Rug Insider Magazine
News for the Rug and Carpet Professional 
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Some businesses begin with a plan. Others begin with a legacy.
For the founder of Wilmington, NC-based Theseus Rugs, Shane Cibor, the journey started long before the company officially launched. He grew up surrounded by handmade rugs, family traditions and relationships built across con tinents. Rugs have always been more than a business— they’ve been part of everyday life.
Macro world events such as COVID cut across all industries, however the rug profession also presents unique challenges that a trusted colleague may help unravel. Candid conversations spark the mind, and sharing the journey with colleagues strengthens our profession. In the best of circumstances, positive industry relationships enrich our personal lives as well.
It’s in this spirit of sharing that Rug Insider launches a series of dealer interviews between Brian Robins, co-owner with Rebecca Lurie of Kush Rugs, Portland, Oregon and premier showrooms across the country.
The rug business has always depended on trust. Customers place that trust carefully, often after long consideration, because the products we sell are not disposable. A well-made rug is meant to last decades, sometimes generations. That durability is part of the value proposition, but it also creates a quiet challenge for retailers: once the sale is complete, there is little reason for the customer to return.
This is not a failure of retail. It is a structural reality of the category. Rugs do not wear out quickly, styles do not change overnight, and most customers are not constantly shopping for replacements. Without an ongoing reason to engage, even the best relationships fade into the background. A showroom becomes a memory rather than a destination.
Rug washing changes that dynamic.
It seems like yesterday my child was still sitting on my lap while watching cartoons. Though it saddens me to be helpless in slowing the clock hands of time down, I find new pleasure hearing his future thoughts and plans. Today he is a fine young man ready to enter this next phase of life. The business guy within me can already see the emerging marketing campaigns geared specifically in his direction. For those risk-takers, I offer up great kudos. They are the ones who realize today’s casual spending youths are tomorrow’s growth sustainers.
In most industries, targeting and forecasting comprise the foundation for potential spending, both planned and unplanned. Actually, there is a certain excitement when we peel the various layers of potential back from two current generational sales onions.
There is poetry in knots. A thread that connects us from material, to color, to form. The right rug stirs the subconscious. You almost don’t know why you love it, you just do. Rugs call to artistic souls who hunger for beauty. Jane Rohr is one such soul. As co-owner of the Scarab in Minturn, Colorado, Jane has made her life in the rug world. She’s organically intertwined art, craft, and commerce, resulting in a thriving business that commands a loyal following.
There is an old saying which still rings true today—“the difference is in the detail.” As a businessperson, I subscribe fully to the notion of using this tactic to my advantage. We often tend to lose sight of the concept of placing our own business operations under the microscope, but there has never been a more opportune window to do so. It may seem a bit odd, but time will tell how fine the clarity was to your lens.
Various channels of business are slowly starting to ramp back, and with them, perhaps a golden chance exists for additional development. Time to grab hold of the figurative business mirror and place it in front of your current methods. Could it be after having been in forced hibernations for so long the perception you have of your organization is no longer reality, as viewed through the eyes of your customer base. Why not utilize this sudden awakening, to re-introduce or reposition your operation? It all starts from first possessing a willingness to do so.