Why I love Sebastopol.

On Sunday, my gallery opens at noon. As usual, I was running a few minutes late and was slightly distressed about this and my lack of a parking spot close to the front of my store. I decided to park my car down by the theaters in town as there is a huge lot there and always space. Luckily for me, when I walked through the Plaza on the way to my shop, there was a troop of belly dancers dancing to fantastic Arabic music.

I stopped in my tracks and watched. It was awesome! There were six dancers and I surmised that a few were students of the one dancer that stood out light a gleaming blue white diamond. Her manner was so confident. Her moves impeccable and timing perfect. I truly learned a lot about performance just watching her. She was not emanating, "I'm in love with myself" but more of a warm, loving, "I am here entertaining you and offering you my art!" I enjoyed it perfectly and decided I needed to learn how to do that! OK....keep you posted.

Many years before I was in the rug business, I worked at a night club in Hollywood as a waitress. It was a Greek nigh club with a full 6 piece band and one of the best belly dancers in the world. Her name was Helena Velahaos. She was on the Johnny Carson show and a complete talent. She had superlative costumes, incredible moves and was professional by every definition. One of the many skills she was able to perform in her show was folding a dollar bill whilst lying on her back with the muscles of her tummy. People used to gasp on that trick but the point being, I might recognize a good belly dancer if I saw one!

When I first opened my rug gallery in Sebastopol, I hired a belly dancer for my grand opening. I interviewed more than one and this lady was the best. Her stage name was Karawan and she danced to Arabic music. She was very good and made it look so easy! She formerly danced in San Francisco and Sonoma County at numerous venues.

The pictures you see above are of her at my shop: Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc. in Sebastopol. She danced at my grand opening a few years ago and who knows, she may dance at my gallery in the future if a special occasion calls for some superlative entertainment.

Oriental Rug Articles. Decorating with Persian rugs and more.

Just got this email from Scottland the other day and it was a lovely communication to read with my morning coffee!

"Hi, I just wanted to drop you a note to say 'thank you' for such an interesting web site. Last weekend my wife and I went to a "sale" of oriental rugs being held in a city hotel in Glasgow here in Scotland. The sale was supposedly brought about by the 'credit crunch'. The rugs were all heavily priced but with the promise of huge discounts.I just did not like the feel of the place or the tone of the salesmen. We resisted the sales patter because it was all so confusing. Once back home I found your website and all its hugely interesting articles and I am now more confident in 'how to buy an oriental rug' - so armed with the knowledge and help you have given me its back in to the market place for that first purchase.Many thanks, well done and best wishes.
R. B."

The beautiful green Perisan runner above was a rug I sold a few years back to a gal in Berkeley and I think she did a spendid job of find a spot for it.

http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/article.html

The Mannequin Chronicles Come to Paradise...

As anyone may have noticed I can get enthusiastic and when the girls came to see my Oriental rug store, all had great fun! It was a buying frenzy, for sure!

Here are a few shots taken by Dannell Powell of The Mannequin Chronicles - Mannequin Art for the Masses, a very talented artist and also my friend. As you can see, these women really have an eye for the antique Oriental rug trappings and the better rugs at my shop! Ultimately Dannell Powell and I will be putting a number of these limited edition prints on display at my gallery!

Enjoy! The fun begins!

The Discovery of a Live Art Form!

I pretty much live for art. All forms that make life worth living are important and valuable. Superlative moments of wonderful communication with a fellow human being are, in themselves a moment of art…timeless and perfect.

Imagine that someone has actually created an art form that engages others, draws them out (as in extroverts them), invites their participation and even gifts them with their own, unique 15 minutes of fame! Creativity abounds in my admired associate’s body of work. Numerous individuals were invited to participate; some children, others adults and Mother Nature was not forgotten either! Amazing and fascinating.

I don’t want to give too much away but the basis or tool used here is photography but there is so much more than just point and shoot. Each scene is artistically created and the cast of characters, fun and fascinating! Satire, aesthetics, comedy and originality all rolled into one. Humorous, witty, fun and adorable are also musts on the descriptive. You will only understand when you see the images. Your imagination is invited…this is a traveling, living as in, “endowed life” art form unlike any you have seen.

