Jelly Bean Rugs Homefires
The Rug Show 2024

Exclusive Stories

Colors: Orange Color

David Samad, co-founder of the venerable wholesale rug firm, Samad, has been in the area rug industry his entire life. And while he hates to admit it, his 47 years in the business make him an industry veteran.

But rugs aren’t Samad’s whole life.

In 1994, David signed up to run the New York City Marathon in honor of Simon Banilevi, a dear friend of his who had lost his fight to cancer the year before. When it came time to run in November of ‘94, he completed the 26.2-mile feat—Samad‘s first marathon and the longest distance he‘d run to date.

“If you’d asked me to sign a waiver at the end of the race to say that was the first and last marathon I‘d ever do, I would have signed on the dotted line,” Samad says.


2004 HONOLULU — 2015 MELBOURNE — 2019 CANBERRA

But now, 28 years later, he‘s completed 82 marathons in 18 states across the U.S. and in 10 different countries around the world.
It became more of a challenge for Samad, and he wanted more. That led him to London, and eventually India, Australia, France, Israel, Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada.

“It was intriguing, and I started getting very serious about it,” he says. “I started running four to five marathons a year. And actually in 1995, I ran my personal best—3 hours, 21 minutes and 34 seconds.”

So, is he crazy?

“It’s just one of those personal challenges that I think I want to keep doing as long as I can,” Samad says. “Although I have to say it’s not getting any easier.”

While Samad is personally interested, he also says marathons have intrigued the minds of many people all over the world and have become a nice healthy hobby. He says that it became a personal goal for him and one that he loved accomplishing simply for himself.

With a diagnosis of Asthma in his twenties, running, as his doctor told him was the best thing he can do.

“In a way it’s been the best medicine for me, to keep my lungs healthy,” Samad says. And when I see my pulmonologist he says I’m defying what someone in my condition should actually be, and it‘s an amazing thing. So honestly, it’s for my own good.”

He also says there’s a connection between the rug industry and marathons.

“Marathoners say the race begins at mile 20 and endurance is key. Like the rug business, It’s not a race, it’s a journey­.“

“There’‘s an old saying that seasoned marathoners say: the race begins at mile 20 and endurance is key,” Samad explains. “In many ways, I equate that to owning our own business and the ethic behind that. Like the rug business, the marathon is not a race, it’s a journey. It’s all about competing, and you want to do it right, but at the end of the day, it’s more about showing up! Am I ever going to win a marathon? Certainly not. But again, it’s a courageous thing to do to just compete—it is precious.”

Is there an ultimate goal Samad has in mind? “My goal is just to do one at a time, just get one more under my belt and keep crossing the finishing line with a smile on my face, it’s a long road but a really rewarding one.”

David is married to his lovely wife Johanna and they have three children and one grandson.

When we prompted a search for naturally-inspired rugs in organic tones using natural fibers like wool and silk, the responses we received were visually stunning and thought-provoking.

Tamarian’s Ned Baker reflected, “Nature has always had an important influence on the aesthetic of our work; from the use of renewable fibers such as hemp, allo, and sunpat in our weaving to the creation of our newer Silver Flax color palette that is inspired by natural tones, ‘bringing the outdoors in’ always elicits a positive response from the market and seems to satiate a certain desire we have to surround ourselves with the natural world, even when inside our home.”

Retailer + Designer Traffic Poised for In-Person Pickup, Post-Pandemic

The home fashions industry has reconvened this month—first at the Atlanta Market July 12-18, and then again at the Las Vegas Market July 24-28—to shop the latest and greatest in area rugs and much more.

The area rug category represents “a key asset” and an integral component to the markets’ whole home resources, noted Scott Eckman, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of International Market Centers (IMC), the organizer of the Atlanta and Las Vegas markets.

Fiber-Shield Industries, a company that makes eco-friendly rug, fabric, and carpet cleaners, is on a mission to change the way we think about cleaning.

Founded by President and Technical Director Manny Vickers and his wife, Connie, in 1979 as Future Living, the company has come a
long way on its journey to become Fiber-Shield. The proof? Manny, a chemist by trade who’s extremely hands-on with the company, recently completed his 10,000th experiment. Fiber-Shield’s emphasis has been to create environmentally compliant products, and that was its focus from day one.

Red is an emotionally intense color that demands attention like no other—it is literally in our hearts and blood. Our summer‘s quest for passionate flo­­­­or fashion was fulfilled in all constructions and qualities from classic to modern design interpretations and everything in between.

Rug companies continue to focus on programs that make it easier for interior designers to find and purchase custom rugs.

Interior designers have always been a critical part of the rug industry. But in recent years, as more people look to furnish their homes and make them a desirable place to live, work and raise children, interior designers have become more important than ever. And because the interior designer channel is booming—with over 119,778 interior designer businesses in the U.S. today—rug manufacturers have been introducing and revamping their designer rug programs to make them easier and more efficient for interior designers.

Talk to nearly anyone who attended the recently concluded High Point Market and they’ll tell you that traffic was noticeably higher than the last October market, order writing was steady and everyone was eager to get back to business. Such was the case for several rug exhibitors Rug Insider caught up with who took advantage of the show to display new and trending designs for designers and retailers alike. 

Area rug companies expand hybrid styles to balance artisan- and machine-made constructions.

Trends abound in area rugs, keeping category players busy juggling the gamut of consumers’ varied style preferences for products. To name a few: sustainability, artisan craftsmanship, power-looming innovations and performance conveniences.

Melding these attributes is a delicate balance that requires imagination and expertise. But it can be done—and is being successfully accomplished by many versatile companies adept at designing, developing and sourcing a range of product qualities spanning artisan-made to power-loomed and in between.

Page 4 of 18