July 2024

And so the holiday season begins and the business enters the quiet zone for a couple of months. I monitor the auctions but with less interest than when I am selling. It is difficult to buy when the sales drop off but it’s also important to keep a good level of stock.
I seem to have a backlog of repair work suddenly, lots of new rugs that need a selvedge repairing or the ends stopping. This tends to happen when I have a more difficult repair such as a large hole that eats up all of my spare time. I spend a great deal of my time advising people on repairs and occasionally teaching the basics to a new collector who is buying cheaper items that need attention. It is heartening to know that there are new collectors joining the fold and I think it our job to nurture their interest and help them buy good pieces even if that comes at a cost to myself. Time is after all the most precious commodity and soon I will spend it reading rather than pushing the rug business so that I can come back refreshed and ready to work again.

June 2024
Website updates

This month has been a busy one with a number of rugs heading out and some great new pieces coming in, my favourite being a lovely Talish rug with an unusual crab border design filling the main field. I haven’t managed to stand at any antique fairs due to other work commitments and so to compensate I have spent my evenings attending to my website in the vain hope I can push my listing up the ranking, ah the mysteries of search engine optimisation! I often get SEO professionals telling me my website is not up to scratch which does smart somewhat and is not a good way to a man’s wallet. I will continue to do my best to enhance the website especially as we enter the quiet holiday period, I have added some FAQs that provide my views on all of the things to consider when buying a rug, this covers all of the things to be watchful for. My conclusion is probably biased but I think the job of the dealer is to remove that jeopardy for the customer.

May 2024
New stock arrives

After a busy couple of months I find myself with a backlog of new rugs to post on the website. It is important to me to keep the website as up to date as possible, the priority being to ensure that everything shown is still available. The addition of new items can take a little longer as I have to measure, photograph and carry out a full technical assessment of each piece including condition and repairs. Once complete I still need to write a good description that gives my view of each rug’s qualities. One technique I use to appraise a rug is to leave it out for a few days and allow myself to see it from different angles and in different lights. I often get an immediate sense of a rug as I enter a room or catch a glimpse of it as I ascend the stairs. This approach allows me to fully appreciate each piece rather than rolling it up and storing away.
Once the cataloguing is complete I will begin the important hoovering phase, the painting of the forth bridge one might say, I hoover every rug back and front to minimise any chances of beetle or moth. So far this has been very successful albeit incredibly hard work. The flipside is I get to reacquaint myself with every rug in my collection.

April 2024
Manchester Antique & Vintage Textile Fair 28th April 2024

I am pleased to announce that I will have a stand at the annual Manchester antique textile fair this coming Sunday 28th April. This busy event is one of the highlights of my year and a chance to meet like minded people with a passion for textiles. I am always amazed at the variety and beauty of the items on offer and it is a privilege to join the other stallholders in what will be my third year. Please drop by my stand where I will be showing a selection of my antique rugs and textiles. I also have a good selection of cushions made from the rugs that couldn’t be saved.
I am happy to look at photos of your rugs and advise on cleaning and general care plus hopefully give you some views on provenance so please come along.

https://www.textilesociety.org.uk/event/manchester-antique-vintage-textile-fair
Moseley Road, Fallowfield, Manchester
April 28 @ 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
£5 – £20

March 2024
Antique Rug Cushions

At long last my cushion production line is running again and suddenly I have a good number of cushions made from Antique rugs. It is never nice to cut up an old rug and there are instances where one should definitely not do this, but when the rug is decorative rather than collectable and has issues that would require costly repairs it is a good way to recycle what might otherwise be thrown away.
The cushions have a natural linen backing and are robust items. The sizes can often be non standard due to the need to balance the design of the rug within a frame. I tend not to post these on my website as they generally sell before I find the time to do this. I think they are a great way to bring some antique rug beauty into your home at an affordable price.