A Rug Dealer An American Lady in Persian Rug Exhibition in Kish Island Iran

Just while ago, there was a Persian carpet exhibition in Kish Island in Iran, a 20-minute fly from Dubai, UAE. The show was held on April 29 to May 2, 2008. An American rug dealer was among several other visitors who visited the exhibition. Here is what she has written after her return:

I just got back from a lovely vacation to Dubai and the rug exhibition
at Kish. Many thanks to everyone there, people were extremely kind and
helpful. Don't let the current political situation put you off if any
of you consider making the trip. As an American woman traveling alone
I felt very safe. One should always be aware of the
surroundings no matter where you travel. I only regret that I didn't
have more time for tourism in country and will have to make another
trip.Since I took over 400 photos it's hard to pick and choose, but here's a
few.

I am glad she liked it there, because this was her first trip to that part of the world.

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

Rug Cleaning Rug Repair Beverly Hills Los Angeles

I went to a customer's home in Beverly Hills last evening. They had an old Tabriz rug which needed cleaning, repair of the selvages on two sides and repair of the fringes on both ends. Since I had my camera with me, I took a couple of pictures from the street with beautiful trees all in blossoms. Beverly Hills is a small but rich and famous city in the city of Los Angeles. Out of its 33,000 residents, 25% are Persians! The city had a Persian mayor Mr. Jimmy Delshad up to few months ago. After his term finished, Mr. Delshad is a city council member in Beverly Hills.

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

Rug Blog, Rug Market and Gas Price

I was driving home this afternoon and noticed the sign of a gas station. The gas prices were unbelievable. No wonder why people cannot afford buying rugs! This is what hurts people most these days.

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

Customers Do Not Pick Up Their Cleaned Repaired Rugs

We have many rugs which are cleaned or repaired. These rugs were drop offs and we have called and notified the clients to pick up their rugs. These customers have not shown up. We need the money and the space and the customers keep telling us that they would stop by to pick up the rugs one of these days. Probably some of these customers are waiting to receive their checks as the first of the month approaches. People do not have money or do not want to spend! May be there is no money left after they fill up the tanks of their cars!

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

Textile Museum Associates of Southern California TMASC Los Angeles

The web site of the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California TMASC, TMA/SC is up and running. Its address is http://tmasc.org/

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

Our 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 about 200 members.

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

Mercedes Benz Logo on Persian Rugs

I received a new shipment of Persian rugs from Tehran while ago. My supplier has sent me a Mercedes Benz logo made on a Persian rug along with other rugs and kilims. The size of this little rug 21" x 16 and the knot per square inch, KPSI is around 300. The pile is wool on cotton foundation (warp). This hand knotted Persian carpet was made in the famous city of Kashan.



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

Rug Customers Only Look For Bargains and Deals in Los Angeles

With the price of gas going high every day, and other economic problems and uncertainties we all face these days, the customers and those who would like to buy Persian, Oriental and area rugs, only look for sales, deals and bargains. They are very cautious in spending. They do not even want to look at the rugs which are not on sale.

We also receive or pick up rug for cleaning or repair. People want to the cleaning postpone the repair, or go with the repair and postpone the cleaning. Very few want to go ahead with the complete job of cleaning and the repair. It is getting tougher and tougher every day.

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

Carpet Cleaning Tips For Dummies

We give this book free of charge to those who visit our rug gallery. All of them seem to like it.

Carpet Cleaning Tips for Dummies - How To Guide Offers Easy Carpet Cleaning Tips

Some people think that keeping carpet clean and beautiful is hard work. It really isn't. Not if you clean it properly, with the right frequency and the right products.

Carpet Cleaning Tips for Dummies will save you time by zeroing in on the best cleaning techniques and helping you identify the products and equipment you need to get the results you want. Proper cleaning and maintenance of your carpet makes all the difference in the world. It can preserve the life and beauty of your carpet, improve your indoor air quality, and avoid premature replacement costs and disposal in landfills.

Household management expert Elizabeth Goldsmith, the book's author, provides simple solutions for fighting dirt, removing nasty spots and stains, using the right products and calling in professional cleaners when necessary. She has tips for pet owners and advice on how to clean precious Oriental rugs.