I currently have 4 of these fantastic limited edition prints in my Oriental Rug Store and after our photo shoot this week; will be featuring the girls in Paradise!

Am I excited? Absolutely.
Take a peek and let your imagination run wild. The girls are going shopping!

How to ensure your small business survives in these trying times.

An interview with gallery owner,
Penny Krieger of Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc.
[This interview will be coming out in the next ACNA, Antiques & Collectibles National Association newsletter]
http://www.acna.us/index.php

www.paradiseorientalrugs.com


How long have you been in business?
I started my business in 1997 with two rugs that I had purchased from an individual. Prior to this I had worked at a commission only sales job selling rugs for another firm for seven years.
For the first 6 months with my new small business, I ran classified ads in newspapers and sold by appointment only from my home while working at second job.

After less than a year, I made the total commitment and quit the second job. Just as an aside, I did have a business licence and collected sales tax as the goal was to eventually get a retail store going.
My finances were pretty much hand-to-mouth for the first couple of years but loved the rugs so much I was very persistent and pushed forward.
Whenever I did well, I purchased more rugs and whenever I created an ad that worked, I noticed. I also maintained a keen awareness of what individual tastes were in my area...and used that as an index for any new rugs I bought.

When did you open your first retail gallery?
I opened my first retail gallery in 1999 in Santa Rosa, California. In 2006 I moved my business to Sebastopol, CA which is about 6 miles from my former location. The town where my gallery is currently located [Sebastopol, CA] only has 7000 residents but we're 10 minutes to Santa Rosa, which has over 150,000 people and a little over an hour from San Francisco.

Who are your customers?
I used to consider my client base rug buyers within a 50 mile radius but with my site, I now feel that anyone that has online access and is interested in the types of rugs I have is a potential client.

What are the most important qualities that determine the value of an Oriental rug?
Here are the factors from my perspective that matter the most, in their order of importance.

Beautiful colors. Colors are the paramount, second only to the artistic rendition of a good drawing. The drawing is the layout of the design.
Quality of the wool and how it is produced. The very best wool costs more than inferior wool. Hand spun wool has higher labor costs than it's machine spun counterpart.
Quality of the dyes and the skill with which they are applied. Natural or vegetable dyes are more time consuming in use and costlier to procure.
Skilled weaving. Look at the back of the rug. Is it a mess or are the rows neat and orderly?
Availability. Obviously, scarcity creates value, particularly is the piece is gorgeous.
Demand. Is the type of rug in question, all the rage or last years left over?
Cost of fuel as this affects shipping prices.
Value of the American dollar in international markets.
On antique Oriental rugs: Condition, beauty, actual verifiable age, rarity and market conditions all affect the value. The venue where it is sold and skilled marketing also influence the price. The large international auction houses in NYC and London have some of the most affluent buyers in the world so if a piece is museum quality these organizations have the widest international audience.

How have you managed to stay in business when so many rug stores have closed in the last few years?
By selling what I consider to be good quality rugs and having a specific niche that is mine. I've never liked what I call, "cookie cutter rugs" which is what you will find if you go to most of the large department stores. I was always more fascinated by pieces woven in small villages with a tribal look, beautiful hand-spun wool and deep saturated colors from the vegetable dyes, many of which are one-of-a-kind.

The Oriental Rug industry is interesting as some wholesale prices have gone down in the last few years and others have gone up. I guess my willingness to buy better quality merchandise and only from reputable wholesalers and producers has paid off. I have never used the cliche, "going out of business sale" or "lowest price" with the rugs falsely labeled some astronomical amount that is more of a fantasy than a reality. I did go by one local rug retailer's shop a year ago when he had been "closing" for seven years! He had a 3 x 5 silk rug priced at $17,000. but now it was only $3500! Suffice it to say, this was not a good deal.

