Mothball Dispute, Area Rug Sale, Rug Cleaning and Repair, Tapestries

During the past couple of days, we were busy with selling area rugs, getting some Oriental carpets for cleaning and repair, and selling two tapestries. A customer had given us 13 rugs for cleaning and repair from Malibu, a very beautiful city close to Los Angeles. When the gentleman and his wife came in to pick up their rugs, they looked at few of them from the back and touched the face of the couple of the rugs. They liked the cleanness and softness of the rugs. I also showed them how we had fixed the fringes and had secured them in a way that the knots would not come off. They liked the way the fringes were secured. They said that they would like to store few of these rugs and do not want to use them for a while. I mentioned that we could do this and gave them a one page rug storage tips we had. They agreed that we do the packing. We did few hours of work yesterday, vacuumed each rug, took its digital high resolution photos and put mothballs inside each rug. We Rolled each rug and secured it with rope. Then we used special type of heavy duty paper since plastics of any kind is not good for the rug storage. We taped each rug and then printed the photo with the size and taped it to the rug with the care instructions. They could not believe how professional this job was done. We only charged them $20 for each piece. A couple of the pieces were big, but we charged them $20 per rug regardless of the size. It took us a full half day. I did not mind doing a first class job to please my customers.

The husband called me this morning around 8:30 complaining about the smell of the mothballs and said that I had promised to use undetectable mothballs without any odor. I did not have such a mothball and I had not promised to use something that I did not have. I told all this very nicely to the husband who seemed very angry over the phone. I was very nice to him and did not lose my temper at all. I believe it is my job to be nice to people and my customers. He said he would talk to his wife and would call me back. He called me back later and said he wanted me to take the mothballs out and I said I would be back in my store after 11:00 am. and toled him bring the rugs to our store.

The wife and the husband brought the rugs and I helped them bring the rugs inside our rug gallery. I said when do you want them back because I have to spend few more hours to open each package and unwrap it, open the ropes, spread the rug on the floor, vacuum the rug and take the mothballs out. Then wrap it and do the whole process again. I would have to charge you $100 for all seven pieces. The man got angry and shouted at me:"who do you think you are? You think you are from East LA (East Los Angeles)? I will make you do this for free. I have an attorney who is very expensive and he will make you do this and you will have to pay for that very expensive attorney. I told him nicely, politely and calmly that I have done my job once. To do the whole job all over again, I will need few hours of my time and a helper and materials and charging $100 for all this would not be a lot of money. He shouted at me again and talked about how his professional attorney would make me this job free of charge. I said OK sir, if this is what you think you should do, then I do not stop you. I helped him took the rugs inside his car and in the trunk and he and his wife left!! The man was so angry. I hope he gets home safely. Here I post the photos of the rugs in the packings with the photos and the instructions. I thought I did my job right, and did not promise something I could not deliver. I also tried to treat them nicely regardless of the nasty language and behavior of the husband.

KhosrowSobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Tabriz Rug 16th Century Safavid Era Record Breaking Rug

This Tabriz rug is a record breaking rug.

A Tabriz Medallion Carpet, North West Persia, 16th Century
21 Ft 8 in x 11 ft 9 in

From the collections of Barons Nathaniel and Albert von Rothschild
Christies London July 8, 1999

"Sheik al-Thani bought a 16th-century Tabriz medallion carpet for $2.4 million, far above its $410,000 high estimate."
The New York Times, Tuesday, February 19, 2008
At $90 Million, Rothschild Sale Exceeds Goals
By CAROL VOGEL Published: July 9, 1999

"a 16th-century Tabriz medallion carpet realised just under L1.6 million, an auction record for a carpet"
Rothschild riches
Spectator, The, Jul 17, 1999 by Moore, Susan

Source: http://www.spongobongo.com/

Khosrow Sobhe

www.RugIdea.com

310-770-9085

Persian Rugs

Persian Rugs Are Symbolic With Magical Quality and Prosperity

As many people know there are many different types of rugs that you can buy. There is one type of rug that is symbolic with prosperity. This is the famed rugs of Persia, or as we call them Persian rugs. Now even though you can’t use these carpets to fly anywhere they still have a magical quality about them. As you lay one of these Persian rugs in your home you will be able to see the intricate beauty that is one of the key elements about these rugs.

Now even though many people like to own Persian rugs they simply aren’t too sure if they can afford to have these magnificent specimens in their homes. As a result of this they may look for inferior rugs that claim to possess all of the beauty and quality of Persian rugs without their price. Buying a rug like this will only cheat you of the experience of having a richly woven Persian rug in your home.

While there are many very expensive Persian rugs for sale you can still find high quality Persian rugs that can fit your budget and these still look nice. The main thing that you will need to see is that you are buying a good quality rug. You should also see the size and shape of the rug that you want to have in your home.

