Sunday, April 27, 2008
Bokhara Pakistan Rug, Antique Persian Senneh Rug
Before they left, another customer who had called me two nights ago showed up with a very fine and antique Persian Senneh rug which needed cleaning, selvage and fringe repair. She also brought in a Varni kilim for cleaning. This beautiful Senneh carpet has a very strange design, few cats, dogs and other small animals probably mice. Couple of other customers also walked in and looked for area rugs. One of them was not sure about the size and said she would measure the room and comeback. The other customer took few photos of two rugs, one area rug and the other a tufted rug to see if they match the interior design of her house.
I went home at around five pm.
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
My Persian Rug Lecture at Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, Southern California
It was a great day full of education and fun. I will post several pictures of the event later.
It was possible to hold this event by the great kindness and help of Linda Khan, the Vice President of Education in the Bowers Museum. Maryam Molavi, the head of the Persian Cultural Arts Council worked selflessly for many weeks to plan and execute this wonderful event. I appreciate both ladies' enthusiasm toward Iranian arts and culture. In each of the events, we had raffles and I donated a small Persian rug to the winner. The Child Foundation, a non-profit charity was also one of the supporters of the event.
Established in 1994, Child Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization registered in the state of
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Thursday, April 24, 2008
PERSIAN RUGS: 2500 YEARS OF ART, CULTURE, AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
Santa Ana, California
I will have a lecture on this coming Saturday April 26, 2008 in the Bowers Museum. I will have two presentations with a video on how Persian rugs are made, from sheering wool from the back of sheep, to spinning, dyeing and weaving. We will also have weaver which will weave on a loom and those who visit us can try rug weaving by making few knots on the loom. We also provide free literature on rug buying tips, rug storage tips, rug cleaning tips, and more.
Khosrow Sobhe
310-770-9085
www.RugIdea.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Persian Rug Show in Kish Island Iran
Khosrow Sobhe
310-770-9085
www.RugIdea.com
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Earth Day, Green Rugs
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
Monday, April 21, 2008
Oriental Rug Sale, American Sarouk
"The rug market has been very slow these days. Can you wait until it picks up? Dealers my not offer a good price. Can you find an end user rather than a rug dealer. This end user maybe a friend, a colleague, a neighbor? Can you try e-bay or the Craig's list? We do not buy rugs. we are producer and importer of rugs".
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Rug Cleaning Cost in Los Angeles
Today, I received this e-mail from a reader of my blog and my website regarding rug cleaning and its cost:
"If you would be so kind as to answer my question, I would greatly appreciate it.
I have a 9’ x 12’ Chinese silk rug that needs cleaning. One business charges $200 for cleaning wool/machine made rugs, but $450 for cleaning silk rugs.
Another business charges $162 (for the 9’ x 12’ size) no matter what kind of oriental rug it is. They tell me they clean oriental rugs all the time with no problem.
Why does the first place charge more than double for silk while the second place doesn’t care?
Any advice you can give me with this would be greatly appreciated.
I enjoyed your website and blog!"
This is what I wrote to her:
" Thank you very much for your kind words. We usually charge $2/square foot for the wool rugs and $3/SF for silk rugs, but this is not absolute. We have a minimum charge of $75. Some rug dealers send out the rug to be washed in a cleaning/washing facility. In this case, they normally pay $1/SF themselves, so they charge their customers more. The quality of their wash is usually better since in the washing factory, the rug is washed with water and soap (regular detergent). Some rug dealers charge less,because they may clean the rug themselves in their back yard, or adjacent place they might have with special rug cleaning machine. In this case, the rug is not washed with ample water. They only clean the surface and since they do not pay the rug cleaning facility and the washing factory, they can charge less. This is not actual cleaning since it is like steam cleaning. The dust and dirt do not come out in this case."
Best regards,
Khosrow Sobhe
310-770-9085
Friday, April 18, 2008
Rug Blog Rug Blogs Are Not Updated!
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Persian Rugs, Oriental Rugs Area Rugs With Holes in Them
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Embargo Sanctions on Persian Rugs Carpets
The Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone:
Dear Senator Dianne Feinstein,
As a constituent, I am writing to you to express my strong concern regarding
S. 970, the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007, which would tighten sanctions on
Iranian carpets are a handicraft product woven by skilled craftsmen in patterns traditional to
It is also important to note that when these carpets were subject to the embargo, an underground market evolved, benefiting illegal front operations that hurt both the artisans in Iran and companies like ours, that would not participate and therefore lost sales. Today, Iranian carpets account for (describe extent of commerce with
Reinstating the embargo on Iranian carpets, however, will not achieve the purpose of putting pressure on the Iranian government. I believe that the
Sincerely,
Dr. Khosrow Sobhe
SOBCO International Ltd.
