09212010 Report on New York International Carpet Show (NYICS)

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CARPET SHOW
COMES OF AGE WITH BIG  'WOW' FACTOR

The rug industry's version of heavy metal: Roz Rustigian, of Rustigian's Rugs in Providence, RI, shares a tender moment with Jay Nehouray of Caravan Rug at the NY International Carpet Show.

By Lissa Wyman

NEW YORK -- The New York International Carpet Show has come of age. The sixth edition of the fine-rug show was a major success in terms of the number of exhibitors, the products shown, the number of  attendees and the energy level that was generated by all those factors.

In its second year at 7 W NY on 34th Street, the NYICS housed 33 exhibitors in the building's modern 11th Floor  temporary show space. Held Sept. 12 to 14, the show was within easy walking distance of both the Oriental Rug District and home textiles showrooms.

"I have always believed that the NYICS fills a necessary niche for architects and designers," explained Dennis Dodds, NYICS owner and organizer. "It certainly doesn't compete with any of the other shows that were held during New York Market Week. It adds another dimension."

"The building's Designer Day panel discussion on Monday attracted about 100 designers and architects from the New York metropolitan area, which helped generate traffic for the show's target audience," Dodds added.

What a difference one year made. This year's event was a far cry from the much smaller group of exhibitors showing in 2009, during the depths of the nation's recession.

Many of the products shown at the NYICS had prices in the stratosphere, which created much of the WOW factor.

The German company Hossein Rezvani brought in a collection of several contemporary pieces from Iran with a retail price tag of $30,000 for 9'8" x 6'5."  Perhaps the most expensive new rug in the entire country was also shown at the NYICS -- Ariana's  12' x 16'  Afghanistan-made rug with a price tag of $500,000.

In addition to luxury importers from the US and overseas, the NYICS also hosted exhibitors headquartered in the Tri-State New York area. Manhattan-based importers included Renaissance Carpets & Tapestries, Ebisons Harounian, Apadana, Eliko and French Accents. New Jersey based importers included Bokara, Creative Touch and Zollanvari.

"Overall, we had a really diverse mix and product, which added a lot to the show. Most importantly, people were buying," said Dodds.

Dodds said the show was sold out this year. "I had to turn away two good vendors. We hope that we will be able to expand a little next year, but we want to keep the show small and intimate."

Dodds said that the sixth annual edition of the show created critical mass. "I believe in this product and in what can be done," he said. "At the end of the day, the exhibitors really stepped up to the plate."

One of the rugs that created the most buzz was the $500,000 Polonaise rug created in Afghanistan by Ariana Rugs, the Los Angeles-based importer. "The rug measures approximately 12 x 16 and took a year and a half to make and four years to finish," said Alex Ahmadi, a company principal. "It is entirely a product of Afghanistan," said Ahmadi. "It was woven, washed and shipped from our company's weaving and finishing facilities."

To add to the excitement, the rug was showcased in a roped-off  museum setting within the Ariana booth.

Another rug collection that generated a lot of interest was Hossein Rezvani's Design collection, a contemporary group of rugs that are hand knotted in Iran in one million knots per square meter construction. The rugs are made of Persian highland wool from Isfahan with silk from Ghom and retail for $29,500 in 9’8”x6’5”. "We knew we were taking a marketing risk by bringing these rugs just before the embargo on Iranian rugs goes into effect," said Hossein Rezvani, whose company is headquartered in Germany. "We wanted to introduce contemporary Iranian designs to the American market. We want people to know that Iranian rug making covers much more than traditional styling."

The rugs being shown at the NYICS contained a mix of contemporary and traditional styling, and nearly all were focused on the luxury end of the price spectrum.

The luxury market has not been as adversely affected by the recession as the middle and upper-middle price point, observed Jim Opie, owner of James Opie Rugs in Portland, OR. "Good thing ALWAYS sell," he noted. Looking forward, he predicted the market will show real growth by the Spring selling season.

Retailer Jerry Di Matteo of Emerald Floors in New York City said he attended the show to start his education in the fine rug business. "We usually carry machine made rugs, but I am now looking to upgrade the store," he said. "I wanted to come to this show to see REAL rugs."

Ned Baker of Tamarian Rugs said that, all things considered, business is good. "I am hearing people say they need inventory. They want to know if we have stock, and that's a very good sign." Baker said that in recessionary times traditional rugs sell best. "People are sticking with what they know." However, there has also been increasing interest in "fly paper" rugs that attract people into the store, according to Baker.

Jay Nehouray of Caravan Rug Co. said that attendees were interested in contemporary designs, particularly for custom orders. "They tend to buy traditional rugs for stock, but contemporary designs for one of a kind," said Nehouray. He added that much of Caravan's design and architectural business is now done using electronic tools. "Our entire line is contained on our online data base and we can shoot images and specification to our customers all over the world via email," he said.

David Lew of Bokara Rugs said the company showed both at its Orica showroom in Secaucus as well as in Manhattan. "This show has broadened our exposure considerably," he said.

Renaissance Carpet & Tapestries, which  has its home base at the nearby 200 Lexington Ave. Design Center, was showcasing its contemporary collection of Nepalese rugs at the NYICS. "This is an edgier market and we want to show designers and architects that we have a lot more than traditional designs and constructions," said Jeffrey Soleimani, a company vice president and director. "We also participated in Metro Market Week at our main showroom on Lexington Ave. It's  two separate events serving two different segments of the market."

This was also the first year that Ebisons Harounian showed at the NYICS. "As the state of the economy continues to be in a recessionary phase, we felt we needed additional exposure to new markets," said company principal Michael Harounian.

Harounian noted that when visitors showed interest in further exploring Ebison's line, they were invited to visit the company's headquarters on nearby 32nd St.

"We feel that 7W is an excellent venue for NYICS and we were pleased with the results," he added.

09.21.10