As there are so many color shades and shapes on the Persian rugs, you should decide what are the complementary colors and main colors that you want your new rug to have. This way you can match your new Persian rug to your existing furniture. The other way that you can choose a gorgeous Persian rug for your home is to start with some pictures of Persian rugs that catch your eye and an empty room.

With the pictures you can see what shade your walls should be like and if you want a wooden floor. You can even see if your Persian rugs would look great on a fully carpeted floor in a neutral shade. From here you can also decide on the theme that you want this room to have. Once you have your room furnishings decided on you need to see what size Persian rugs you wan to buy.

This is important since many times you will find Persian rugs that are like miniature carpets. There is no real problem if you would like to have an area rug sized Persian rug or even larger. This way you can get the excellence of Persian carpets minus the high price. You also have the added bonus of being able to take your Persian rug with you when you move house.

Source: http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/215675?articleid=215675

Tapestry Tapestries Los Angeles

Tapestry Tapestries in Los Angeles

We recently acquired different collection of tapestries made in the U.S. and Europe in different designs and sizes. They are diverse and include traditional and contemporary designs. While our prices are competitive, our tapestries are of high quality and are hand picked and selected from different collections. We do not import or buy our tapestries in bulk. We select each tapestry one by one.

Visit our tapestry collection online or in store and decorate your home with art and culture. It has been few centuries since architects, designers, artists, home owners, and other types of people discovered tapestries and have used them to decorate their homes and walls. Tapestry, as a world-class wall décor, adds dramatic accent to the large open foyers, expansive fireplaces, and high ceiling rooms found in many homes today. With hardwood, tile and other hard surfaces being the trend in today's homes, tapestry provides excellent sound absorption and noise reduction.

Each of our tapestries at RugIdea.com is finished with elegant and fine backing and generous rod pocket for easy hanging. www.RugIdea.com (Los Angeles) also provides you with the rods, finials and other accessories for your convenience.

Our tapestries are made based on old techniques, but not for old castles and mansions. They are made for today's homes!

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Rug Blog at RugMaster: Rugs, Rug, Area Rugs, Oriental Carpets

Oriental Carpets and Rugs have gone under my skin and I cannot get rid of them. It is 3:35 am and I cannot sleep. So I though I read my e-mails and post something on my new baby, my RugMaster.blogspot.com

Yesterday, a rug dealer from a town east of Los Angeles visited me. I met him for the first time. He said that he is planning to add area machine made rugs to his existing Persian and Oriental rug business and asked if I was happy with area rugs sale. He has been in Oriental and Persian carpet business for almost forty years. I mentioned that area rugs do not give you that much of a profit unless you can work in volume. The good side of it is bringing foot traffic to your rug store since people can afford buying area rugs as compared with hand knotted carpets and rugs. I gave him few issues of the "Iranian Hand Knotted Rug" quarterly, a magazine which is published in Tehran by the "Iranian Carpet Exporters' Association". I am a board member to this society and I am also the Editor in Chief of this rug journal.

A rug dealer picked up a Persian Tabriz rug he had with us for stain removal. We sold two area rugs. Several more customers visited us but they were not serious buyers. A couple who had bought an old Qashqai kilim last year stopped by to take a look at some rugs. They liked a back background Hameda/Toyserkan rug but were not sure about the size. They said they would measure the entrance of their house and would come back. A couple also visited us two times in two hours. The man wants to buy two small rugs for his mother who lives in South America, but is not sure about the size and color combination. He said they might come back later. He liked two pieces. Since he was going to buy these two small rugs for his mother, his wife was not helping him and showed no sympathy whatsoever, and each time they cam in, his wife said: we got to go!! Would she act the same had she wanted to buy something for her mother. Hell no!!

Paying bills which never stop coming was part of what I did yesterday. Two customers brought two items separately for cleaning and repair. One was a very fine Tabriz rug, 10 x 14, and the other piece was a 10 x 14 Turkish Kilim with pet urine on it.

As far as rug sales is concerned, these two past days were very slow. Maybe buyers are waiting for their pay checks. It is the 27th of February. Two months of the new year have gone by before we know it. TIME FLIES!

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Rug Carpet Shows

Two Persian Rug Shows

In a few weeks, there will be the 6^th Persian carpet show in the beautiful Island of Kish on the Persian Gulf. This one of kind Persian rug exhibition will be held on April 29 and 30 and May 1 and 2, 2008. In a few months, there will be the 17^th Persian carpet Grand Exhibition in Tehran from Aug. 23 to 29, 2008.

It will be good for those who can visit one or two of these specialized rug shows. Producers and exporters from all over Iran will present and unveil their latest weaving and collections. There will be many free weaving, dyeing, and educational carpet workshops. The visitors not only can buy rugs first hand and save big, they can get to know different artistic, and cultural aspects of Persian carpets as well.

