J. M. Sorkin

Rugs

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The Oriental rug industry in the United States is a one billion dollar a year business at the retail level. The overwhelming majority of this business is in new rugs. Who chooses to buy new rugs and who chooses to buy old or antique rugs? Is one category better than the other?

Until the mid to late 1970s, if you wanted an Oriental rug, most people bought Persian rugs that were actually made in Iran. Today, the majority of what consumers buy are Persian "designs", made in India, China, Pakistan and to a lesser extent, Turkey, Rumania and Egypt, as well from a few other countries. Much of this change of production from Iran as the major producer of rugs sold in the U.S., to other countries was a result of several factors.

During the 1970's, as Iran's oil industry expanded and other areas of the economy grew, many people who were formerly employed in the rug industry left for the more lucrative opportunities in other growth industries.
Iran's six year war with Iraq left over one million Iranian dead and many others wounded or displaced, collectively affecting many of the newer generation that could have grown into the rug industry.
Probably, the most important reason for the eventual change to production of rug weaving to the above mentioned countries is that people associated with the industry saw better, less expensive and more stable opportunities to establish and/or improve rug weaving in other countries.

The 1980s saw a proliferation of rug production in designs influenced by Persian/Iranian rugs, being produced in other countries. As the standards of workmanship improved and the number of rugs produced increased with the advent of these new manufacturing possibilities, more and more opportunities increased within the market for greater number of rug options, bringing greater competition and more affordable pricing at the same time.

In the 1970s, a consumer looking to buy a 9x12 Persian design rug, often found that to have selection, the range of pricing would often start in the $4,000-$6,000 range. Today, consumers can find 9x12 Persian designs with greater selection, high standards of workmanship and tremendous diversity from a myriad of countries in the $3,000-$5,000 range. And that is 1998 dollars!

And what about the myth that the best rugs are rugs from Iran? Most people in the rug industry will say that what is being produced in these other rug countries is every bit as good as the rug production that has been produced in Iran during the last couple of decades. At J.M. SORKIN, we certainly feel this way. Being intimately involved with rug manufacturers in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Turkey and China, we find it is not the country that determines what makes an interesting rug, but rather, how it is produced. We look for entrepreneurial manufacturers who are willing to experiment with dyes, wools, knotting and thus, continually look for ways to innovate in their rug production. Innovation is not limited to, nor exclusive to any one country. By the same token, commercialism can be found in every rug weaving country, including Iran.