HISTORY
The history of the
Minasian Rug Company, a family business originally founded in 1897, is
the history of several Armenian family businesses that crossed paths
and eventually came together, much as the various strands of wool are
interwoven to create a fine carpet. In the late 1800s the Jorjorian,
Nahigian and Minasian families had made their way to America and
established themselves as Oriental rug dealers and cleaners in the
Chicago area. Armen and Carnig’s father arrived in 1924 and joined
his father (their grandfather) in Evanston, where there was an
established Armenian community.
In the 1970s, brothers Armen and Carnig Minasian joined their father
in the business and renewed the firm’s commitment to providing the
finest antique and semi-antique carpets, hand cleaning and custom
restoration/repair. Subsequent corporate acquisitions have added the
selected inventories of Chicago-based Nahigian Brothers, Inc. and the
Joseph W. Fell Collection of antique rugs and textiles.
Highlights of the Minasian
Rug Company history include securing expanded lease agreements to
supply oriental rugs to Marshall Field’s department stores in
the Chicago area, and to Dayton’s in Minnesota, Hudson’s
in Michigan and Burdines in Florida. Their Rug Care Service
division also provided door-to-door services for clients of all of
these stores.
The firm extablished its
own design and manufacturing facility in Romania for the creation of
antique carpet reproductions on an exclusive worldwide licensing
agreement with the Art Institute of Chicago and the Vatican Museums.
Closer to home, the Minasians continue their relationship with
nationally known rug expert Joseph W. Fell, who leads seminars and
curates biennial exhibitions of antique rugs and carpets in their
Evanston gallery location. The past 6 exhibitions have been published
in the internationally known magazine HALI, the premiere periodical
for antique and decorative carpets and textiles.
The Minasian
brothers grew up in Evanston
and raised their families here. In addition to civic and philanthropic
activities, both are certified appraisers and members of the Oriental
Rug Retailers Association. Armen serves on the Trustee-appointed board
of the Art Institute of Chicago’s textile committee and as an officer
of its Textile Society.
Carnig teaches a course on Oriental rugs
at Northwestern
University and lectures at Chicago’s
Frances Parker and Latin
Schools.
In 2001 he was appointed to the Advisory Council for The Textile
Museum in Washington
DC, an internationally recognized collection
and center of textile study and research.
FACILITY
Minasian Rug Company is
headquartered at 1244 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, Illinois. Our
facility includes several spacious showrooms with an additional
dedicated exhibition room and gallery, a fully equipped rug cleaning
plant with drying/prep room, a rug restoration atelier, rug storage
and vault space as well as office suites for management and support
staff. Additional warehouse space is maintained in another Evanston
location.