Since Kish Island is a free zone, non-Iranian passport holders need no visa to enter and stay in this beautiful resort. It will be fun, vacation and business at the same time. Kish has excellent hotels and shopping centers. Tehran carpet exhibition also has its own advantages and specifications. It is close to Tehran carpet bazaar, and the Carpet Museum of Iran, one of the finest carpet museums in the world.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit Iran, the home of Persian carpet. You will also feel the Persian hospitality. The American rug scholar Barry O'Connell who has visited the Tehran and Kish Persian carpet exhibitions reports:

"…Kish is one of the most beautiful places on earth, beaches, fine shopping, and one of the friendliest places in the Middle East for Americans. Many carpets today surpass anything ever made in the world. The shift back to vegetable dyes is fostering a renaissance of village & tribal rugs."

Khosrow Sobhe

www.RugIdea.com

310-770-9085

Rug Pads Los Angeles

Rug pads prevent slipping hazards, specially if we use them on hard floors. Rug pads of good quality also provide the right type of cushioning, while they protect the rug and the floor. Better quality rug pads do not stick to the floor and will not stain or discolor. Many of our customers come to our rug store to buy rug pads. We do not have cheap rug pads. I believe having no rug pad is better than having a low quality rug pad. We found several good customers who gave us good and continuing business by providing them with the right pads they needed for their rugs.

Below, I mention a paragraph we have on our website on a high quality of rug pads we sell:

Super-Stop is made from a superior quality polyester fabric coated with a
high-grade vinyl compound. Super-stop features superior grip strength which keeps
rugs from slipping and sliding on hard surfaces. Super-Stop is treated with
MSM-Fresh® Anti-microbial to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria, mold, and
mildew. This is guaranteed by the manufacturer to maintain its non-slip properties
for 10 years with proper maintenance.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Area Rugs Sale Los Angeles

Area rugs market in Los Angeles is a big and diverse market. We recently added this line to our previous Persian and Oriental rugs and carpet lines. Not all the people can afford buying hand made/hand knotted rugs these days. We want to serve these customers as well. Some of our area rugs have wool pile for those who care about having a wool rug at home. We have Persian area rugs as well. They have traditional Persian carpet design.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Rug Cleaning Rug Repair Los Angeles

Rug cleaning repair, stain removal, water damage, color run, bleeding fixing and appraisal is part of what we do every day in our Los Angeles premises. By doing these services professionally, we attract many customers and people can find us on the web. We recently launched a new web site:

www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

Many people may not be ready to buy carpets and rugs these days, but are ready to have their rugs and carpets cleaned, repaired and restored professionally by experts and this is a big market if you can provide an excellent and flexible services. We have free pick up and delivery in many areas of Los Angeles.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Oriental rug Blogs and OSCAR Academy Awards

Oriental rug blog may have nothing to do with OSCAR and the Academy Awards! I watched this event last night and was surprised, because four out of five nominated movies for the best picture were violent and dark movies, and only one was funny with no cruelty and killings. No wonder why we witness killings and shootings in the American towns and cities everyday, and recently killings of family members by other members of the same family. Where is Hollywood going and is this wood holly anymore?!

Why Hollywood does not pay attention to love, friendship, culture, art, humanity and so many other subjects? Aren't these topics attractive anymore? Can't Hollywood foster friendship instead of hatred? Should we sacrifice human values for the box offices and the sales records? Where are we heading and what do we expect from those who pay and watch these criminal, horrific movies. Are we going to witness love, passion, and understanding form these viewers?

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Turkmen Rug Design Tradition Lecture in Los Angeles

“From Sagdaq to Salor: Design traditions of

Central Asia c. 600-1900”

with

Jürg Rageth

Independent Oriental Carpet and Textile Researcher

Riehen, Switzerland

There is a continuity of Central Asian (Turkmen) design tradition over a period of more than 1000 years. Using a number of pre 10^th century Central Asian textile designs as examples, partly from real Central Asian textiles, partly from textile representations on Central Asian (Sogdian) wall paintings, and comparing them with Salor carpet designs from Central Asia from ca. 1500-1900, Jürg Rageth will elucidate this continuing tradition with evidence which is not only based on art historical research, but is also supported by results from AMS radiocarbon dating and HPLC dye analyses. This presentation will draw some new light on the origins of Central Asian (Turkmen) carpet design in general, and on tradition and continuity of Salor carpet design in particular. By approaching historical developments of Turko-Iranian Central Asian design traditions over roughly the past two millennia, Jürg will also demonstrate a successful pairing of art history and the natural sciences. This talk was one of the best-received presentations at the recent ICOC in Istanbul, and represents part of his recent work for a forthcoming publication on Turkmen carpets.

