Michael Andonian and his daughter, Chiara, team up to give Andonian Rugs a contemporary spin. They are pictured
in front of Zollanvari's Kyoto Art Deco 2 rug.

SEATTLE -- Andonian Rugs, with a showroom in the Seattle Design Center and a retail location in Bellevue, prepares for future growth as it broadens its reach into the wholesale rug business and welcomes the next generation into the business.

In fact, Michael Andonian, third generation owner of a family of rug merchants, is preparing for what's next not only by bringing his daughter Chiara into the fold but also expanding the company's scope with the recent purchase of Atiyeh International, a boutique rug wholesale business based in Portland, Oregon.

MOVE INTO WHOLESALE

Andonian told RugNews.com he was approached by long-time vendors Tom and Leslie Atiyeh, the owners of high-end Portland-based rug wholesaler Atiyeh International about buying their business. "We purchased their company about a year ago, and because we have done really well with a specific rug in the Atiyeh line, we decided to take over their dealer network and production in India as well." That best-selling rug Atiyeh rug is called O'hana, which is a modern gabbeh design crafted of wool in India.


O'hana, Andonian's best-selling rug from the Atiyeh line, a modern gabbeh design crafted of wool, will remain in the new line.

While the wholesale division does not have a formal name yet, Andonian's wife, Carmen, who is a graphic designer, has been creating new rug designs for the soon to be launched premiere collection. "A lot of our new product will show up in the next couple of months, Andonian said, adding that he wants to build up some stock to be in a stronger position for dealers. "It is a whole new part of the business for us and it is going to open up a lot of opportunities. We are focusing on the high-end because we have always been a boutique business. And we are rolling out our own product with most designs being transitional and contemporary because that is the direction we are trying to push."

HIGH-END AREA RUGS REMAIN FOCUS


Andonian Rugs' Seattle Design Center showroom focuses on a designer-driven assortment.

The core focus at Andonian remains working with some of the top names in the business. Among the rug brands that Andonian carries in its Seattle trade showroom and its retail and service store in Bellevue are Tufenkian (a client favorite), Caravan, Jaipur, New Moon, Pacific Collection, Samad, Stark Studio Rugs and Zollanvari.

"We are fairly picky about who we work with: they have to be a good company - one that we can connect with philosophically -- they need to be the right fit for us with integrity and honesty," Andonian said.

As the rug retailer heads to the 2025 COVER Connect New York boutique rug show in mid-September, Michael and Chiara will be shopping for "what's really hot right now," Chiara said. "I expect designers in our market to continue to really like those earth tones and minimal colors, and people will continue to resist bamboo silk designs preferring wool instead."

Adds Michael, "Chiara's perspective is a bit different because she is working with designers who are on the front edge of what's being purchased. They are requesting traditional designs, not in the sense of the typical Persian rug with red and blue, but those designs with modern colors.”

He adds that predicting what clients want in the next few years is the million-dollar question. “We want to be prepared for what is coming and have the right inventory mix. Because now inventory is expensive and if you see a change with some of these contemporary designs we have done so well with, you might be sitting on a lot of inventory you can't sell. So, we have to be more thoughtful in how we purchase. Inventory management becomes more and more important in this climate."


Andonian Rugs also has a retail location in Bellevue with rug services such as cleaning and repair.

In both its showroom and retail store, Andonian is keeping its stock to pieces that are selling well. "We have always been good with backing that up. If we have a rug that consistently sells well in five or six sizes, then we will want to have it in stock. Inventory management becomes more and more important going forward."

Most of Andonian's business has been with designers whose purchases are typically bigger than the average retail sale because their clients typically have more to spend. What's more they typically buy multiple rugs. "We just had one designer buy eight rugs, a few big ones and smaller rugs for throughout the house, " Andonian said.

MEETING DESIGNERS WHERE THEY ARE AT


A trend-forward rug selection of handcrafted area rugs is the key to Andonian's assortment.

Andonian has seen shifts in how its designer clientele want to shop for area rugs in the past half decade and the company continues to roll out improvements to address those changes.

"Designers want to shop on their computers. Typically, we get an email from a designer about a number of rugs on our website," Andonian explains. "The next step is to try and get that product in front of them. Many of our sales initiate from the website and what they are seeing. That is particularly true of the younger designers who are happy to browse on computers and page through ideas. It's not ideal but that is why website functionality and user-friendliness is important and why we are working on updating that as well."

While Andonian does offer resizing, binding and serging and custom borders services, its cut and sew business is a relatively small portion of revenues. However, he believes the category is worth exploring. "A lot of people that I talk to are starting to see a much bigger portion of their business in [cut and sew]," Andonian noted. "We do offer it but it is not a huge portion of our business. The custom part of our business is definitely growing and so is our rug resizing service. Offering custom-size options is the smart thing to do right now because it allows for a price point that's good for people.”


A sample wall features trending looks in Andonian's broadloom and hand-knotted offerings.

NICHE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

The company offers a range of classic rug services from cleaning, to repair and resizing. "Right now we have an expensive antique rug that we are cutting down for a new house -- we can remove borders and can do this technical difficult work," he said, adding that more people are interested in keeping rugs or repurposing them for different homes or different rooms of a home -- "that part of our business is really growing."

Chiara, who joined business full-time in 2020, is now managing the company's social media and digital marketing efforts. She also works with designers and vendors, and attends trade shows to stay up to date on trends and participate in the rug selection process.

"Chiara has her degree in digital marketing, which will play a huge role in our industry going forward," Michael Andonian explained. "My hope is that she injects some youth and a different vision for this ancient industry. She's got a really good eye. Often times, she'll ask, 'Why would you buy that? Don't buy that'. We definitely have slightly different taste and aesthetics -- and I think that is really healthy."


Michael Andonian with his wife, Carmen, who is active in the business, and daughter, Chiara, sit with the family dog, Jordy.


Four generations of Andonians carry on the family's legacy with Chiara joining father Michael Andonian. Michael Andonian's
father, Greg, holds a picture of his grandfather Mihran, who founded the Andonian rug business in 1929.