[riveree]

Originally Posted by lunarforces

Persepolis will probably reopen with a new name or location.Its an old oriental rug dealer trick.Go out of business for a year or more to raise funds then do it all over again.They raise the prices five times then tell you they will give you 70% off or some garbage.Check around before you buy or clean.

Thanks Lunarforces, I appreciate the details. I haven't used Mussalem myself, just knew they were big and had been around a long time and must be doing well due to the expansion, but I'll definitely keep your feedback in mind.

I had forgotten about ORH (seen their ads but never been in there), glad to hear you like them.

Persepolis may indeed reopen; doesn't matter to me if they do. I agree, their price listed before the 70% off did not reflect the current state of Persian rug value (big drop in the last couple of years for new rugs), but once the 70% came off, the deals were quite good actually.

Mussalem shopping at ORH...dealers buying from each other happens in every wholesale industry, so that doesn't sway me either way (I worked in wholesale in NYC and it was downright incestuous how the same pieces made the rounds between dealers ).

All this talk about rugs has me wanting another......!

[bobbiehpvb]

FYI - I talked to a couple of interior designers here in Jacksonville and both recommended Mussallem over anyone else for their selection and quality. I visited the showroom yesterday to look at some rugs and it was quite impressive. I haven't bought any rugs yet, so I can't provide feedback about price. I did visit ORH today and they were very nice, but did not have anywhere near the selection of older rugs.

[lunarforces]

I guess it depends on What you are looking for.I have found nice rugs at every dealer.Inventory is always changing so it depends on when you go I guess.The interior designers that we have known depend on Jaffe and ORH.Jaffe for new designer rugs like starke and some contemporary rugs.ORH for antique and new rugs.I have purchased a couple of ultra modern small rugs from Jaffe for our beach home.For our home in San Marco we have purchased all of our antique rugs from ORH.My husband loves fine rugs.We have some serapi and oushak carpets as well as a couple of mint condition 19th century Kazaks.We also have a large kashan that my parents bought from Mussallem many years ago.As far as price and quality, ORH comes out the winner.We looked at rugs in towns besides Jacksonville and for high end rugs, most dealers charged anywhere from 50% to more than double what we paid for comparable rugs.Several designers live in this area and they pretty much agree.Good luck,I hope you find the perfect rug.