Jürg Rageth is an independent Oriental carpet and textile researcher based in Riehen, Switzerland. Although trained as an industrial designer, Jürg was “infested” by the rug bug at an exhibition of Central Asian textiles in Basel in 1973, and subsequently became a dealer specializing in antique Anatolian kilims at “Galerie Rageth” until 2003. He has been involved with radiocarbon dating and dye analysis since 1995 and published several articles on this subject. As head of the Basel rug society, “Freunde des Orientteppichs,” he was the organizer of several carpet and textile symposia, which have been published under his imprint. Jürg invites TMA/SC members to bring examples of Turkman carpets and trappings for show & tell.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

10:00 a.m. Refreshments 10:30 a.m. Program

SOBCO International, Ltd.

1655 South La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035

Tel. 310-770-9085

Admission: TMA/SC Members: Gratis Guests: $7

TMA/SC Upcoming events

	Saturday, March 1	TMA/SC Board of Directors Meeting
Saturday, April 26, 2008 “A Dialogue Between Native and Colonial Andean Textile Traditions” with Elena Phipps, Senior Conservator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

RUG & TEXTILE COMMUNITY NEWS

“The Finishing Touch: Accessories from the Bolivian Highlands,” on view at The Textile Museum from February 15 through September 18, 2008, showcases the beauty and diversity of woven and knitted accessories made by the indigenous Aymara- and Quechua-speaking people of Bolivia. The exhibition features a colorful group of traditional belts, bags, hats and other items that were made in the early to mid-20th century and acquired by The Textile Museum in late 2007.

“Talismans of the Turkoman: Traditions of a Warrior Tribe” Coronado Museum of History & Art (San Diego area) will celebrate the Turkoman tribes of Central Asia with a display of rare Turkoman textiles and jewelry belonging to TMA/SC member Courtenay McGowen. The exhibit runs March 14-May 26, 2008. 1100 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92115 in the historic section of Downtown Coronado. Open M-F, 9-5 and S-S, 10-5. Admission is a suggested donation and there is plenty of metered parking. Opening with Lecture by Kate FitzGibbon Friday evening, 6:30-8:30; Curatorial consultation of your Turkoman textiles and jewelry with a panel including Val Arbab will take place on Saturday evening, March 15, 5-8 p.m. Reservations required for opening and curatorial consultation: Courtenay C. McGowen ctc1140@mac.com

Textile Museum Associates of Southern California, TMA/SC TMASC

Textile Museum Associates of Southern California, Inc. (TMA/SC) is a non-profit organization founded in 1985. TMASC presents monthly educational programs, discussions, field trips, and special events focused on handmade textiles, weavings, Oriental carpets and costumes from around the world.

Its programs feature nationally and internationally renowned scholars, curators, collectors, dealers and other experts, including our own enthusiastic and knowledgeable members. We welcome guests and new members.

TMA/SC is associated with The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. (www.textilemuseum.org), and the American Conference on Oriental Rugs/ACOR (www.acor-rugs.org) and currently has over 200 members.

The website of the society is: www.TMASC.org

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com

Area Rugs and Oriental Rug Cleaning

It was Thursday today and we had a very busy day. A young man in early 20's who had come to our store few days ago asking for a business card, came in today with his mum. They bought 4 area rugs, big and small. A rug dealer from a neighboring town, two hours drive from Los Angeles came by to pick up two rugs he had left with us for cleaning and repair. He paid and left. A private customer who had left a Pakistani rug damaged by rats, showed up and picked up his repaired rug. He was so happy with the job we had done on the rug. He gave us another rug, this time a Persian Balouch for repair. This rug is severely damaged by moth.

We also received a big shipment of area rugs around noon. Another dealer also picked up a Persian antique Tabriz rug and a Pakistani rug. They needed minor repairs. He brought two other Pakistani rugs for repair. In the afternoon, another dealer from Orange County visited us. He paid for a balance he owed us for some rug cleaning and repairs.

Before we close our rug store around 6:00 pm, one lady came in and bought two 4' x 6' area rugs. Another lady also walked in and bought a 5 x 8 feet area rug and left. I went to the bank in the afternoon to deposit few checks I had received from different customers. It was a long and busy day.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Rug Blogs

Rug blogs can be a wonderful way to make communication between the rug professionals easy. Yet, this means is not used and utilized by the dealers, scholars, and others to dessiminate information between them. We rug dealers do not like to share information. It maybe used by our colleagues and competition. I tried to break this taboo by having an active rug blog to post my everyday professional and job stories. I have been encouraged by those who read my web log. I have seen more benefits than harms by having a rug blog. I try to post at least one story and report every day.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.Rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Rug and Carpet Market in Los Angeles is Very Fragile These Days!

