Along the way I have had but one simple philosophy, to educate the public and to provide a source for the finest quality oriental rugs of the world, honestly represented at a fair price.
I have to tell you that since my very humble beginnings in this industry in 1972, much has changed. The dishonesty and misrepresentation from manufacturers, to department stores, to a large percentage of rug sellers borders on the criminal.
The endless phony going out of business sales, department store sales, left on the docks, estate and government seizure auctions and rampant product misrepresentation have become the norm with no boundaries or conscience.
This broad brush does not include a handful of very reputable dealers, but literally in all of Southern California they could practically be counted on one hand.
For the past several years I began imagining a life away from rug selling and decided that what I would like to do most would be to exit stage left with an event the rug buying public will remember as epic and the rug selling community curse.
Fortunately, my parent companies Yayla Tribal Rugs and The Tibetan Weaving Project bought in to this concept of a year long sale of the highest quality oriental rugs at prices absolutely unseen in Southern California.
The very few actual rug producing competitors in quality to Yayla and The Tibetan Weaving Project such as Woven Legends, Michaelian & Kolberg, Tufenkian or Odegard, have a very legitimate interest in maintaining stable pricing as suppliers nationally to the high end decorative rug trade. If their wholesale customers cannot make a reasonable retail profit, they have no one to supply.
However, both Yayla and The Tibetan Weaving Project are non-profits with a primary mission to support traditional rug weaving cultures and the environment through rug sales. With very little representation in Southern California, the generation of volume rug sales created through a genuine event, along with the establishment of the product line, represents both a short and a long term potential benefit.
Our profits at Don Blatchford Carpets will actually be deferred until the end of the year and achieved only by reaching the negotiated, volume sales targets. We are literally gambling that by offering Southern California this historic opportunity to purchase the highest quality oriental rugs of the world at honest sale prices, we can create a seismic event!
I am excited to begin this journey toward the next stage of my life. You have my word that if you attend this event, you will not only have the opportunity to purchase the highest quality oriental rugs of the world at actual sale prices, but that because of the very small margins, a large percentage of your purchase will directly benefit women, children and the environment through the non–profits Barakat and Machik.
Thanks, and SEE YOU SOON !
Don Blatchford