Tel. 310-770-9085 Fax 310-860-0462
drsobhe@yahoo.com
Embargo Sanctions on Persian Carpets Persian Rugs
The Honorable Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone:
Dear Senator Barbara Boxer,
As a constituent, I am writing to you to express my strong concern regarding
S. 970, the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007, which would tighten sanctions on
Iranian carpets are a handicraft product woven by skilled craftsmen in patterns traditional to
It is also important to note that when these carpets were subject to the embargo, an underground market evolved, benefiting illegal front operations that hurt both the artisans in Iran and companies like ours, that would not participate and therefore lost sales. Today, Iranian carpets account for (describe extent of commerce with
Reinstating the embargo on Iranian carpets, however, will not achieve the purpose of putting pressure on the Iranian government. I believe that the
Sincerely,
Dr. Khosrow Sobhe
SOBCO International Ltd.
Tel.
drsobhe@yahoo.com
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Rug Buyers Can Make a Better Decision When Husband and Wife Go Together to Buy Rugs
It was Sunday today and my store is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Right after I opened my rug store today, a returning customer walked in. He had bought a 2' 2" x 8' feet runner last week. He bought a 5 x 8 rug in light brown, one of our best sellers, in a minute. I offered to give him a free doormat which he gladly accepted. He selected the first doormat on the pile and said this would be fine. What an easy customer!
Later, a Mexican couple walked in and bought an oval burgundy area rug with a rug pad. They were also very easy buying customers who consulted with one another and bought a nice looking rug. I gave them two pieces of doormats. The lady was so excited to receive the doormats of her choice. She asked me to give her few of my business cards so she can recommend me to her friends. It gives me a good feeling and utmost satisfaction when I see my customers leave my rug store happy.
It is 3: 40 pm in Los Angeles on a hot Sunday afternoon. It reached 95 (F) degrees here in Los Angeles today. I am getting prepared to go home. I may go to a movie with my wife, called David & Layla. It is based on a true story of a Muslim girl who falls in love with a Jewish boy. It is part of the Noor Film Festival, a Persian film festival which is held for the second year in Los Angeles. They also have the award ceremony for tonight after the screening. I do not know if I want to stay until the end of the ceremony or not, but I will try to go there for the screening of the David and Layla if nothing more important keeps me from going there to watch the movie!
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Area Rugs Sale Los Angeles in Red Burgundy Color
The attention people pay to burgundy or red rugs makes sense. Red traffic light receives a big attention. Red traffic signs such as do not enter, stop sign and the like are more noticeable. This is why putting red rugs on the racks catches more eyes and brings us more foot traffic and walking customers.
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Oriental Rugs Classic Traditional Designs Versus Modern Contemporary Designs
By traditional design, I mean classic designs such as corner medallion, central medallion, overall, vase, hunting, boteh/paisley, and many other designs which have been in existence for generations, with rich histories behind them. By modern designs, I mean non-traditional, non-classic designs and those which have come into existence only recently . In many cases , younger customers bought traditional designs, but older customers did not usually buy modern designs.
Khosrow Sobhe
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Carpet Life Extended by Annual Cleaning
Carpet Life Extended by Annual Cleaning
If you would stop to think how much abuse your carpet gets, perhaps you would
have a little more compassion for it. After all, the poor thing just lies there letting
everyone walk all over it. And it never complains when you track dirt on it or spill
things all over it.
I'll bet you will get more loving years of service out of your carpet if you just show it you care. And the greatest care you can give a carpet is to keep it clean.
Professional cleaning — once every year — is the best treat you could shower on
your carpet. In between, there is a lot you can do to maintain love and harmony
between you and your floor covering. First of all, vacuum regularly. You can't
vacuum too often. When vacuuming, use a beater-bar that will raise the pile as it
goes across the floor so the trapped dirt will be vacuumed up.
If something spills onto the carpet, blot it up immediately. Blot is the key word —
never rub, scrub or brush because you might be grinding the stain into the rug
rather than removing it, and this may even cause damage to the carpet fibers. Blot
and clean from the outside of the stain toward the center; this helps prevent
spreading. When using a cleaning agent, apply the cleanser to a clean, white cloth
rather than directly to the stained area to avoid saturating the carpet.
If the spill or stain is oil-based, you may need to purchase a dry cleaning solution
available at grocery and hardware stores. For non-oil-based spots, mix one
teaspoon of non-bleaching dry powder laundry detergent with two cups of water.
Wet that clean, white towel with the mixture and go at it gently but diligently. Remove the soapiness with clear, lukewarm water and absorb the excess moisture with an absorbent white towel.
Is it a stubborn stain that just won't go away? Try this: mix one tablespoon of non-
bleaching, non-sudsing household ammonia with one cup of lukewarm water. Go
through the rinsing, blotting process as described above. Next, you need to
neutralize the ammonia. Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water and apply this solution using the same procedure as above.
