Published in: The Piedmont Review - Edition: Volume 14, Number 9, Sept/Oct 2007 - Page: 54

World of Rugs & Furniture: A Flooring Emporium

by Rachel Provow

Upon entering the spacious warehouse, it is clear that World of Rugs & Furniture isn’t your typical flooring store. The 40,000-square-foot showroom goes on forever and is home to more than 12,000 rugs.          In addition to the plethora of rugs, World of Rugs & Furniture also boasts an impressive selection of carpets and wood floorings. They even carry furniture in their World of Furniture store, adjacent to their rug store.          According to principals David Lewis and Abe Malla, the company has grown tremendously over the past four years. They opened their doors in 2003 with 1,500 square feet of retail space and claim to have fallen into the joint venture simply by accident. Today, they have three additional retail stores in Macon, Lake Oconee and Charleston.          When Lewis and Malla set out to create a direct-import Oriental rug store that sold directly to the public, they cut out the middleman so the product would go straight from the loom to the end user. Malla says the secret to their success is simple - it’s all about the vast selection and price. “We give one fair price to everyone,” he says. “If it’s $1,000, it’s $1,000.”          Each and every rug in the showroom is priced so there is no guesswork for the consumer. And with price tags ranging from $25 to as much as $250,000, there is something for everyone.          Lewis and Malla explain that they have no desire to haggle over prices for three hours like car dealerships. “You can’t wine and cheese each piece in here,” Lewis says. “This store is set up to sell volume.” In fact, a recent shopper tried to talk them down	styles and trends. Lewis flies abroad a minimum of three times a year to hand pick rugs, making stops in India, Paki-stan and Turkey. In addition to these imports, they also offer designer rugs by Candice Olson, Martha Stewart, Liz Claiborne and Calvin Klein.          Every rug in the store is hanging for easier access, including the 12-foot-by-18-foot rugs. Lewis says this prevents shoppers from having to sift through piles of rugs on the floor. “A 98-pound designer could go through 40 12-foot by 18-foot rugs without anyone bothering her,” he says.	Carpet’s online room planner. The program’s tools allow consumers to build their rooms precisely to scale, down to the style of their furniture. Once the room is created, the online shopper is able to insert rugs of various sizes and shapes to determine exactly what they want for their room.          Malla advises all shoppers, whether they shop in-store or online, to know the measurements of their rooms before beginning the rug-shopping process. He also recommends that they take the composition of the rug into account. “Keep in mind that quality, construction and material are the most important factors in choosing the right rug for your home or office,” he says.          He can’t, however, advise you on which rug to pick. “The rug is a foun-dation in any room setting,” he says. “Each rug is a reflection of your personal style preference.” World of Rugs & Furniture is located at 1530 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard in Atlanta. For more information call (404) 352-0072 or visit www.worldofrugs.com
$200 on a $6,000 rug to no avail. “The shopper walked out and had her husband call us because she was so embarrassed when she found the same rug elsewhere for $12,000,” Malla says.          World of Rugs & Furniture offers everything from shag to sisal, with a few cowhides in between. Rugs can also be special ordered and custom made in any shade and style. “The sky is the limit,” Malla says. “You want your picture on a rug? We’ll do it.” Shoppers will also find racks of traditional, contemporary, Oriental and antique rugs. Much like the fashion industry, they have to keep up with colors,	For optimum shopping ease, World of Rugs & Furniture offers customers the op-portunity to scan the store’s inventory online in the comfort of their homes. Every rug in their store is pictured online so that shoppers can search by color, origin, content, shape and size. If they find one they like, they simply call the store and request it shipped to their home. And if they aren’t positive that the rug is going to match its intended room, they can take it home, try it out and either return it or send payment.          Online shoppers also have the opportunity to use World of Rugs &

Published in: Atlanta Home Improvement - Edition: February 2006 - Page: 24

Ask the experts

Design & Décor

Q:My husband and I have just moved into a home that is centered around a large great room open to the kitchen and breakfast area. We have hardwood floors, and we like to use rugs to help define the different areas of the space. What should we look for and what should we stay away from?

A:Try to begin with your rugs first as your decorating “foundation” --- much like a house is built foundation first. There are many choices of fabrics and paints, and you will have an easier time pulling the room together that way. The positioning and sizing of rugs in an open room are particularly important for a harmonious effect.

  In the dining area, make sure the rug is large enough for the chairs to slide back and forth without catching the edges. If budget is a concern, try putting a less expensive rug under the dining table. You will cover a good deal of it with the furniture, and you will be less apt to be stressed if something should spill on it. The rugs do not have to match other elements exactly, however, there should be a continuum that ties your areas and décor together. Keep like with like, for example, casual with casual.

  If you buy hand-knotted rugs, be wary of “going out of business” sales. Almost all of these are just ploys taking advantage of the customer. Look for a reputable dealer. Buy the most rug you can for your budget; consider it an investment. You should be allowed to try the rug at home and not feel pressured if the rug just isn’t working. A good rug dealer realizes this and wants you to feel good about your choice, as opposed to just making a quick sale.