Carpet and Rug Market has become very fragile in Los Angeles as it is in many other cities and states. I spoke to a couple of rug and carpet dealers yesterday and they were all complaining about the market. There are rug buyers but they are not serious buyers and do not know what they are looking for. Many of them look for deals and bargains and do not care about the quality as much as they care about the price. Even those who have money, are not mentally ready to spend. Many factors and variables are involved such as high gas prices, credit crash, slow real estate market, elections and the primaries, lay offs, and the list goes on and the Oscar goes to ...

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Rug Sale in Los Angeles

Because of the Valentine's Day and the President's Day, we had a rug sale for a few days with a Rug Sale sign on the front of our store on La Cienega Blvd, in Los Angeles. It worked and several potential rug buyers noticed us and walked in and bought rugs.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Nain Rug, Shiraz Rug, My Rug Blogs and Another Busy Day. It Is Rainy in Los Angeles

We were busy yesterday and I could not post a report on my rug blog. In the morning, I sold a 10' 2" x 2' 7" Nain runner to a lady who walked in and looked for a bright color runner in the medium price range.

After that, we sold few pieces of area rugs, sizing 7' x 10' and 5' x 8' of different qualities. The income and profit of selling area rugs is not that great, but it brings traffic and people would notice us this way.

This morning, we went to a customer's house on the top of a hill on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. This customer had a Persian Shiraz rug left on the back yard under the rain. It needed selvage repair on both sides. It should be cleaned as well.

We repaired two rugs brought in yesterday by a rug dealer and importer. They will pick them up today. Will it be another busy day today? Who knows? Probably not since it is raining in Los Angeles and rain slows down everything.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Hand Tufted Rugs, Area Rugs, and Persian Mashad Saber Rugs

It was a kind of holiday today since it was the President's Day. Post offices, schools, banks, and schools were closed today. Shops, businesses, and department stores were open and many of them has sales.

We had a busy day. In the morning, a repeat customer who had bought a Persian hand knotted fine Gabbeh few weeks ago came in and bought four 5 x 8 area rugs for his garden. Two ladies later came in looking for a gray or silver 5 x 8 rug. They finally fell in love with a modern design hand tufted rug with New Zealand wool. They paid with a debit card and left. Few other customers walked in separately and bought few other area rugs. Before we close our rug store at 6:30 pm, a young lady visited our rug gallery and stood in front of a very fine Persian Hand knotted Mashad Saber rug we have on the wall. This is a pair with silk foundation. Each piece has 9,000,000 knots and took four years to make. This lady is a designer and wants a rug like this for her client. She wanted to take a picture with her cell phone. I told her to give me her e-mail address so I could e-mail her few high resolution photos of this rug along with one page of text about this museum quality Persian carpet. She agreed and gave me her e-mail address and got our business card and left. I emailed three photos of the rug with a description page.
She is supposed to show the pictures to her client to see if she is interested in the rugs or not.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Old and Antique Caucasian Rugs, Turkish Anatolian Rugs, and Persian Rugs in Textile Museum Associates of Southern california

Yesterday, we had a meeting in the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California TMA/SC (TMASC) in Los Angeles. The speaker was Peter Pap, a well known Oriental carpet expert who lives and works in San Fransisco. He had brought many old and antique pieces of Caucasian Rugs, Turkish Anatolian Rugs, and Persian Rugs. He talked about each single piece of these one of a kind rugs. We enjoyed a lot and the attendance was very good. It was fun, educational and informative.

We have a "Show and Tell" section at the end of the lecture. Several members had brought their antique and old rugs and kilims to show to the speaker and the members. Peter pap commented on each piece and the owner of each piece added few words and comments.

Khosrow Sobhw
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian, Oriental, and Area Rugs Los Angeles

During the past couple of days, we were busy with selling several area rugs, couple of Indian and Afghan rugs, and three pieces of Persian Nain,Gbbeh and Sarouk rugs. Few customers almost killed us by bargaining a lot. On the other hand, we had few customers who did not care about the price and just selected the pieces they liked. We also delivered several pieces of rugs which were left with us for cleaning and repair. Some of our customers, I should say many of them do not like to have fringes on their rugs as they get stocked in the vacuum cleaners. In cases like this, we cut the fringes short and secure them so the knots do not come off. We always tell our customers to be gentle to the fringes and selvages of the rugs. Four sides of the rugs need special attention and we should not use the beater bar of the vacuum cleaner on these sides. We should only use the suction.

We had rug sales up to 30% off because of Valentine's Day with a big sign in front of our store on La Cienega Blvd. This created walk-in traffic and because of this, we sold many pieces of rugs in the past three days.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Kerman Rugs in Los Angeles

A lady came in the morning looking for a 10 x 14 Persian Kerman rug with very neutral and earth tone colors. I said the type of rug you're looking for might be from anywhere but Kerman. She said that she has other Kerman carpets at home and she loves the softness of the wool of Kerman rugs. She has looked for a rug like this all over Los Angeles and has not found any. I showed her few Kerman carpets that we had. She did not like any of them.

