Kebabian’s Rugs

In 1882, Turkish-Armenian immigrant, John C. Kebabian came to America to attend Yale. To finance his tuition, he sold imported rugs from around the world. Now in its 5th generation, Kebabian’s Rugs is the oldest importer of handmade rugs in North America, and to this day remains in downtown New Haven.

Today, John & Josh Kebabian travel to the carpet weaving hubs of the world, building and maintaining relationships with rug weavers and manufacturers, many spanning generations. Our rugs are not just merchandise but works of art, patiently crafted by skilled hands using natural materials from the earth.

The Process

  1. John & Josh travel overseas to Pakistan, India & Nepal (and at times Afghanistan).
  2. John tends to be drawn to tribal and exquisite one-of-a-kind rugs. He has a perceptive eye, and his enthusiasm for when a rug comes out “just right” is the same as it was years ago when he first became owner of Kebabian’s.
  3. Josh focuses on developing rug productions that are especially geared towards the interior design trade. His goal is to produce the most beautiful rugs for every price point.
  4. When we’ve designed a rug that is a “winner,” we produce it in multiple sizes. This gives the weavers steady work and allows us to better meet lead time requirements.
  5. There is a constant feedback loop: customer to us – us to rug maker. In order for the art of rug weaving to continue, we need to help the manufacturers produce not just any rugs, but the right rugs.