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The Rug Show 2024

Exclusive Stories

Colors: Orange Color

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.

The role, relevance—and registration rates of exhibitors, buyers and designers, alike—for home furnishings market events are on the rise again, post-pandemic. Even in today’s hyper-digital world, where it’s not just common but de rigueur to connect and conduct business remotely via screens, some exchanges and experiences are better left in person.

Like some of the best in the business, Oriental Designer Rugs had humble beginnings. The Golchha family started the company out of a modest 600-square-foot space in Manhattan in 1984, and since then they have grown the company to be a powerhouse in the rug industry.

DOMOTEX asia/ CHINAFLOOR may be a once in a lifetime experience for many floorcovering merchants, but I look forward to attending again and here’s why—to keep up with a changing world. 

Attending a trade show was a great excuse to dip my toe again in the large nation of People’s Republic of China. I first visited Hong Kong to see friends and to check out the antique textile market. Then I flew into Shanghai Hongqiao airport which was close to the exhibition hall of the new National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in the Qingpu District of Shanghai. Registration via ExpoPromoter seemed easy online but I never received a promised QR code for admission. However, I had also applied for a VIP Buyer program from HALI magazine, so I received arrival, hotel and other various exhibition-related information to support a successful visit.

We’ve been hearing about “green” products and practices for years now. With rugs and carpets, environmental awareness has evolved to encompass broad concerns. Today, they’re created with consideration for not only content and production, but also benefits to humanity.

Winter is here, and as we welcome 2024, we also say hello to all the “new” in the world of area rugs, as rug vendors are releasing numerous “new rug” designs to kick off the New Year. Flip through the pages of the winter issue of Rug Insider, and you will find hundreds of new rugs from different vendors, with a wide range of colors, styles, and designs. What you are less likely to see, but which is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the area rug industry, are details about the rug appraisal process, along with such related questions as what types of appraisals there are, what purposes they serve, who is asking for them, and what goes into preparing them.

Exquisite Rugs lands a deal with the Smithsonian and will unveil lines inspired by the historic museum’s artifacts at the upcoming High Point Market. It’s a great honor to be chosen to collaborate with the Metropolitan Museum Of Art on a rug collection, which makes it even more impressive that Exquisite Rugs has also been picked as a collaborator by the esteemed Smithsonian Institution.

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.

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