Electa Lane Yenihayat, sales manager, World of Rugs

Published on: RugNews.com: August 10, 2008

CRAZY TIME TO OPEN A NEW STORE?
WORLD OF RUGS & FURNITURE IN ATLANTA DEFIES THE ODDS

by Janelle Lampp

David Lewis, left, and Abe Malla in their new rug and furniture store in Atlanta.

ATLANTA --Maybe the Spring of 2008 wasn't the best time to open a rug and home furnishings store, but surprise. With their new 80,000 sq. ft. World of Rugs & Furniture, Abe Malla and David Lewis have created a retail environment that reflects the way consumers and decorators want to shop.

Lewis and Malla met through Horizon Pacific Home in Atlanta, and formed their partnership in 2002. Malla’s background in high-end hand knotted rugs and antiques had its roots in New York in the 1990’s. Lewis was oriented toward the product development and sourcing of new rugs at all price points.

Rugs act as graceful dividers for vignette settings.

“Abe and I wanted to create a larger scale concept store that would get the attention and earn the respect of the retail community,” said Lewis. With years of experience as the overseas rug buyer at Greenfront, Lewis said that “The mix of rugs and furniture that I grew to know and understand convinced me that this is the way to address the public’s needs.”

World of Rugs & Furniture was built for volume. With 23-foot ceilings and 80,000 sq. ft. of space, large quantities, large-scale furniture and over-size rugs are no problem.

Even with so much space and product, the store is also well organized and easy to navigate. “Abe is the organized one,” said Lewis. “He is strong in administration and marketing and keeps the store on track and in the public eye.”

All the merchandise is tagged and priced and the sales staff is experienced and knowledgeable.

The majority of the rugs are hung, with very few rolled. There's not a stack in sight.

“We wanted the store to be different, diversified and with personality. But first and foremost, it had to be user-friendly” said Lewis. “Stacks and rolled rugs do not invite a customer to browse. So 90% of our rug inventory is hanging.”

The store has ten 50-arm racks which help keep the 1,000 8x10 rugs off of the floor. “The $100,000 to $150,000 we have invested in rack systems pays for itself quickly by cutting down on staffing needs” reported Lewis.

Pricing at World of Rugs & Furniture is not taken lightly. Malla and Lewis stressed that the store’s integrity and reputation depend upon a pricing policy that is fair, consistent and in line with the market.

“Every one of our rugs has an ID tag that tracks its progress from date of purchase to sale. That rug has one, genuine price. It may be discounted after some time on the floor, but it won’t change based on a whim” said Lewis.

Initially, 60% to 70% of business came from interior designers. The mix is changing as word of mouth and advertising builds. Now, there is a more balanced 50-50 mix between designers and consumers.

Designer business is very important to World of Rugs & Furniture. The store understands the designer's needs, which it addresses with normal professional discounts and a generous approval program. However, the store also goes beyond the norm by using unmarked vans to deliver merchandise to designer clients, in order to protect the designers' source.

Floor covering accounts for 80% to 85% of sales at World of Rugs & Furniture, with 15% to 20% from furniture and accessories. “Our background is rugs, but we understand the need for other products in order to create an environment rather than just a rug store and to offer more variety and one-stop shopping” said Lewis.

Although 90% of the rug inventory is sourced directly from overseas, World of Rugs carries many lines from domestic importers. Included in the mix is product from Hellenic, Kalaty, Momeni, Nourison, Safavieh, Samad, Surya, and 10 to 15 others.

“We recognize that we cannot do everything ourselves and, just as important, some of the importers have created branded and sought-after lines that we need to carry” said Lewis.

The focus at World of Rugs & Furniture is hand-made. The only machine-made lines in the store are indoor-outdoor qualities and some roll runner programs. “We try to cover all price points and styles, but our experience is in hand-made constructions, so we try to stick with what we know best” Lewis explained.

Given current styles and the demand for a simpler, more relaxed lifestyle, World of Rugs & Furniture recognizes the need for more transitional and contemporary designs.

“We aren’t that familiar with less traditional rug design” said Lewis. Therefore, the store relies on importers and a couple of high-end, imported hand-made custom lines to fill that need.

In addition to the Atlanta location, Lewis and Malla have five rug racks in the Weinberg Furniture store in Lake Oconee, GA a high-end resort area one hour east of Atlanta. At that store, they showcase more indoor-outdoor, less traditional product.

With a website currently under construction, the Internet is the next uncharted territory for World of Rugs & Furniture. The partners are planning to put all their imported rugs for sale on-line.

The store has an area devoted to photography with a computer operated, ceiling mounted camera in place to capture the large inventory that will be put up on the website.

World of Rugs & Furniture already has plans for growth. Currently 60,000 of the store’s 80,000 sq. ft. are occupied, and there are concrete plans for the other 20,000 sq. ft. With 23-ft. ceilings, a second floor could also be added to create up to 120,000 sq. ft. of space.

In addition, the partners have optioned another approximately 15,000 sq. ft. adjacent to the current property that is in the process of being developed in cooperation with the city of Atlanta.

David Lewis and Abe Malla

The original artile can be found here