Khosrow Sobhe

www.RugIdea.com

310-770-9085

Selling A SilK Rug

I wrote about Belgian silk rugs in my previous post. When I wrote the post and before publishing it on the Internet, a couple walked into our rug gallery and bought several small area rugs. They also saw these silk rugs and I told them about the price increase. Among other pieces, they liked and selected a small silk area rug. The couple liked the softness of the silk rug.

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

RugMaster: Silk Area Rug Los Angeles

We received a shipment of silk area rugs few weeks ago. These items were made in Belgium with artificial silk, viscose. They were very shiny and soft. Our customers liked them and we sold most or almost all the small sizes with few of the big sizes. I wanted to place a new order but I was told the prices have gone up by 50% percent!! This is because of the deflating and weakening of US Dollar and the strength of the Euro, the European money. We can neither lose the new customers we have found for this quality, nor can sell these items with the new higher prices!

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

Old Antique Bags, Double Bags, Kilims, Rugs Los Angeles

A rug collector brought in 16 pieces of Persian old and antique Baluch and Turkmen bags, horse saddle covers, Shahsevan kilims, Gabbeh bag and one 5 x 7 feet Kordi Ghouchan rug with wool foundation. He wanted to sell these pieces all together. I bought them for a customer who also wants to sell them. The collector wanted to sell all the pieces at once. This customer, the new owner would like to sell them all at once with a low price or piece by piece. This is my homework for today, Saturday to label them piece by piece with the size and the place of origin on each item and of course the retail price.


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

Measuring Your Room Before Buying a Rug

Today, I had three different customers who lived far away and wanted rugs without having an idea of the size they were looking for. How could you buy a rug if you do not know the size of your room? They said they would have to measure the room and comeback. One of them wanted me to stay longer until she goes home to a neighboring town south of Los Angeles and come back. It was already 15 minutes past 6:00 pm! I said we would be open tomorrow Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. She said she would stop by tomorrow.

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

Rug Cleaning Los Angeles

Several customers called me today and asked for our prices for rug cleaning. If a rug is dropped off and is not very dirty, we normally charge $2 per square foot. Some customers shop around and want us to pick up and deliver the rug with the same price, $2/SF. With the high gas price, this is not possible any more! If we know that the rug needs repair, we maybe tempted to compromise. Some of the customers try to be smart and not fair. Over the phone, they claim that their rug is very big without giving us the exact size and when we go to pick up the rug, we realize that the rug is much smaller than the size they mentioned. What are we supposed to do in cases like this?

Some of the customers prefer to drop off the rug themselves and we welcome this very much. It is getting tougher every day if you have to drive and get stocked in the traffic.

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

Selling Two Rugs to Michael Jackson

A customer, an African American gentleman walked into our rug gallery and in a few minutes bought two rugs. He wanted to pay with his Visa Credit Card. My salesman asked for this customer's ID and he showed his California Driver's License. His name was Michael Jackson. We said what a coincidence! What do you do Mr. Jackson if we may ask? He said "I am in movie industry". He signed the credit card slip, laughed and said good bye.

In an hour, another young lady, an African American customer came in and looked for a rug and selected an identical piece to the one that Mr. Jackson had bought. She bought it and paid with her ATM card. I told her that I sold another piece like this to Michael Jackson one hour ago. She looked at me and said: "Are you serious?". I showed her the Michael Jackson's credit card slip with his name printed on the slip. She screamed and said:"Oh my god! Where were I? I wish I had come to your store one hour sooner. Oh my god, oh my god. I cannot believe this!" She shook her head and left regretfully why she was not in our rug gallery when Michael Jackson was there buying rugs from us!!

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

Rug Shop and a Sparrow

When I opened my rug gallery this morning and sat behind my desk to check my e-mails, a small sparrow flew in from the door to the adjacent parking lot and sat on the floor. He flew out and came back again and sat on some of our rugs. I took my camera which was at my side and took few photos. He/she was my first visitor of the day!

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

Rugs and Technology: Can They Match?

