A few years back, I was going to Alaska on vacation, and there was an oriental rug store in the middle of the many beautiful shops the tourists were flocking towards. Just as a rug trader and rug enthusiast, I felt it was imperative to investigate the store. I knew that buying authentic oriental rugs for home decorating was important, but I didn’t know quite what to look for. I suppose the first thing I thought of when I got there, was whether or not the store was really oriental rug store or not. I had actually thought that all stores were of some type of oriental rug specialty, but after spending some time there, I realized that wasn’t necessarily true.
First off, I noticed that there was the meat market located in the back. I suppose it was to prepare the meat for the market, but that doesn’t mean that wasn’t a big part of the store. In fact, much of the goods that were for sale were items used in the kitchen. Kitchen countertops, cutlery sets, even oriental rugs for decoration were all found within these meat markets. For a customer who is shopping for the more sophisticated type of oriental rug dealer, these were definitely not your best options.
I did, however, see one particular store that was specializing in rugs and carpets that were made in the style of Turkey, called the “Turkish Rugs”. These particular rugs were actually right inside of the home. The owner was originally from Istanbul, and these handmade carpets were truly a sight to behold. There were several other shops within the area that sold oriental carpets as well, but I think this was clearly the most unique shop I ever saw during my time in Virginia.
The owner was originally from Turkey, and when she moved to the United States she brought with her the knowledge of using antique carpets properly. When she started cleaning antique rugs, she learned that it was actually quite difficult to clean antique carpets, so she decided to set up her own business to make it easier for herself and others to properly care for their carpets. This turned out to be an excellent decision, as she began to offer cleaning services. It was quite popular for people to come to her business to have all of their antique carpets cleaned professionally, and she was able to quickly and easily provide all of the needed services in a very short amount of time.
oriental rug stores can also be found in the Maryland area. Many times oriental rug stores are owned by individuals, with the store being run from a home. For the owner, it makes more sense to conduct the business from a home, because it allows the owner to spend more time with their children, rather than having to drive six or seven miles each way in order to visit a Baltimore pike farm. A number of the owners of oriental rug stores have children who are interested in helping their parents clean their rugs. Many children will even help their parents wash their rugs!
Oriental rugs can be found throughout the United States, as well as throughout the world. Some Persian carpet designs can be seen in the states that border the Persian Gulf, such as Texas. Baltimore is another state with a strong connection to Persian rug manufacturing, as many of the individuals who ran their own factories migrated to Maryland after World War II. Many of these factories still produce high quality rugs, and many of the original designs are still hand made by the same individuals who created the patterns back in the 1920s.
