High-end Persian carpet dealer, Orley Shabahang, is opening a second Milwaukee store, which will be located in the Historic Third Ward.
Orley Shabahang will occupy 4,506 square feet of space on the ground floor of 151 N. Water St., on the corner of Water and East Chicago streets. The store is expected to open in September.
“We’ve always wanted to be downtown because there is a lot of energy and the downtown area is being revitalized,” said Mehran Iravani president of Orley Shabahang. “We found a perfect spot and this was a great opportunity.”
Orley Shabahang has operated its store at 223 E. Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay since 1982. The company also has locations in New York City and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and its rugs are sold at stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, Naples and Washington D.C.
Orley Shabahang’s handcrafted rugs range in price from $2,000 to $10,000, depending on size.
The carpets are woven from the wool of Karakul sheep living in the Ghashghai region of Iran where Iravani’s family is from.
“We do things differently,” Iravani said. “We don’t just sell Oriental rugs made from factories around the world. We breed our own sheep and everything is green. We don’t use chemicals or exploited labor.”
In Iran, rug making is not just a way of making a living, but an art form, Iravani said.
“People come from all around the world to buy a rug because of our uniqueness,” Iravani said.
