When you walk into a room, what happens? What do you feel? What do you respond to? Are you affected by the color? Do you notice the light? How does your mood change?

A new endeavor spearheaded by Steve Cibor of Tamarian and already much discussed within the industry is set to go live this winter. With it comes the possibility of revolutionary change to the way retailers source and sell rugs from inventory. It is The Rug Club, and RUG INSIDER has the details.

Domotex, the trade fair in Hannover, Germany, long ago established itself as the embodiment of its tagline, “The World of Flooring.” As the brand now expands globally with regional shows in China, Turkey, the United States, and soon Mexico, it is important to analyze what the show offers today’s buyers. Rug Insider asks Lisa Slappey of Pride of Persia Rug Company and Postmodern Traditions in Houston, Texas, to weigh in on Domotex and on the market more broadly.

According to company lore it all began in 1920 with eight rugs and a wheeled cart. That’s when Oscar Isberian, a young man from Wilmette, Illinois, co-founded Oscar Isberian Rugs with his brother Megerditch. Today the firm has grown from those humble beginnings into Chicagoland’s premier rug and carpet retailer, Oscar Isberian Rugs. As the firm nears its centenary, RUG INSIDER talks with the current principals of the firm, brothers Oscar Tatosian and Sarkis Tatosian (and others) about the secrets to their company’s enduring success.

As the current reigning preeminent trade show catering to the hand-knotted and handmade rug and carpet industry in North America, The Rug Show presents buyers and attendees a broad offering of aesthetics and qualities. It is also not the first show to lay claim to the title and as such Rug Insider looks at its origins and its future by asking aloud the murmuring questions.

In May of 2018 Rug Star and Christiane Millinger Oriental Rugs and Textiles collaborated on the inaugural North American version of Rug Star’s noted ‘Intimacy’ photography series which began in Berlin, Germany. This is a behind the scenes look at the making of “Intimacy Portland”—set in Portland, Oregon—with commentary regarding the effectiveness of such campaigns on the perception of handmade rugs and carpets.