Mahfuz Wins Double Honors
Sy Mahfuz, president of Persian Rug Gallery in Nashua, has been doubly honored in the past two weeks with two of the most coveted business accolades in New Hampshire. Last night in Manchester he received the New Hampshire Business Review (NHBR) 2011 Business Excellence Award, bestowed annually to local businesses that typify the imagination, industriousness, innovation, achievements, and community dedication of the small-business owners and operations in New Hampshire. Mahfuz is co-author of ‘Ask The Rug Guys,’ a regular feature at Oria.org. Two weeks ago, he won the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year Award in recognition of such extensive community service that his resume reads like a on a veritable Who’s Who of Nashua charities, boards and civic groups – in the spirit of “giving back as much as you get.” Mahfuz is a homegrown success story and a nationally recognized industry expert. He grew Persian Rug Gallery from a small “mom and pop” store with rug cleaning in the basement, into one of New England’s most-respected Oriental and area rug dealers and the cornerstone of downtown Nashua for nearly 60 years. A nationally recognized consultant to rug importers and retailers throughout North America, Mahfuz expanded the fourth-generation business since taking over in 1981. PRG was founded by his grandfather and father in 1953. Today Persian Rug Gallery is over six times its original size and focuses exclusively on manufacturing and direct importing of quality Oriental and area rug sales. PRG also specializes in Oriental and area rug cleaning and restoration – bringing the world’s best to Nashua. While he’s moved his business onto Facebook and the Internet, Mahfuz lives out an old-fashioned commitment to personally building a vibrant community as inspired by his grandfather. He sits on the Hunt Community Board and The Nashua Chamber of Commerce and is past president of the Nashua Rotary Club and a past board member of the Greater Nashua YMCA, Rivier College, Nashua Symphony, Nashua Pastoral Care, the United Way of Greater Nashua, and Great American Downtown. He also received the American Heart Association’s Gold Heart award and was named the 1999 National Retailer of the Year and Temple Beth Abraham’s 2010 Person of the Year. “The most valuable lesson my dad gave us was his passion for customer service and supporting the community of Nashua,” said Sy Mahfuz. “We’re extremely proud of these awards. They showcase service is a gift that keeps on giving.” The Business Excellence Awards are awarded in 13 different categories and honor owners and operators of businesses with 100 employees or fewer. Erin Fehlau, news anchor at WMUR-TV, awarded the winners for NHBR’s...
Tell That To Rolex
This is the second in our exclusive series, “Ask The Rug Guys”. Last week The Rug Guys “hit the road” figuratively speaking, to ask the question, “What can we as an industry do to make Oriental Rugs special?” In the not so distant past, to buy and own a quality Oriental Rug was a sign of status. In 1985, Steve ran an ad in Lawyers Weekly with the headline; “CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE” The copy went on to say that if your office had an Oriental Rug in the waiting room, then you must be successful. To own a fine Oriental Rug in your home or office was special. Oriental rugs were a status symbol. And today? No one can argue that over the past 20 years or so, real or perceived, we have seen Oriental Rugs as a category become more of a commodity and lose their status as a art form among “Main Street” consumers. Many said that it was because we have become a throwaway society that really doesn’t care much about buying quality products that they are proud to own and that will last. Our response was, “Tell that to Rolex.” The Wall Street Journal is loaded with ads for Rolex, Jaeger, Patek-Phillipe and other high-end quality timepieces. While Timex, Seiko and other low to moderate priced watches have captured a huge share of the market, the value and status of the premium high quality timepieces has not been diminished. Many we spoke to blamed the erosion of the public’s perception of Oriental Rugs on the explosion of Tufted and machine made qualities that have made our product category, floor fashion affordable to everyone. Our response was, “Tell that to BMW.” Not for a minute was the BMW brand tarnished by Hyundai, Kia and other brands that made great styling affordable. The great irony is that we still weave art and, today, oriental rugs capture a wider artistic spectrum than they ever did. As has been true for generations, really great qualities are still being woven. The challenge before us all is to work diligently to educate the consumer to the art of hand knotted Oriental rugs. No segment of our industry can do it on its own. Suppliers and importers must spend the time and resources to educate those retailers and design professionals that stock and sell their rugs and instill in them passion for this great art form. Sellers – retailers and designers must devote the time to reach out to their suppliers and avail them selves of the tomes that have been written about the art of Oriental rugs. Then, the real magic can...
Advertisement
