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Colors: Orange Color

As a former importer of hand-knotted carpets, I wanted to touch base with rug retailers to delve into what makes their multi-generational businesses continue and thrive over the years. Their stories and historic photos are enriched with their ancestors’ sweat, blood, and tears. 

As we were celebrating Atiyeh Bros. family business established in 1900 in Portland, OR, last fall on a Willamette River dinner cruise, we enjoyed the sparkle of the city bridges and the dewy night air. Kevin Atiyeh, fourth-generation owner, shared fascinating statistics about family-run businesses in the United States. “Only 3–5 percent make it to 125 years as a continually managed/owned by the same family business.” His current employees have worked a total of 14 years on average.

Domestic and global rug manufacturers alike are redefining what “Made in America” means—blending automation, agility, and design innovation to thrive amid shifting consumer trends.

As consumer expectations evolve and the retail landscape shift America’s area rug makers are rewriting the playbook on how to compete — and win — in a changing global market.

45 Years of Tradition, Innovation, and Family Friendliness in the Rug Industry

In the area rug industry, there is an elite group of industry veterans who have not only been in the rug trade for over four decades, but who have been trendsetters and taste makers in the industry, and who have had their family along with them to carry the business forward for the new generation.

The design-build firm Vanillawood was founded by Kricken and James Yaker in 2006. Over nineteen years in business, they’ve perfected the integration of clean, modern design with practical livability, ensuring that each space reflects the client’s personality and lifestyle. The firm’s contemporary creations are visually stunning and provide a calming oasis in an ever-shifting world.

RUG INSIDER sat down with co-principal Kricken Yaker, for a refreshingly candid conversation about her design and business philosophies.

From domestic production to global diversification, the soft flooring industry is confronting a new era of trade challenges.

As the U.S. area rug industry navigates a shifting global trade landscape, tariffs have emerged as a powerful dichotomy—at once a disruptive force and a catalyst for reinvention. Manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers alike are recalibrating sourcing, pricing, and distribution strategies to adapt and stay flexible, all while contending with the broader headwinds of inflation, volatile shipping logistics, and persistent economic uncertainty.

RUG INSIDER takes a look at fall happenings in High Point with a few of your market favorites! October 25-29, 2025.

MOMENI 
Showroom: IHFC H-345 | momeni.com

What new introductions will you be showing in High Point at the fall market?

In past issues of Rug Insider Magazine, we have examined numerous antique rug styles, including Sarouk, Tabriz, Kerman, Kashan, Heriz, Bidjar, among others. One thing that all of these rug styles have had in common is that they are all pile rugs, with wool pile that sticks out above the foundational warp and weft of the carpet. In contrast, one of the most beloved traditional rug styles of the Middle East is the Kilim rug, a flat-woven rug style with no pile, but hand- made with the rich history of the various locations from which it emanates.

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