The Persian rug business is one of the longest-running trades on earth. Ever since ancient times, when artisans created exquisitely detailed carpets for patrons across empires, these works of art have set an unimpeachable standard for quality, beauty and superb attention to detail.
Today, over a million Iranians still practice this storied craft. The product is as in-demand as ever, but changing times require different methods of distribution. The Suit spoke with modern-day carpet seller Ebrahim Keypour, an Iranian-American business owner whose family has crafted and sold oriental rugs for four generations. Today his company, ManhattanRugs.Com, marries modern technology to an ancient practice.
“My ancestors started this business with the silk business, because a lot of handmade oriental rugs have silk in them,” he said. “So once they started working with silk, then they started weaving the rugs; they became weavers. The next generation became weavers. And now we sell the rugs.”
The company has been in business for about 90 years, but new technologies of the past decade required adjustments. “Everyone is on the internet. So for the past maybe 10 to 15 years, we have been doing business as a retailer on the internet,” Keypour said. He explains that ManhattanRugs.com has found success because selling from the website allows for direct access to the end customers. “We get firsthand feedback directly from the users of the item. We can directly ask the consumer what they think and what they want.”
www.manhattanrugs.com
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