When the Iranian embargo was lifted in 2000, I was literally was a kid in a candy store. The rugs that became available were nothing less that woven art. These were one-of-a-kind tribal rugs coming out of Iran that had never before been available. I filled my shop with as many as I could afford. The were not inexpensive wholesale but I took a chance and when qualified buyers entered my gallery, they were usually mesmerized. I had something different and although higher priced than what I had been selling prior, they were very well received and continue to be my best selling rugs, even now.

I also maintained communication with my clients by sending out a quarterly newsletter which always included some tantalizing photos of a few special pieces.

How has the business been the last couple of years with the Real Estate market declining and the different financial factors that are currently out there?
In all simplicity. More challenging. I have had to work harder, give better service, provide the potential client with what their needs are to the best of my ability.
I realized a while back that I needed a web site and it has proved to be a smart idea. I got my site started in 2006 and have added to it and improved it consistently since it's inception.

How many of your sales have come from your web site?
Minimally 30% of my sales last year were a direct result of my web site and as a sales tool, over 60% of my clients have been to my site, read my articles, and studied the rug photos in considering a purchase. The site has been invaluable. I have satisfied clients as far away as New York City, Virginia, Rhode Island and am working with a gentleman in Houston as we speak.
Even if it's only a sale here and there, it all ads up. When a gal walked in to my shop a while back from Montana and knew every rug in my store, I was very pleased that I had created my web site and my hard work was beginning to pay off.

How people find your web site?
I have spent the greater part of the last six months studying Search Engine Optimization and that is an entirely different conversation but what I have learned is this. People are looking on the Internet for information and if you give them accurate, understandable information for free, you can earn their trust. I have numerous articles on my site all based on questions I have been asked repeatedly for the last 15 years in the Oriental rug business.

With all the GOB's (going out of business sales) out there why do you think people buy from you?What I have heard most often is, "Penny, you have the most beautiful rugs!" The other comment I have been told over and over is that they trust me. I took the complements I have heard most often and used them in my advertising. That translated to my current ad campaign, "Beautiful rugs, sold with integrity!" Another quote that has gotten me countless sales is, "I will never sell you a rug unless you absolutely love it."

Is there any information you would like to share with other retailers?
I have seen numerous small businesses close in my area (Sonoma County, Northern California) in the last 6 months and not one of them put much energy into marketing with a little push or increasing their service! If you are not lazy and listen to your clients, give fantastic service and are actually selling something of value, you can get through this. Put up a small web site, work on it when you can. Write articles, hold small events, do whatever you can to promote within the context of your budget and when things get better you will be far ahead of the crowd and positioned quite possibly for a prosperous future!

Last man (or woman!) standing gets the prize! If any more rugs stores close, I may be the only Oriental rug dealer left!


Penny Krieger is the owner of Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc., located in the San Francisco Bay Area in Sonoma County. Her gallery at 137 North Main Street, Sebastopol,CA, specializes in tribal rugs and carpets woven with hand-spun wool and plant based dyes with a strong emphasis on Persian rugs. 707-823-3355 www.paradiseorientalrugs.com

Where to see antique rug in San Francisco!

San Francisco Tribal & Textile Arts Show is ON now!




This incredible show starts tomomrrow with the "Preview Gala" on as I write!
If you have never been and you love rugs, this show is a must see.

Why? To see is to learn...the more rugs you see the better your understanding will be of new rugs, old rugs and Oriental rugs of merrit.

Old rugs have a certain mood and attention to detail that one often does not see in newer pieces. Many times they are more finely woven and you can really percieve the weaver's true intentions in the finished product...The museums are filled with such pieces and dealers from all over the globe will be there with their finds.

The SF Tribal Arts Show is on this weekend at Fort Mason Center and for those of you that live in Marin or Sonoma County, this is just across the bridge. It's only $15.00 to get in and having attended once, my opinion is that this is a very fair price!

Here is the link for anyone interested.
http://www.caskeylees.com/shows/8/tribal/sf/

In addition to tribal rugs there will be other tribal art forms from all over the world. Arrive early and enjoy!

Here are few photos to get you in the mood.
The above rugs are all new rugs woven with vegetable dyes and hand-spun wool in antique designs from my gallery...timeless and beautiful.
http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/

Hope you find this information useful!

