We are so thrilled to share a new profile of Sheba and Blue Parakeets Rugs in Haaretz, which appear in a larger story about the rug trade’s history and future. It’s incredible to think that BPR was conceived only a few years ago, and in that time, it’s flourished into a successful business and an amazing community of rug-lovers worthy of a major newspaper.

The piece, written by academics and journalists Jonathan Harounoff, Stephanie Posner, and Alen Amini, follows the complex and shifting landscape of the Middle Eastern rug trade in the West through the story of rug dealers like Sheba. “Khodadad, 41, represents a new generation of antique Persian rug dealer, breathing new life into the ancient trade by selling their wares on aesthetic-centered social media platforms. Five years after her first sale, she has become one of the most successful online dealers of restored antique rugs. Her online store, Blue Parakeet Rugs, has amassed over 21,000 followers and she extends her bespoke services to celebrities – such as Ashley Tisdale and members of Maroon 5 – and young couples alike from its Beverly Hills base, rolling out carpets [in] homes around the United States,” says the article, which also traces Sheba’s entry into the trade through her incredible uncle Joseph, a scion of the antique rug world who passed away suddenly just after helping Sheba get her business off the ground.

With the help of her contacts and no shortage of grit, determination, and charm, Sheba built a space for herself and BPR in a notoriously insular and male-dominated business. As the article notes, “The name of the business also distinguished Sheba from the more traditional crowd, though she is unusual in more ways than one. ‘I’m Persian, I’m Jewish, I’m a woman and I’m selling beautiful Islamic art,’ she tells Haaretz. She is just one of the women in her Instagram community making a mark on this traditionally male-dominated trade. … ‘You don’t see a lot of Persian-Jewish women running around with rugs over their shoulders like me.’”

Haaretz notes that challenges in the form of restrictions on trade and new mass-produced home furnishings have shifted the ground beneath some of the traditional sales models for antique and vintage rugs. However, BPR has thrived in part by making antique rugs accessible through our online store and Instagram, allowing consumers seeking low-impact, high-value decor to find the heirloom rugs of their dreams.

The piece concludes, “Khodadad is selling antique rugs, upcycling old, organic heirlooms for a younger generation that places a high value on minimizing their environmental footprint. ‘I hope that I can be a vessel for keeping antique rugs alive,’ she said. ‘My dream is to have an old rug in every home.’” Read the full story at Haaretz, and read more about Sheba and Blue Parakeet Rugs on our About page.

Haaretz Profiles Sheba and Blue Parakeet Rugs