have for the 40 years I have been in the rug business. Like hemlines in women’s fashion, rug design popularity ebbs and flows through time. But, not for the Serapi. They are indeed timeless; this photo was shown in House Beautiful in 1984.
The rug is an astoundingly simple design with a limited color pallette that an interior designer or client can meld into almost any design scheme. But, the consistent demand and resulting high valuations have created confusion over what actually is a Serapi.
Designers and even rug dealers have difficulty telling the difference between Serapi rugs and another very similiar rug called a Heriz. That uncertainty can put clients in an uncomfortable position, years later, when they realize they have a Heriz and not the prized Serapi that they thought they had. In the last year, at Fine Rugs, we’ve had to advise two separate clients that their Serapi was a Heriz.
So, what is a Serapi and how can you tell the difference from the Heriz? The seeds for this confusion were laid in the 1930’s when rug buyers in Persia invented the name Serapi to describe a type of Heriz that was no longer being made. To this day that is the definition of a Serapi: a very fine rug from the Heriz district of Persia. The name given these rugs was derived from a village named Serab, (as in, of Serab), even though the people of Serab only made long narrow rugs and not the roomsized carpets we see in the market.
The design, (shown above), is said to have originally been a simplified village version of the complex medallion rugs made in Tabriz, the next nearest city. The best specimen rugs were made for the 1880’s through 1920. 1900 was the highpoint of so-called Serapi production, after which weavers made some techincal changes that gave rise to the Heriz rugs that we know today. The patterns may look nearly the same, but the weaves are different. For a period of 20 years both weaves were made creating the rugs that cause all this confusion 100 years later. So, again, how do we tell them apart? You simply turn over and look at the back.
And, you don’t need to be an expert to tell the difference. When looking at the the back of the rug, on the Serapi you will notice that the warps and the rows of knots along them are firmly pressed down so that the warp threads don’t show up and down the back. However in the Heriz weave, the knots are not pressed down and are offset so that the warp is noticeable along the back. A simple observation can be made by running your hand side to side across the back of the rug. If it’s bumpy to the feel, it’s a Heriz; a smooth feel and you are caressing a rare and valuable Serapi. You don’t need an expert tell the difference, but for a 9×12 rug that can sell for upwards of $40,000, I recommend that you seek separate authentication before you buy one.
If that rug in the photo above was from the early 1980’s consider this one. It is a press photo for the hit CBS Drama, ‘The Good Wife’ showing the main characters in the series. Notice the rug on the floor of the office. It is the timeless Serapi showing it’s constant cache’ among our tastemakers from the entertainment industry.
And here is the likely design of this rug and a final look at the shape and coloration of the most valuable decorative rugs ever made.
This is my opinion, but this is my blog! I do welcome your opinions so, please leave a comment.
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Charleston's Top Designers Turn Out for Barclay Butera
We were thrilled to receive Barclay Butera at Fine Rugs of Charleston on May 26th. Widely known and a growing presence in the interior design field, Barclay spoke to a full house of designers, architects and local press.
His speaking and book signing schedule would leave most people breathless! But he did squeeze in a visit to Fine Rugs, where we are featuring his new rug collection. I was very excited to have such a renowned design figure in our showroom. More than 100 of the Lowcountry’s top interior designers came out to meet him. It was the biggest turnout we have ever had for an event. I honestly don’t know what I can do to top this, but I’ll definitely try!
Barclay gained exposure to the interior design field early on via his mother’s design firm in Palo Alto, California. He launched his own Los Angeles design firm in 1993 and today the company employs 56 people and executes residential projects all over the country. Barclay also creates numerous product lines embodying luxury at various price points and maintains showrooms in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Park City and New York City.
In his talk at Fine Rugs he underscored his roots and the qualities he feels made him successful; service, positive energy and a deep connection to his client.
Rob with Barclay Butera just before the book signing
“I believe we need to develop long-term friendships with clients, give them luxury in whatever dose they need initially, and then grow up together with them. We should remember their birthdays, acknowledge all their special occasions and be there for whatever they need, be it small, say, a single sofa, a few pillows, wallpaper and paint, or a larger job. This is what service is about and doing the small things leads to referrals and bigger work. A single sofa can turn into a fifth home down the road.”
Barclay appeared at Fine Rugs on behalf of Kravet Collections, for which he has just created substantial carpet and fabric lines, including the rugs featured that morning. We thank Kravat for making this entire event possible!
After his presentation, Barclay spent about an hour signing his latest book, “Living in Style” (Assouline, 2008), a retrospective of his residential work featuring 90 photos.
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