ABC executive VP Bill Ward, second from left, poses with the Custom team, from left, Rick Jacobs, Chloe Kuruvilla, Eve Bohlin and Glenn Barton at the official launch of ABC Custom at BDNY.
While ABC Carpet has been creating custom area rugs for both residential and commercial settings for years, the New York carpet and rug purveyor hasn't actively marketed its design prowess to contract clients. But all that changed with ABC's official entree to the commercial scene at BDNY and its public display of its proficiency in the bespoke marketplace. In fact, ABC exhibited at BDNY under the moniker ABC Custom, a recently created division highlighting the significance of this business segment.
ABC Carpet & Home isn't the only area rug player interested in gaining a piece of the hospitality sector through exposure at BDNY, now in its eight year. The show has attracted heavy-hitters such as Couristan, Durkan, Shaw Industries, Nourison, and Oriental Weavers Hospitality for years, but during the past two to three years has begun garnering the attention of traditional residential area rug makers, such as Surya, Marc Phillips, and now ABC Custom.
"We've been doing it for years," said Ward of ABC's work in the hospitality sector. "We'd seen designer traffic coming through the store, and we were helping them out. We satisfied some of their requests, but we felt that there were still a lot of unmet requests. So, we created this new division called ABC Custom, and we are in the process of really rolling it out. We're in our second full year of operating as an independent division of ABC Carpet.
"We have our broadloom division, a retail rugs division, a clearance rug division, and now we have our custom division -- custom is a moniker that encompasses design trade, high-end specialty custom, contract and hospitality."
ABC Carpet & Home has a history in custom rugs and offers designers and architects styles from hand knotted to hand woven and hand tufted in mostly wool and wool blends.
The company's booth at BDNY featured a recent hospitality project that ABC was commissioned for -- the award-winning, historic Beekman Hotel located in lower Manhattan. ABC Custom furnished the area rugs used in the lobby and guest suites, as well as the hotel's corridor carpeting.
"We've gotten into this business addressing a need that only we can meet, like some of the handmade specialty items that we innovated," Ward continued. "They're very difficult to custom create. Given the vertical nature and extensive relationships that we have, we can do that pretty comfortably.
"We feel there is a stronger demand for more unique products that are difficult to source. We've been buying these products for years for our retail business, and we saw a demand coming from a different batch of people," he added. "We're not really into selling widgets ... we want to sell unique, handmade products that will distinguish a boutique or five-star property from the crowd. ABC stands apart quite easily in anyone's mind as having something notably different."
One of ABC Custom's principal qualities is illustrated in this high density, hand tufted design showcased at the eighth annual BDNY.
On display at BDNY were two principal qualities that proved successful for ABC - a high density tufted product and vintage-style hand-knotted rugs. Of the hand-tufted product Ward said, "We find that the price, value, durability, and quality are just heads-and-shoulders above the competition." He said the company was also very good at producing and sourcing vintage-style hand-knotteds. "We are able to tackle very short lead times in a way that many people didn't think was possible."
While area rugs have been used in public areas of boutique hotels quite regularly, it has been their advent into guest suites that really had vendors sit up taking notice. The growing preference of hard surfaces in guest suites, including at mainstream properties, has driven the growth of area rugs throughout hospitality spaces. "We've been doing those [high-end custom spaces] for years," Ward elaborated. "The new business for us is in guest rooms, corridors and more comprehensive projects. For instance, from the bar lounge to the two-bedroom suits to the gym ... You name it. Breaking into the guest room and corridor business was a big threshold that we are happy with."
In addition to having furnished all the major spaces of the Beekman Hotel, ABC has been involved with projects for Soho House, a hotel and membership club, and The Ned hotel in London.
ABC Custom offers a distinguished range of bespoke looks engineered in multiple qualitites to achieve a variety of price points.
But what ABC Carpet & Home has become famous for is its eclectic mix of antiques, home furnishings, gifts and more. The merchant has come a long way since its beginning in 1897, when Sam Weinrib, an Austrian immigrant, loaded a pushcart with used rugs and linoleum and selling his wares in Manhattan's Lower East Side.
Weinrib's son Max opened a store on 29 Street, and in 1961, Max's son Jerome Weinrib (who eventually took over the business) relocated the discount establishment to two floors on 881 Broadway. He expanded the business across the street to 888 Broadway, eventually purchasing the seven-story building and branching out its assortment well beyond floor coverings to include home furnishings.
Today also appears to be time of transition for ABC Carpet, which, like many retailers and area rug importers, is looking for new ways to create business and take advantage of changes in the marketplace.
"We have a couple of really exciting projects on the board, so now we have roughly seven properties in production," said Ward of ABC Custom. "We will have quite a lot to scream about next year."
Above and below, the award-winning Beekman Hotel is furnished throughout with ABC Custom designs, including the hotel's stunning corridor carpeting.
ABC Custom was commissioned to provide area rugs in the Beekman Hotel's guest rooms.