Industry innovator Peter H. Burnham passed away on Thursday, Feb. 20. He was 82-years old. After beginning his career working as a buyer for Filene's, Peter owned Burton Carpet and Rug providing bound-area rugs across the nation for years.
He also founded Central Oriental in the mid-1980s offering unique collections of hand-tufted, machine-made, and hand-knotted rugs first to New England and eventually on a national basis. After many years of success and innovative creations, including the first collections of Million Point machine-made rugs, Central Oriental became part of the Natco Products family in the early 1990s, where it still remains to date.
Peter was a well-known and respected merchant, mentor, and father. He will be greatly missed.