A couple who had bought two area rugs few days ago and had paid a deposit came to pick up the rugs. The lady said that they needed two runners and the man said no, we do not need runners. They argued for a few minutes, and fortunately, the woman was the winner of the game and the verbal fight. I sold two 8 feet runners to them.

At the end of the day and before we close, a lady stopped by and looked through the racks and the rugs. She said that she was not looking for anything in particular. She said that she passes by our store everyday and wanted to stop by one day to see what we have. She said her father was from Kerman and we talked about Kerman rugs. When she was about to leave, I gave her a package with a couple of booklets, and few other literatures on Persian and Oriental carpets. She thanked and left. She said that she would visit us in the future.

In the morning we went to a customer's house and picked up a very big 12 x 16 feet Nepal carpet for cleaning. We had cleaned this rug two years ago. It was not a very busy day.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Hand Knotted Gabbeh Rug and Area Rugs in Los Angeles

I sold a very nice Ivory background Persian hand knotted Gebbeh to an English lady who just moved to Los Angeles. She walked in this morning and asked for a plain rug with no design and motif. She saw this Gabbeh which was made with hand spun wool with natural dye and liked it. We had 20% off on our Persian and Oriental rugs which was applied to this piece. She bought this Gabbeh and she she would come back for another rug in the near future. We also sold two area rugs. Because of the Valentine's day, we have 30% off on our area rugs. As usual, we did few carpet repair and stain removal for our customers and also two rug dealers.

A couple contacted me by e-mail from Berkeley, north California and sent me two photos of what they believe is a Sarouk runner. They want to sell it between $7,000 to $14,000! To me it looks like a commercial Hamedan runner. I asked them to bring it in. They may plan to come to Los Angeles.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Area Rugs and Rug Cleaning

It was not a busy Monday for us yesterday. We only sold two 5 x 8 and one 8 x 11 area rugs. We also delivered few Persian Tabriz, Kashan, Turkoman, and Koliaei rugs which were picked up last week for cleaning and repair. The customer was satisfied with the quality of job but complained about the price. We charged them $2 per square foot with no pick up and delivery charges! Consider the price of gas, car repair and the men who should go pick up the rugs and then deliver them later. What do these customers think? Are these all free, or somebody pays for them? Their rugs were so dirty that needed several times of washing with ample water and soap. We should have charged them $3/SF or not getting the job at all. Some people spend money but they suffer and suffer and do not enjoy the service they receive. On the other hand, others spend and enjoy. I have had many customers who have tipped me when I delivered their cleaned/repaired rugs to show their appreciation. To respect them, I accepted the tip and thanked them.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Oreintal Rug Blogs

When I started my rug blog few months ago in Oct. 2007, I did not think it would have as many visitors per day as it has now. Some of my rug blog visitors want me to only write about my everyday business events and experiences. They say copying and pasting other reports and news has no attractions for them. I respect this idea and try to have at least one post everyday. Rug blog is a very specialized and focused topic. Having 25-30 visitors per day is more than good and exciting. I looked for up dated Oriental rug blogs, and I could not find even one. Rug dealers and lovers are busy so they do not post that many writings every week.

I do my homework and try to keep up.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian and Oriental Rug Appraisal in Bel Air Los Angeles

A customer wanted me to do rug appraisal in his house, since he had four big rugs that could not be taken to our store. I fixed the time and went to his house in Bel Air Los Angeles. All the rugs were Persian carpets, bigger than 10 x 14 feet. One of them was a very old and antique Ravar Kerman. The purpose of the appraisal was the insurance of the rugs along with other furniture, paintings and etc.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

PersianTabriz Rug, Chinese Rug, and Area Rugs

It was Sunday, and not a bad day as far as our sales was concerned. We were not as busy as yesterday. In the morning, we picked up one 10 x 14 feet Persian Tabriz rug and a 10 x 15 feet Chinese rug from a customer's house for cleaning and repair. Few customers also bought different sizes of area rugs. We did some repair and stain removal on few of the rugs which were left with us by other rug dealers or private customers. We spent a couple of hours fixing the rug racks, since we had sold some of the rugs and we had to place few other rugs on the racks. We were at work till 5:30 pm.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Bakhtiar Rugs, Gabbeh Rugs, and Again Area Rugs

We were very busy yesterday from morning to late afternoon. We sold many pieces of area rugs of different sizes. We do not make that much money on area rugs, but it brings us traffic and people notice our rug gallery. My passion is Persian rug, but with this kind of slow market, selling area rugs beside our main line of Persian carpet is a little help financially. A very nice couple who are our customers drove all the way from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. They had a very nice Persian Kashan rug10 x 14 with us for cleaning and selvages repair. They picked up that Kashan Rug. They also needed a 6 x 10 hand knotted Persian rug in bright color. We had three pieces. After comparing the pieces, they could not decide and said they might return tomorrow before they drive back to Las Vegas.