A lady walked in and looked for a 5 x 8 rug. She liked a rug with black background, but said she wanted to buy this rug for her sister and was not sure if her sister would like this rug or not. She wanted to take a photo with her cell phone camera to show it to her sister. I said that I could send her sister an e-mail with a link for her to visit and see all the rugs in that category. She agreed and gave me her sister's e-mail. Few minutes later, after she received a phone call from her sister, she paid for the rug with her ATM card and left happily!! That is the miracle of technology to sell a very traditional item such as a rug.

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

Persian Rugs and Coalition of Iranian Entrepreneurs AHAM Los Angeles

We have a weekly meeting on Monday evenings at the Flame Restaurant, the Camden House in Beverly Hills. The organizer of the meeting is the Coalition of Iranian Entrepreneurs, in Farsi called AHAM. The meeting starts at 6:00 pm with one hour of networking and mingling. During this time, some Persian appetizers are served with tea. We have Persian food from 7:00 pm to 7:45 pm followed by 2-3 short speeches each one 5 minutes, and then, we have a keynote speaker who talks about 30 minutes and then there is a short question and answer part. Without prior notice, I was asked tonight to deliver a 5-minute speech on Persian carpets for the audience of nearly 50 businessmen and women who had gathered for networking, business and speeches.

First I presented some information on the current state of the Persian carpet industry in Iran. We have around 1,000,000 carpet looms on which around 2,000,000 weavers work. The rough annual export of Persian rugs from Iran is approximately $600,000,000. I then talked about the Kish Island Carpet Exhibition which was held from April 29 to May 2nd, 2008. Non-Iranians do not need visa to go Kish Island, a free zone which is 20 minutes away from Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

I talked about the biggest hand made carpet in the world, a 6,000 square meters (roughly 70,000 square feet) carpet which was recently made for a mosque in Abu Dahbi. It took 18 months to weave this magnificent rug by 600 women who worked in two shifts. I briefly talked about two video presentations I had on Persian carpets at the Bowers Museum in Orange County on April 26, 2008 and another lecture on May 7th in the California State University Northridge.

My speech tonight lasted for only 5 minutes. Several people came to me after the program was over and told me they liked the brief but statistical and informative report I presented. It was good opportunity for me to present myself to the Iranian business community who were there.

I got home around 9:30 pm and posted this report to share the story with the kind readers of my rug blog.

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

Not A Vey Busy Monday

Several customers stopped by our rug gallery today, but non of them bought any thing. A gentleman brought in a very fine Persian Tabriz with silk foundation for cleaning and repair. It was awfully dirty. The size was 10 x 7 feet. Our estimate was $400 for cleaning and one side of selvage replacement and one end of fringe securing and complete repair. He said that was way above his expectation. I asked if he knew how much the rug was worth. He had no idea. When I told him it was worth between $5,000 to $6,000 he could not believe it. He said my wife would kill me if she knew this rug was worth something and I had placed it in the garage under so many dust and dirt. He said he did not want to spend that much and I said that is not spending, it is investing. He talked with his wife on the phone and took the rug back. He will come back on this coming Saturday with his wife to see if they want to go ahead with the cleaning and repair.

three other customers stopped by separately. Two of them, ladies asked for two Nain rugs of 5 x 8 and 9 x 11. They could not believe our prices of $975 on two Nain rugs of 5 x 8. They said they had gone to a very big Oriental rug store in Agoura Hills north west of Los Angeles and they were given a $20,000 price for a Nian rug somehow similar to our rug. I had not seen that Nain rug, therefore could not judge. They wanted blue in the rug, but did not like the blues in our rugs. I got their names and phone numbers to call them if we receive any rug with their specifications.

Two other ladies, probably a daughter and mother walked in and looked for a 9 x 12 hand knotted rug, not very busy, and not with an open field. They spent half an hour in our rug gallery but did not like any of our rugs and left.

I paid several bills, went to bank to deposit two checks and went to the post office to mail few letters.

Nothing exciting happened today.

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

High School Jazz Ensemble in the Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles

After I closed my rug gallery around 4:30 pm yesterday which was Sunday, and a very slow Mother's day, my wife and I went to a Jazz concert in the Walt Disney Concert Hall in down town Los Angeles. It was my first time there. The building and the concert hall was stunning.

