Chaman Samuel owns Oriental Rug House on Hendricks Avenue. His son Asif works in the shop with him.
HOW LONG HAS HE BEEN IN THIS LOCATION?
“Twelve years. I have been in business 22 years.”
DOES HE ONLY SELL RUGS?
“I just started a furniture line two years ago. We opened a custom factory in Pakistan to manufacture solid wood furniture.”
WHAT DOES HE DO
AS OWNER?
“Everything from purchasing, sales and delivery to maintaining the store. We have to maintain a large inventory to have a good selection.”
WHAT’S MOST CHALLENGING FOR YOU?
“Maintaining an inventory you have to have a certain number of colors, sizes and styles. We keep our overhead moderate because we import ourselves. It gets expensive.”
WHY SELL ORIENTAL RUGS?
“Here we are dealing with art. We are art lovers. The area I came from, a lot of these rugs are made there. In my judgment, there is no other art form as time-consuming as Oriental rugs. Art is something you create that comes from your soul. Especially with old rugs, they didn’t have any drawn pictures in front of them. Many of the rugs were in their minds and executed with the dexterity of their hands, the maneuvering of the fibers. They create something from almost nothing.”
HOW ARE YOUR CLIENTS?
“We’re serving maybe only 10 percent of the population. They are always upper-income, educated people — doctors, lawyers — but I do get some younger people who are into art and rugs. These are not cheap. Prices range from $200-$60,000 but you can go up to a quarter of a million dollars.”
WHY DO THEY COST
SO MUCH?
“Hand-made rugs are always better made and look completely different than synthetic. No machine-made rug would even come close. Machine-made is too perfect; they’re not artistic. It’s like an original painting compared to a print. Because of the artistic quality and work that goes into it, rugs go up in value 20 percent a year. This was in the Wall Street Journal. It’s one of the few things you don’t have to do anything to and still realize an increase in value because it’s labor-intensive. Antique rugs are rare because few survive to 100-130 years old.”
WHAT’S YOUR SPECIALTY?
“Finding collectible rugs. That’s becoming a niche for us. People ask us to find collectible items and antiques. A lot of people don’t have knowledge of the technique, the intricate aspects of rug making. Sometimes it literally takes years to find a rug they want that is unlike any other rug.They have a certain size they need but it’s mostly the color or design they have a definite idea about.”
WHAT’S MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS?
“Seeing the satisfaction on the faces of my customers when they find the art work they’re looking for.”
ANY PLANS TO UPGRADE TO A LARGER BUILDING?
“We have discussed moving to a bigger location but now is not the time to make the jump.”
BETTER SALES IN A
BIGGER TOWN?
“You pay the price in a larger market. There’s more competition, the overhead goes up and it’s a hectic life. Jacksonville has more of a relaxed lifestyle.”
WHERE HE’S FROM?
The section of old India that is now Pakistan. Samuel has been in the United States for 40 years.
WHERE DOES HE LIVE NOW?
Arlington.
WHY HE CAME TO AMERICA?
“I came for an education.”
EDUCATION?
Philosophy and religion were his dual majors at the University of California. Samuel also earned degrees in political science at Kansas State University and the University of Denver. Samuel taught political science and international relations in Emporia, Kan. and locally at Edward Waters College. Additionally, he has lectured interior design students on Oriental rugs. “Rugs are part of a household like paintings. It’s a very important part of interior decorating along with the other furnishings.”
WHY STUDY RELIGION?
“Where I come from there are only one or two percent of the population that are Christians. I wanted to know more about what my faith was about. My orientation is quite liberal towards politics and religion.”
WHAT OTHER INTERESTS DOES HE HAVE?
Traveling, collecting art (including rugs), reading about politics and watching educational television. He also enjoys dining at Indian restaurants and visiting St. Augustine.
— by Monica Chamness