In the afternoon, I had an appointment with a customer in Beverly Hills. They had three rugs which needed cleaning and some repair. They needed to have a price quotation first to be able to compare our prices with other rug dealers. I told them you can compare our prices with other dealers, but how are you going to compare our service and the quality of our work with other people. After few minutes of negotiation and explanations on how we work and how we take care of the rugs, they were convinced to give us the job. We took one 6 x 9 rug, and should return tomorrow around noon to take the two other pieces.

On our way back around 6:00 pm, we received a call from our store asking for some prices and information on a pair of Armenian Persian Bakhtiar signed rugs we had. A customer was asking few questions. This customer had selected two other super fine Gabbeh Qashqai rugs from our own production which were put in his car. When I got to my store, he was about to leave. We chatted for a few minutes and he left. He has a very cute one year old boy. This little boy had lost his patience and the father had to leave. He took four Persian carpets with him to see if his wife (a wonderful and cheerful lady) likes them.

I got home after 7:00 pm while I was supposed to work until 4:00 pm. A couple of rugs were picked up by two rug dealers who had left them with us for stain removal. It was a busy day.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Tabriz Rug For Stain Removal, Pakistani Choubi Rug, and Area Rugs

It was a very busy day today that we could not have lunch. I had an appointment with a customer at 8:30 am. They had a Pakistani Choubi rug damaged by their dog. Part of the selvage on the side was chewn by their dog. we are supposed to fix the selvages on both sides plus the cleaning. They have another rug which should be picked up late after we deliver the first rug.

As usual, several visitors and customers came in at once. A lady walked in and bought 3 area rugs, 8 feet long runners. She lives in North Carolina. She paid for the runners plus shipping cost to be sent to her address there. She was so happy that we did not charge her sales tax because it was an out of state sale. A rug dealer visited us with a 10 x 14 Tabriz rug wool on silk foundation with water damage all over the top side of the rug. We are supposed to do the color restoration and bleeding removal. Another rug dealer sent a Pakistani rug with a color damage to be fixed. Two men also came in and bought a 5 x 8 area rug. Opening the packages of the area rugs we received yesterday was what we did the rest of the day.

Few other customers and people also visited us. A couple walked in looking for a 10 x 14 Persian rug with light green background and no blue. We had a piece that they liked, but the size was 9 x 12. We will try to find a 10 x 14 with the same color palette. Another customer, a lady came in with one 6 x 9 area rug and a 3 x 5 Persian baloutch rug for cleaning. She wanted to have a price quotation and estimate. I gave her a high quotation. I do not like the customers who want to shop around and do not care about the quality of the job and service we would provide. Usually, I give them a high estimate. It is their right to ask for an estimate, and it is also my right to give them a higher price so I do not get the job.

I went home at 7:00 pm.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Kashan Rugs, Area rugs and Nothing More!

We received a new shipment of area rugs today. I did not touch them since I was busy with few customers all day. I sold several pieces of area rugs, small and big today. I also sold a small 3 x 5 feet Persian hand knotted Kashan rug to a couple who wanted to pay cash with no sales tax. I said tax money does not go to my pocket. I have to charge you tax and then pay it to the State of California. When they gave me their credit card, I charged them tax and they noticed it without mentioning anything!

I am still at work at 7:20 pm. I got to work this morning at 8:10 am after I dropped of my son at his high school. It has been a long they and I am tired and should go home. Can I rest or my wife wants me to help her with some jobs at home. I will find that out after I get home. NO MORE WORK TONIGHT!

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Moroccan Kilims, Area Rugs, Tapestries, and ...

We received a new shipment or area rugs yesterday and I was busy unpacking and putting price tags on them the whole day. A lady walked in and after a few minutes bought few small area rugs and doormats. We do not make that much profit on the small pieces, but these little pieces bring us foot traffic and customers who may not notice us otherwise.

A lady came into our rug gallery with two old Moroccan kilims. She needed to get an estimate for cleaning and repair. one of them had several holes in it. I measured the kilims and gave her an written list of the costs for cleaning, fixing the fringe, and fixing the holes. She asked whay the price of cleaning was high and I explained because these kilims are double faced and we have to clean both sides, that is why the cost seems high. She accepted the cost. We have a cleaning and repair agreement. She read and signed the agreement and paid a deposit. I was at work until 6:30 pm. I had started work at 8:15 am. I love what I do so I do not get tired. During the day, My older son Ashkan visited me and stayed with me for a couple of hours. Then my lovely wife stopped by and spent an hour with me and helped me unpacking the area rugs I had received in the morning. I am fortunate to live close to my work so I do not have to drive more than 3 miles to get home. And, my family can help ma and visit me when they have time.