Three of Los Angeles’ leading high school jazz ensembles teamed up for an evening of great music-making in Walt Disney Concert Hall. It was great seeing young musicians play different instruments. In doing this, they learn the team work and appreciation of music and art and saying no to drug and violence.

Carolyn and Berni a very nice couple who are family friends had invited us to this wonderful event. They had gotten the tickets. Our seats were next to their seats and right in the middle of the row with a perfect view of the stage.My wife and I both had a nice time there and enjoyed the program.

A New Space For Music

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall, new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is designed to be one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world, providing both visual and aural intimacy for an unparalleled musical experience.

Through the vision and generosity of Lillian Disney, the Disney family, and many other individual and corporate donors, the city will enjoy one of the finest concert halls in the world, as well as an internationally recognized architectural landmark.

From the stainless steel curves of its striking exterior to the state-of-the-art acoustics of the hardwood-paneled main auditorium, the 3.6-acre complex embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra.

It was an evening of fun and enjoying the jazz music.

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

Mother's Day Selling Two Runners and One Area Rug in Los Angeles

It is Sunday and a very slow mother's day in Los Angeles. I am at work. I sold two 2 x 8 feet runners, area rugs this morning after I opened our store. A customer who had a Nepalese rug with us for cleaning picked it up. A customer came in and browsed several rugs. He said he is in the process of remodeling his house and would come back next week.

Couple of customers walked in separately and checked on few rugs and said they might comeback later.

Nothing major or important happened!! Our repairman and his assistant took the day off today to spend the time with their families.

Right before I close my store, one of the customers who had visited us this morning returned and bought a 5 x 8 area rug. She had told me she would brows other stores. Apparently she liked our prices!

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

Rug Cleaning, Stain removal and Rug Repair

I went to a customer's home last evening in Alhambra a city near Los Angeles. This customer had water damage problem couple of weeks ago. I went to his home and picked up his rugs. Two of his three rugs were wet and damaged by the water. We cleaned the rugs and took care of the color run and the bleeding of red into ivory. One of the small rugs also needed fringe repair. I delivered the rugs and he was happy with the job we had done.

I got home around 8:00 pm.

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

Slow Saturday With Only Two Rugs Sold in Los Angeles

It is Saturday afternoon around 5:00 pm. It was one day before the mother's day, but we did not have any serious customer. I thought we might sell few items.

A couple walked in this morning and said they just moved to Los Angeles from another city, therefore they would need several carpets. They would receive their furniture on this coming Monday. They were not ready to purchase anything today. I asked them to do their homework and measure the rooms after they get the furniture with the minimum and the maximum sizes. They checked on some of the rugs we had and the husband liked our rug collections and said they would come back next week.

Later in the afternoon, we received few rugs for cleaning. They were dropped off by one of our former customers. I also have a 7:00 pm appointment with a customer who has several rugs for cleaning and stain removal. I have to deliver his rugs to his condo in Alhambra, some 22 miles away from our rug gallery. A customer also showed up before I closed the store and picked up her cleaned rug. She said when she has the money, she would comeback to buy a silk rug she liked so much!

Before I closed the store, I sold one 4 x 6 and one 5 x 8 feet rugs to different customers.

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

How Can Our Customers Sell A Rug?

I got very busy this morning for a few minutes. While I was showing some rugs to a customer who needed several rugs, a young lady walked in and said she had an Oriental rug for appraisal. I asked her to give me few minutes before I could take a look at her rug. One of my associates helped my customer and I went to the adjacent parking lot to see the rug which belonged to this young lady. She had a hummer car, but could not open the trunk. I took the rug out from the back door. It was an Indian rug with burgundy background. I asked her about the purpose of the appraisal. She said she would want to sell the rug, therefore she needed an appraisal. I said the rug is very dirty and it is better to have it cleaned if you would like to sell it. She said first let me have the appraisal and then I would decide if I should go for the cleaning or not. I said OK, I will prepare, print and will seal the appraisal form, but you would have to come back in one hour and I would have the document ready by then. She agreed and paid for the appraisal. She returned in one hour and picked up the appraisal certificate. She asked for help in selling her rug. I said we should try to find a private customer and not a dealer who may not be ready to pay a good price, but first let us do the cleaning and then we will provide you with several high resolution photos of the rugs so you can e-mail it or post it on e-bay or the Craig's list or on other Internet virtual stores. She agreed and left.

