A new kind of shop opened this April at 6516 N. Carrollton (the former home of the "Now and Then Shop") when Curt Churchman rolled out the storefront version of Fine Estate Rugs. He has been dealing in oriental rugs for several years. "It started with my remodeling/flooring business," recalls Curt. "I met a rug dealer and bought a few rugs. I was researching to find importers and that led to buying more rugs. Then, I was hooked and a small rug enterprise was born."

As the name of the store implies, the bulk of Curt's inventory come out of estates and estate sales. Somewhat differently than you might suspect, those estates are located in rug producing areas such as Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Pakistan. "I buy direct from importers who aggregate a great many rugs in the producing areas and bring them to the U.S. market" said Curt.

Two unusual styles of rugs found at Fine Estate Rugs are Kargai and Chobi. Chobi means color like wood. Both styles are gaining popularity in the states. While other dealers' inventories consists of rugs made specifically for export to the U.S., Curt's rugs are often made to sell into 'local markets'. And these rugs have a somewhat new look to Stateside customers. For example, he has many 1930s-1950s Persian Mashads recently exported from Iran. These were rugs made for local (e.g. Iranian) consumption at the time and fifty years later have been imported to sell into the U.S. market. Very nice quality rugs, they're not new and sometimes there might be a minor issue to embrace (they're old rugs) but they all embody a wonderful and unique characteristic that is the gift and allure of handmade rugs.

Curt see's Fine Estate Rug's niche as being able to consistently delivery a quality, 'genuine article' handmade rug at a much lower price-point than other area rug dealers. "I try to buy right and carry 'product lines' that bring both value and a unique-yet-classic aesthetic to the rug market."

Prices are reasonable with small, accent rugs (2' x 3' and up) $100 up to $250. Larger 4' x 6' rugs from $200 to $700; Room size 7' x 10' rugs are $600-$1600 and 10' x 13' rugs are as low as $900 to $2500. Curt contrasted his rugs against those at Lowes and Pottery Barn, "Many big-box retailers are selling colorful, machine-made rugs that will last about 25 years They're not collectible and can cost into the thousands. The hand-knotted Persian, Afghan, or Pak estate rugs that we sell easily last 100 years and they're competitive or cost less than new machine-made product. Time-honored handmade rugs for less than new, machine-made rugs...how cool is that?"

When decorating a house, Curt recommends that if you can start from a blank room, choose the rug first. "The rug is an immutable object. Fabrics and art can generally follow. And all that will define the paint choice."

There are about 400 rugs in the shop with a pleasing amount of diversity. Curt also offers repair and cleaning services.

In addition to the new store, Curt still maintains booth space at Midland Arts & Antiques in downtown Indianapolis (907 E. Michigan St.). His main sales channel continues to be through interior designers who are seeking rugs for their clients. "I've been dealing with designers since I began. This new storefront, Fine Estate Rugs, is a little off the beaten path for retail clients. So while I love drop-in customers, a great deal of my sales are through interior designers."

Curt shares the space with an art gallery, The Thompson Collection, run by Jeff Thompson. Jeff also owns the building and managed the recent rehab of the property. "The new space is great for displaying the rugs. Jeff did an impressive job modernizing the gallery area and it's a wonderful environment," noted Curt. We will report on The Thompson Collection in a future issue of the Gazette.

On the way to the back room of the rug gallery we noticed a wall of old panorama photographs. "These panoramas are mostly from the 1910's," explained Curt. "I have shots of Notre Dame, Purdue, IU, DePauw, Wabash, and also the Speedway and downtown Indianapolis. I sell a lot of these as gifts for graduates of those colleges. The panoramas (custom framed with glass) range from $150 to $165."

Fine Estate Rugs brings a little bit of a Middle Eastern bazaar to Broad Ripple. We welcome Curt to the Village.