Manoukian Brothers™ Oriental Rugs, also known as Manoukian Rugs™, is the oldest family owned oriental rug store in the Washington, DC area. Now in our 3rd generation, Manoukian’s has been in the local rug business since 1922. Our story began when the Manoukian family fled the Armenian Genocide in the early 1900’s. They escaped from the Armenian city of Aintab in Anatolia. After gaining safe passage on a French rescue ship they entered the US first through Alexandria, Egypt, and then via the hallowed grounds of Ellis Island. At the start of their new life in America they worked in the grocery business. In 1922 Manouk, one of the brothers, opened the first family owned rug store on Washington Circle, in the Foggy Bottom & the West End neighborhoods. Eventually Manouk along with his brothers Noury, Moses, and Mishel merged their individual rug shoppes creating Manoukian Brothers™ Oriental Rugs.
During the last 100 years, Manoukian Rugs™ thrived on purveying and servicing hand-knotted rugs to Washingtonians. The brothers made regular buying trips to the New York wholesale rug market where they acquired their handmade carpets. Over the years, they cultivated an honest and long-lasting rapport with their wholesaler partners. Often such transactions meant examining hundreds of colorful hand knotted carpets, combined with skillful negotiations over cups of strong coffee. This was a congenial but typical Middle Eastern business transaction. Many Armenians had previously been businessmen and traders in the old country, including in the oriental rug business, and they naturally brought this skill with them when they immigrated to the US.
Manoukian Rugs™ has provided rugs and service to thousands of diverse customers, homes, and venerable institutions over the past century. We have furnished, cleaned, and repaired rugs for politicians, judges, ambassadors, business leaders, lawyers, doctors, architects, and rug connoisseurs and aficionados throughout the Washington, DC area and beyond. Likewise, we have serviced the rug needs of institutions including the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, National Archives, Cosmos Club, National Cathedral, Blair House and the Smithsonian, as well as many embassies, clubs, universities, organizations, and private companies. As we move into our second century we continue to provide the superior quality area rug cleaning and repair services that we have for the past hundred years.