Many of our customers would like to sell a rug or several rugs but do not know where to start from. Should they put the rug inside their car's trunk and stop by the dealers on the streets of Los Angeles and hear no from the dealers who would complain about the slow market? Should they place ad in different papers and wait for telephone calls? They wonder what to do. To help them, we have created a section on our website called the "Market Place" on which our customers can post the photo and the technical information of the rug they want to sell. We prepare everything for them including the technical information and the high resolution photo. If the visitor clicks on the picture of the rug, it will open in a new window in a bigger and brighter position. The seller can also refer his/her own potential customers (friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, and etc.) to the link and the website to see the photo of the rug and its information. For all this, our customer pays a one-time nominal fee without paying any hidden fee or commission. We can even post his/her phone number or e-mail address so potential customers can contact him/her directly.

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

Tea Stain Removal From Carpets and Rugs

A friend e-mailed me few days ago and mentioned that she spilled tea on her Tabriz carpet. She wanted to know how she could take care of the problem. This is what I wrote to her:

Tea- Stain Removal on Carpet and Upholstery

1. Mix one teaspoon of a neutral detergent (a mild
detergent containing no alkalies or bleaches) with a cup
of warm water. Blot.

2. Mix one-third cup of white household vinegar with
two-thirds cup of water. Blot.

3. Repeat step one.

4. Sponge with clean water. Blot.

This article was written by Anne Field, Extension
Specialist, Emeritus, with reference from the Georgia
Extension bulletin, How to Care for Carpets and Rugs, the
Hoover Company, Nebraska Extension bulletin Carpet Care -
Cleaning and Stain Removal, the Carpet and Rug Institute,
Allied Fibers and Plastics Inc. and DuPont Clean Up
Carpeting bulletin.

Source:

Michigan State University Extension
Home Maintenance And Repair - 01500509
06/24/03

This is the feedback I received from her after a couple of days.

Dear Dr. Sobhe,

I tried it and it got much better. Still some colors left, but it almost blends in the carpet colors and doesn’t show much.

I appreciate your help, it was very helpful.

Regards,

Shida

Persian Rug: Everlasting Garden

It is 7:45 am in Los Angeles and I am at work in my rug gallery in Los Angeles.

I had a lecture and video presentation last night at the California State University Northridge here in Los Angeles on Persian carpets. I enjoyed the program. Around 40 students and one of the faculty members showed up. I showed a 15-minute video of which I am the producer showing how Gabbeh rugs are made in Iran by the Qashqai tribe. The program started at 7:15 pm and ended around 8:45 pm.

Persian Carpet: Everlasting Garden

A Lecture and Video Presentation by

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe

California State University Northridge

Sponsored by the Iranian Students Association

Sierra Hall Room 203

05/07/2008

7:00 pm

History of Rug Making:

Handmade rugs were probably made by nomads to cover the floor. The Pazyryk carpet is the oldest hand made rug which dates back to 2,500 years ago. It is kept in the Hermitage Museum in San Petersburg, Russia. The Ardabil carpets (a pair) were woven during the rein of Shah Tahmasp of Safavid dynasty in 1539. One piece is in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The other one is in Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA.

Rug Trade

Rug trade is around $2 billion per year. Iran holds nearly 30% of the market, India 21%, China 18%, and Pakistan 17%

In 2006, around $120 million Persian rug was imported to the US. Around $600,000,000 Persian carpet is exported annually from Iran. There are around 1,000,000 looms in Iran with about 2,000,000 weavers. Roughly 350,000 people work in the side jobs. Around 8,000,000 Square Meters, roughly 90,000,000 square feet of Persian carpet is produced annually in Iran.

