“ The store caters to designers in a very spacious way … when we have somebody in the showroom, it’s not in a rush and we’re there to take care of their needs. “
Exterior and interior scenes from Rug & Kilim’s 5000-square-foot showroom in Long Island City.
RI: Rug & Kilim is celebrating its 45th year in the rug trade, having been established in 1980. What was the inception of Rug & Kilim? Josh: It kind of fell in our lap. My cousins were in the business, and we’ve never looked back. We didn’t know anything about carpets when it happened, and we learned as we started the business. It was a very different time in those days, and there weren’t many carpet shops or stores. Those that existed were mainly there to service current car- pets or buy antique rugs for the Euro- pean market, and our push was to sell. So that’s how we started, in a very small shop, 780 square feet in Short Hills, New Jersey, and very soon we expanded to a 5,000-square-foot show- room two years later on Route 10. A major showroom. RI: Over the course of its 45-year his- tory, Rug & Kilim has had locations in
New Jersey, in New York City, and now in Long Island City. How is the current location in Long Island City different from the previous locations, and has it been a better space for you since you’ve been there? Josh: It was really kind of just pre-Covid when our wholesale business was growing quite fast, and of course we had a number of insistent businesses from loyal designers that we’ve been acquainted with in the last many years, so it seemed like a very appropriate move for us, allowing for much more space to show our inventory, and it’s been phenomenal! We love it. The store caters to designers in a very spacious way, and unlike our previous space, when we have somebody in the showroom, it’s not in a rush and we’re there to take care of their needs. RI: Similarly, Rug & Kilim started out in 1980 as a vendor of traditional area rugs, and now has branched out
RUG INSIDER had the privilege of sitting down with Josh for an exclusive interview, in which we discussed the beginnings of Rug & Kilim forty-five years ago, its growth and evolution over four and a half decades, the impact his children have had on the business, where he sees the rug trade moving in the years ahead, and more! The full transcript of our exclusive one-on-one discussion follows. Check out the interview, see Rug & Kilim at Cover Connect NY in September, and visit them online at rugandkilim.com.
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