A lady called me from a neighboring city, 60-70 miles away from Los Angeles looking for big Tapesrties to be hung from her stairs. I explained about the pieces we have. She seemed interested over the phone. She got the address and our working hours (it is seven days a week!) to visit us. We have a wide range of Belgian and American tapestries of different sizes. These are new piecs, but if the customers can wait only a hundred years, they will surely be antique.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Hamedan Runner, and Selling Few Area Rugs

It was a busy day today. In the early morning a lady stopped her car and parked in our parking lot and came in looking for a 5 x 8 feet area rug. She bought an Ivory color fine area rug with a fine quality rug pad. At the same time, two construction painters came in and bought a 5 x 8 area rug we had on sale on a rack on the street in front of our rug gallery. In the afternoon, two ladies walked in and after a few minutes of inspecting many pieces, one of them bought three area rugs, two 5 x 8 feet and one 4 x 6 feet. Before closing the store, a gentleman came in looking for a runner. He bought a 1o' x 2' 10" Persian hand knotted Hamedan runner. 2-3 other customers visited us but they were not serious buyers. We delivered an 8 x 11 area rug and a pad to a customer's house. She called me this afternoon and said how happy she was with the rug and thanked us a lot. It is good to hear that the customers are happy with our rugs and services.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Rugs, Oriental Rugs, Area Rugs in Los Angeles

I browsed the Internet to see how many rug dealers who sell area rugs, Oriental rugs and Persian rugs are in Los Angeles. Each time I searched, I found different statistics. In one of the searches, I found 495 rug dealers in greater Los Angeles. I also searched to see if there is a rug society, association, or any kind of organization for this roughly 500 dealers. I could not find any which is specifically for the rug dealers. There are a couple of societies in which I am a member such as Textile Group of Los Angeles, TGLA, or another very active one called, the Textile Museum Associate of Southern California, but these two societies deal with textile and rug, and only a few, very few dealers are members. I wonder why rug dealers in Los Angeles do not have any kind of organization which can be a professional entity to protect them and also to try to create demand for rugs by different promotional activities. I have talked to a few friends and colleagues to study to see if we can establish such an organization.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.Rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Area Rugs in Los Angeles

It was a windy and partial rainy day in Los Angels. A just married couple walked in looking for a light brown 8 x 11 area rug. The lady was in our store few days ago and nominated a piece and said that she would come back with her husband. They both liked the rug and bought an 8 x 10 feet rug pad for it. They paid the price but wanted us to keep the rug and the pad for a couple of weeks since they are in the process of remodeling their house. They live few blocks away from our rug gallery. We will deliver the rug when they are ready. We will not charge them for delivery.

In the afternoon, another just married couple visited us looking for a hand made modern rug. They liked couple of pieces but were not sure which one to take. They wrote down the information and left. We also sold few pieces of area rugs to different customers.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Selling A Persian Hand Knotted Qashqai Rug and a Couple of Area Rugs

It was a busy Saturday yesterday. We sold few pieces of area rugs. The high light was selling a hand knotted Persian Qashqai rug made with hand spun wool and natural dye from our own looms and production. It was our first Valentine's Day sale. Although we are still 10 days away from the Valentine's Day, but a young couple who had just married walked in and fell in love with a Qashqai rug with light blue background color. The husband bought this piece as a present for his wife. The lady was so excited that kissed the husband and thanked him. We also gave them a free rug pad. That was our gift to them. They left happy.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Selling Few Area Rugs, Receiving Persian Rugs, Turkish Rugs, Nepalee Rus, Tabriz Rugs for Cleaning

It was Friday yesterday and we were really busy. In the morning, we picked up several Persian rugs including two Tabriz rugs with silk foundation, a very old Kashan rug, a Koliaie rug for cleaning and some repair on the fringes, the ends. Before noon, we had several different customers who bought area rugs, mostly in the sizes of 4 x 6 and 5 x 8 feet. A returning customer who had bought an area rug of 8 x 11 bought two 8 feet runner and wanted us to sew them together so they become a 16-foot long runner. Our repair man who is on site did this for her without extra charge. It is very rare to fine an area rug runner of longer than 12 feet.

In the afternoon, a couple walked in and asked if we had parking so they could park to bring in many pieces of rugs they had for cleaning and repair. I said yes, it is beside our rug gallery with a big door to our store. They had 13 rugs and kilims of all kinds, . Some of them needed only cleaning, and few of them needed cleaning and repair on the fringes (ends) and selvages (sides). This couple had come from Malibu, a city near Los Angeles on the Ocean. They left the rugs and paid a deposit.

For a couple of weeks, we were exceptionally slow in traffic and the number of the customers. Apparently, people had spent so much before the holidays and for the Christmas and new year that did not have money in January to spend. They were waiting for their pay check to start shopping again. What ever the reason, we were busy and sometimes two different customers showed up at the same time. Hope other businesses pick up and people start buying and spending money.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085