Informative Rug Websites:

Spongobongo.com
PersianCarpetGuide.com
RugIdea.com
Oldcarpet.com
RugNews.com

Khosrow Sobhe is an award winning producer and importer of Persian rugs and the founder and CEO of SOBCO International Ltd. (www.RugIdea.com) Los Angeles. He is a Board member of the Iranian Carpet Exporters' Association, Tehran. Khosrow Sobhe is a Board Member of the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California in Los Angeles. Sobhe is a member of the Textile Group of Los Angeles, TGLA. He is an Industry Partner of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Khosrow Sobhe is the Editor in Chief of the "Iranian Hand Woven Rug" quarterly published in Tehran in Farsi and in English.

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

Hand Knotted Persian Nain Rug

We sold a hand knotted Persian Nain rug from our web site on the Internet last evening. We received the money through our PayPal account. It was a dark Blue background 6' 6" x 10 feet sold for $1,050 to Knoxville, TN. I will send the rug today with UPS along with a free rug pad. The shipping is also free.

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

Persian Carpet Grand Exhibition in Tehran Aug. 23-29, 2008

The 17th Persian Carpet Grand Exhibition will be held in Tehran Permanent Exhibition Ground from Aug. 23rd to 29th, 2008. More than 400 exhibitors from all over Iran will put their latest produced rugs and kilims on display.

Persian rugs of different styles, village, tribal, city workshops, old and antique will be presented to the rug lovers who gather in Tehran from around the world. This will be a unique opportunity for those who want to buy Persian rugs first hand and save.

You can also get to know the Persian carpet making process by attending many free natural dyeing, and weaving workshops and scholarly forums during this one-week
one of a kind event.

Many types of handicrafts related to handmade carpets will be displayed in the 17th Persian Carpet Grand Exhibition and various cultural programs will represent different regions of Iran.

For visa, please fill out the application form
(http://www.daftar.org/forms/visas/101.pdf) and fallow the instruction indicated on the application or refer to www.daftar.org for more details. For hotel, travel related assistance, or more information, please contact:

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
1655 South La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Tel. 310-770-9085
Fax 310-860-0462

Persian Rug Lecture and Video Presentation in California State University Northridge, Los Angeles

Tomorrow evening at 6:00 pm, I will have a lecture and rug making video presentation at the Californian State University Northridge here in Los Angeles. I had a lecture there last year and they wanted me to have another speech this year. I will mostly talk about Persian rug, its history, how it is made, who the weavers are, and how these weavers are trained. There are 15 universities in Iran which offer Persian carpet as a major and grant Associate of Arts and Bachelor's degree in four different related fields such as weaving, dyeing, designing and repair. There are roughly 5,000 university students in Iran who study Persian carpet. Many of them are very smart students who will replace the existing generation in Persian rug industry.

California State University, Northridge is a vibrant, diverse university community of nearly 34,000 students and more than 4,000 faculty and staff, sited on a 356-acre campus in the heart of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. As you explore the university's web site, you will find ample evidence of Cal State Northridge's commitment to the educational and professional goals of students, and its extensive service to the community.

It is always good to talk to students specially university students who will be the leaders of the tomorrow. Through education, we can change the world and can have a better and brighter future. We can teach these young but smart and sharp students how to appreciate art and culture and by doing this we can soften their frustration, anger and how they view life and the world. I am already excited for tomorrow's event.

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

To Save or Not to Save: Rug Cleaning Rug Repair Los Angeles

We receive many rugs for cleaning and repair which are in bad condition. The owner of the rug could have saved the rug if he/she had cleaned or repaired the rug sooner and before it was too late. Some of the owners want to save a little money buy not cleaning or repairing the rug. This is not saving. It is helping to ruin the rug by not investing (not spending) a small amount of money in saving the rug. When we pick up a rug like this and we ask the owner when the rug was last cleaned or repaired, he/she says "never" or "many years ago" that I cannot remember. I wrote about a Kerman rug we picked up for cleaning in an earlier post:

Click here to read the story

On the other hand, when the rug is dirty, not only the food stuff hidden inside the pile provide the ground for the moth to grow, but the dirt acts like sand paper and damages the fiber and the pile. We also swallow and breath the dust and dirt which are floating in the air. This can bring us sickness and allergy.