A note of warning: If the stain is from coffee, tea or urine, do not use the
ammonia/water cleaning method; the acidity in the former liquids combined with
ammonia will play havoc on your carpet fibers.Remember, if you love your carpet, it will love you back.
Khosrow Sobhe
310-770-9085
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Oriental carpets a Very Interesting Subject: Turkmen Rugs and Carpets
Turkmen Rugs and Carpets
I came across this informative explanation regarding popular Turkmen rugs, one of the most interesting topics in Oriental rugs discussions. It was posted on the wonderful rug notes and website of rug scholar Barry O' Connell. As a group we now call them Turkmen Rugs. The old name in common usage was Turkoman Rugs but the trend today is to drop Turkoman rugs in favor of Turkmen rugs in the common usage. Earlier they were called
www.RugIdea.com
Rug Blogs: Rug Customers Do Not Know What Kind of Rugs They Are Looking For!
It was while ago when a couple came in looking for a 10 x 10 feet silk rug. After two hours and messing every thing up in our rug store, they ended up liking and buying a hand-knotted Persian Sarouk rug. The wife was so excited she said she could not wait to get home!
I have had many old customers who bought modern design Persian or Oriental rugs and young customers buying classic and traditional design hand made Oriental or Persian carpets!
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Friday, April 4, 2008
Rug Buying and Selling in Los Angeles
We have racks for 5 x 8 rugs. All of our rugs are labeled and tagged with price and specification. So our customers can trust us and make sure that we do not give them prices from the top of our heads by throwing something!
Yesterday, a lady called me in the morning regarding a runner she had for cleaning. It was water damaged by a pipe breaking in their house. I said we could take care of it. Do you want us to pick it up or you will bring it in? She said her husband would bring it to our rug gallery later during the day. The husband brought the runner around 5:00 pm. It was a completely wet hand knotted Chinese runner. The gentleman was a school principal in West Los Angeles. We became friends in minutes. He sat down for half an hour and we talked about everything, from politics to inflation and housing, and of course kids and parents. He complained about how some parents spoil their kids by paying too much attention to them and giving them expensive gifts they should not receive such as expensive cars!
We were relatively busy yesterday by receiving few rugs for cleaning from different customers who dropped off their rugs. One of the rugs was a hand knotted 9 x 12 feet Nepalese rug which belonged to a movie production company. The rug was very dirty with many stains on it. They use this rug for filming on the stage. If the stains do not come out by washing, we have to do expert stain removal by a repairman we have on site. I went home around 7:15 pm
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Kashkouli Kashkuli Rug Water Damage
I asked her to e-mail me a photo of the rug before I can tell her an approximate price on this water damaged rug from the province of Shiraz, in south west Iran. She e-mailed me the photo of the rug while we were on the phone. I said if you visit our web site www.rugidea.com , on the home page to the left side, there is a link called Qashqai Collection, click on this link and you will see many rugs made with hand spun wool and natural dye similar to this rug with around $800 to $900 prices. I would say the maximum this rug is worth could be $1,400 which one of the appraisers has mentioned. Besides, this rug can be possibly restored and the damage to the construction and the color maybe fixed. She was so happy to be able to find us on the Internet to get some first hand idea about this kind of rugs. Kashkuli is a clan within the big Qashqai tribe who make beautiful rugs.
It is good to help those who need.
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Hand Knotted Persian Gabbeh Rug, Area Rugs, Los Angeles Getting Cold
During the past couple of days, we also sold one Afshar kilim, a flat weave with no pile and few area rugs. We also picked up and delivered few rugs for cleaning and repair. We have a repairman on site who does the repair and stain removal. We also do water damage and color run and color bleeding restoration. I work with three other repairmen when we are busy with more work load.
It has been cold in Los Angeles these days and it rained last night. You fell the spring, but should have a jacket and sweater with you not to get cold.
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Rug Master, Rug Blogs, Rug Blog
For a long time, I wanted to have a diary, but I did not know how to write and mange it and where to put it to be handy. I found the solution few months ago and started my blog, RugMaster.blogspot.com
Now, I have a wonderful online note book diary, easy to write in and easy to mange. I can also share it with many other new and unknown friends. In a former post, I wrote about sized bedar in Balboa Park north of Los Angeles, when Iranians celebrated the 13th day of Nworuz, the new Persian year. Persians go to the nature on the 13th day of their new year to get red of all bad things. Someone called me from San Francisco and asked a question. He had found my web log and had read my posts and called me. I receive calls and e-mails from many places from those who happen to visit my web log. That is great.
Khosrow Sobhe
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Rug repair, Indian Rug Restoration and Stain Removal
You may see the photos of the rug from before and after the repair job. We still have to take care of the pet urine stains which will take a couple of days. We will have to test the stains and use some light chemicals to remove the stains without damaging the fibers of the rug. The owner of the rug has not seen the rug. I will call him later this week after we remove the stains which did not come out in the cleaning process.
Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085