How to learn about Oriental Rugs!

As a person that has made the enjoyment of Persian rugs and Oriental rugs a part of my life, I am often asked the question, "How can you tell if the rug is any good?"

That is a big question but the answer is very simple. Look, feel and touch as many rugs as you can. A "good" rug will attract your attention over and over and no matter how many times you look it, it will hold your interest and give you the gift of the weavers art. Pretty colors entwined in detailed or simple designs created from the heart!

I had a very sweet gal at my gallery yesterday and I noticed that most of the rugs that were catching her eye were Turkoman pieces. If you're not familiar with these, many of them have a design element that closely resembles an octagon, set in rows upon a red field. See the above photo. I decided to give her a little more instruction so we proceeded to look at all the Turkoman rugs at my shop. After about 20 minutes, she got it and now can identify a Turkoman rug!

I have observed that there are a certain number of collectors, dealers or students of the art of hand woven textiles that like and actually try to keep the subject so esoteric and incomprehensible that my guess is 99% of the weavers would not even listen to them. Statements like, "Is the wool a Z or S spin?" In simple terms that means the spin of the wool is either to the left or the right. Is this really important? I think not!

How about, "Is the rug pretty?" Do you feel a spark of intense interest or happiness when you see it? How does the wool feel? Is is soft and silky or rough and dry? Do the colors work harmoniously together? Is there something special going on with this piece that commands your attention?

Sometimes the most wonderful rug will be interesting in a subtle way and slowly talk to you. Almost like a song you hear for the first time and but don't quite get. After a few more times of hearing it, you begin to get a feel for it and enjoy it, and finally, you can't wait to hear again and each note exquisitely bring you joy.

The three rugs you see here are: a Turkoman rug, a fantastic Persian Tribal rug, sold long ago and a blue Turkish rug that appears to be getting lots attention on my site! The Persian rug was my favorite for the simple reason that the more I looked at it, the more beautiful it became! A very good rug!

Why I becam an Oriental Rug Dealer

The first time I noticed my interest in rugs was many years ago when I was working at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. As you might not know, this is a gorgeous old hotel that is frequently used in movies, one of which was Beverly Hills Cop. The lobby is quite regal with soaring ceilings, strategically placed palms and Oriental rugs! I remember when I got the job. I was a waitress at the time, serving cocktails in the lobby and all I could talk about were the rugs in the room! The beginning of the beginning!

Fast forward 15 years and I am now working at a sales job in Seattle, Washington. Selling inexpensive machine woven rugs (which is almost a crime, if you're an Oriental rug dealer, which I am now!) but anyway I had a client that was interested in a hand woven rug. I had one contact at the time, a dealer which I am still friends with today. I asked him to bring me a few pieces for my potential buyer. I remember this as if it were this morning. He opened the few rugs he brought and one of them knocked my socks off! Literally. It was a gorgeous old rug from Afghanistan. From the knowledge I now have, it was an unusual Turkoman piece.

The rug haunted me and stayed in my mind for almost six months! I never did sell that couple a rug but ended up, buying this rug for myself. I would go to my friends store and stay for the longest time, just looking at the rugs. It was very difficult for me to leave...dreamed of working there and even asked him for a job but it was naught.

I had the worlds smallest rug collection after a couple years and decided I would ultimately get my own store and expand my rug collection. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether I enjoy selling rugs more or buying them. If you sell a person the right rug, they are so happy, it is actually great fun. I know I'm doing OK when I go to the post office and a past client sees me and exclaims, "I love my rug!" Not, hello, how are you? Which is fine with me! I've never been one for social banter anyway...just get to the point.

This is not the easiest business to be in and for the first 3 or 4 years, I was never able to keep anything I purchased for my business. I had to leave all the special pieces in my inventory for sale. Then I decided I had worked hard enough and there was a particular rug that was generating so much interest but no buyers. I let my assistant know that if the rug was still there by the end of the week it was mine. Well, it is mine and still one of my favorites!
www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/