Regardless of the traffic and dirtiness of the rug, it should be vacuumed regularly probably once a week, and it should be cleaned once in one or two years. This will surely extend the life of the rug.

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

Area Rugs on Sale and Our Best Sellers

Some of our customers have dogs or kids and do not want to spend a lot of money to buy a Persian, or Oriental rug. They look for medium quality area rug to cover a surface. We have a collection consisting of several colors which we sell $69 per piece for a 5 x 8 feet. We do not make that much money on these items, but we make our customers happy and they go home with the kind of area rug they like. We carry high end area rugs as well, but the photos posted here are for the medium quality area rugs, on sale for $69.

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

Moth Damaged Persian Hand Knotted Kerman Rug and A Moth Damaged Qum Rug

We received a call from a customer in Beverly Hills for a rug cleaning. When we went to this customer's place, we saw an unbelievable scene. A very fine old 9 x 12 hand knotted Persian Kerman carpet severely damaged by moth who were still inside the rolled rug in thousands. Pounds of moth eggs, thousand of worms and flies were there having a party at the expense of the owner of the rug. It was unbelievable!!

She also had a 6 x 9 Persian Qum, rug this one with slight moth damage but with some damage on one end. We took both rugs for cleaning. The moths were flying inside the car and I could see them in my inside mirror. The owner said this Kerman rug was bought for $9,000 almost 20 years ago. We cleaned both rugs and repaired the Qum rug. I have not given estimate for the repair of the Kerman rug to the owner of this rug. It will cost him at least $6,000 and it will take 10 weeks to repair it.


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

Rugs and a Busy Sunday

Yesterday was Sunday and we were busy. We were at work from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. A customer who had left an antique Persian Senneh rug with us for cleaning and repair picked up her rug. It had a very strange Cat & Dog design. She was happy with the cleaning and repair of her rug. At the same time, a customer who lives in Orange County also stopped by to pick up a fine Tabriz Mahi (Fish) design he had with us for stain removal and color fix.

A young lady brought us a beautiful old Kerman rug with Ivory background for cleaning. The fringes on both ends were damaged. I recommended that she would invest a little money in fixing the ends to save the rug and she accepted. She had found us through my web log and then she had visited our web site and she was convinced we were the right people to take care of her pretty Kerman rug.

While I was busy with these customers, a young gentleman walked in and bought a 5 x 8 rug. In the morning, another customer bought a 5 x 8 rug with the map of the States for his kid's room.

We were busy this Sunday.

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

Rug Market Picking Up in Los Angeles?!

For several days, we did not sell rugs of any kind! We were slightly busy with rug cleaning and repair drop offs and pick ups. April 2008 was the worst month ever. Was it because of gas price hike, credit crash, real estate slow down, elections, tax deadline of April 15th, lay offs, or ...? I do not blame any of these factors alone. It has been probably a combination of these variables, but whatever the reason was, April was a very bad and slow month.

The first few days of May has not been that bad. The day before yesterday, we sold few pieces of area rugs and one Persian Hamedan runner. Yesterday, we also sold 5 area rugs, all of them
5 x 8 feet to different customers along with one Persian prayer rug to an American Christian customer who was looking to buy a prayer rug for his Muslim friend.

After May first, we became busier with rug cleaning and repair. It is good when customers drop off the rugs themselves and we do not have to pick them up with this high price of gas. We do not charge extra for pick up and delivery if it is local, within 5 miles.

It is Sunday today and I have appointments with few customer between 12:00 to 4:00 pm. Will they show up? Will they buy anything? Who knows.? This is the challenge and the beauty of the private sector and working for your self. I like its uncertainty!

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

We Recieved a New Persian Rug Shipment from Tehran

Two days ago, we received a new Persian rug shipment from Tehran. The bales were sent by my brothers who are Persian rug producers and exporters by Air France. It took 2-3 days to clear the bales which were inspected by the customs here in Los Angeles International Airport. I had asked my brothers to send me a small loom that I need for the presentations we have. We participate in different shows and exhibitions and I need a loom on which our repairman works and show how Persian rugs are made. I received a small but a very cute rug loom. Few inches of a rug is already woven and the rest is warped and is ready to be woven for presentation purposes.



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