ATLANTA - Karastan brought the glamour of signed and numbered fine art prints to area rugs last week with the unveiling of Mystic Garden, its first limited edition design at the Atlanta International Rug Market. The debut created a buzz that retailers like Dave Snedeker, division merchandise manager of flooring for Nebraska Furniture Mart plan to carry through to point of sale.  "We are going to buy it [Mystic Garden] and use it as a promotional piece," said Snedeker, who RugNews.com later learned had snared rug number 1/75 - the first of only 75 rugs to be made in the Artisan series edition.

Marketing the rugs as collectors' items, Karastan sold 52 at Atlanta market - and expects to sell the balance at the upcoming Las Vegas Market. "It was really almost shocking. People were so happy to see something that would differentiate them in the marketplace. Both Mystic Garden and our Spice Market collection were big hits in Atlanta because they give dealers a story to tell and the rugs are really pretty," explained Brandon Culpepper, vice president of specialty sales for Mohawk, Karastan's parent company.

The marketing allure of Mystic Garden is that each rug is numbered and comes with an authenticity guarantee presented in a box with a medallion. "We wanted to do something groundbreaking," said Tracy Pruitt, Karastan's vice president of design, who incorporated silk into the new wool Axminster rug for the first time in the company's history.  Mystic Garden is made with a typical Karastan construction, but "the rug is sheared a little lower, which makes the silk threads stand out. We also give it a parchment wash for an antique patina," Pruitt said.

"Expanding on the success of recent launches, this rug features lots of natural elements, like cypress and willow trees, and florals, and it is steeped in the heritage of Persian design," continued Pruitt, noting that recently there has been "a real return to an appreciation for Persian traditional patterns, which have been the foundation of Karastan since its inception."

The Mystic Garden rug, which will retail for about $5,000 and will be made only in 9x12, is the first in a series of limited edition rugs. Culpepper said it is likely that one or two new designs will launch each year, and that runs will be higher, probably 150 of each design. "Ultimately the number of collections and when they are introduced is Tracy's decision: he has total authority over the program."

As for the initial 75 Mystic Garden rugs, Culpepper said, "The challenge was we could only get so much silk. The limited edition series will not be sold online, and each rug is already a collector's item, so it’s a celebration of the brand that gives the dealers something to talk about. It is also an opportunity for us to test new product qualities and the market's response. We wanted to see what the market thought of a wool and silk blend, and judging by the reception, it will be the catalyst for future Artisan collections blending wool with silk, and with other yarns," Culpepper explained.

07.16.15