NEW YORK, NY.- For those of us who are old enough to remember what shopping was like before the advent of Google and Amazon, today's world is a very different place. Remember how difficult it was for many of us to hand over our coveted credit card information to companies like Amazon back in the early days of online shopping? Today, this is something millions of people around the world do every day without even batting an eye! A mere ten years or so ago, the thought of buying art, let alone an antique rug, from a company you had never heard of, in a state or country you had never visited, was simply unthinkable. Today, it's the status quo.
In the world of art, antique Oriental rugs have historically been one of the most difficult items for most people to shop for. So how did the
Nazmiyal Collection, an antique rug company in New York City, launch from relative obscurity 10 years ago, to its current status as the leading name in world of antique rugs? We set out to find out just that!
For their first twenty years of business, the Nazmiyal Collection primarily supplied auction houses, collectors and dealers throughout the world, effectively operating as a wholesaler and supplier of antique rugs and vintage mid-century carpets. This experience offered Nazmiyal the unique opportunity to understand the intricacies of both national and the international market demands in a deep, meaningful way. This, in turn, enabled Nazmiyal to amass one of the largest and most impressive collections which now consists of more than 3,000 unique pieces.
As technology evolved so did Nazmiyal, by developing an exceptional website, unlike anything else online, which may be viewed at: nazmiyalantiquerugs.com. With more than 25,000 pages of content, it is by far the most authoritative antique rug site in operation today. Indeed, Nazmiyal’s strong web presence has been instrumental in their recent growth. By creating such a simple and user friendly website which is packed with historical, cultural, and sociological information about various rug-producing cultures and countries, the Nazmiyal site draws tremendous traffic of buyers and scholars from every corner of the globe.
“The 1980’s and 1990’s were a time of irrational exuberance. So many people were making fast ‘easy’ money,” recalls Jason Nazmiyal – the owner of the Nazmiyal Collection, “that they had no reservations about going into an art gallery or antique rug shop and spending a lot of money. However, after the bubble burst, things changed. From that point on, consumers are constantly becoming ever more educated. They are smart and don’t want to waste their time or hard earned money.” says Mr. Nazmiyal. “Since now they have the ability to shop around, this is exactly what they do. Whether it be antique rugs, or any other product, customers do their due diligence and conduct research online before making a purchase. They search, they research and they compare before making a decision. They check social media, search engine rankings and reviews. They want value and are looking to buy the best products for the best possible price. This approach especially applies to luxury goods such as antique rugs, where pricing may be a bit ambiguous. They don’t want aggressive pushy salespeople who may be trying to up sell them. They would much rather sit by the computer, at their own leisure and conduct their search from the comfort of their own home.”
In addition to their user friendly website, the Nazmiyal Collection’s approach is unique in more ways than one. Nazmiyal is one of only a few antique rug companies that focuses exclusively on antiques and not are side tracked by new productions. They also still actively work and supply auction houses, such as Sotheby's, Christies, and Bonhams and they have never let go of their wholesale accounts and continue to supply other antique carpet dealers from all over the world. Further, Nazmiyal is constantly cultivating new relationships with some of the top interior designers which include the likes of Thomas Jayne, Michael Smith and Victoria Hagan, all of whom trust that the Nazmiyal Collection will have the exceptional vintage, mid-century or antique rugs that they require at price points that are more than fair.
“Because of our strong buying power and impeccable reputation throughout the world, we are able to find exceptional antique rugs at much lower prices than ever before.” says Jason Nazmiyal. “Pricing is an important facet of our business. Even though our rugs are the finest pieces available, we believe in value and do not charge uptown prices. At the end of the day, we are fully committed to our clients and our intention is to build long-lasting relationships with our customers.”
Like any business, the people who work there are representative of the company’s ideology. This is why the Nazmiyal Collection secured an impressive staff of educated and experienced personnel. Every single one of whom are leading experts in the field of antique rugs. Both online and in person, this staff is readily available to answer questions and guide clients as they shop for an antique rug. As more and more clients pass through Nazmiyal’s doors and experience the company’s unique level of customer service, the company continues to grow.
Decades in the industry, great taste and an incredible website are just some of the factors that have gone into transforming the Nazmiyal Collection into the leading voice in the antique rug world. The entire system by which Nazmiyal operates works flawlessly to ensure that customers will have easy access to a wide variety of reasonably priced, tasteful and top of the line antique rugs. This consumer based, tech savvy and honest approach has elevated this once small company and propelled in into the spot light of the antique rug and textile art world.
