Siblings take artisanal rugs to people’s doorstep

In a day and age when everything is delivered at our doorsteps, the experience of physically looking at a product and buying it has disappeared. But siblings, Nisha and Zeeshan Tariq, who runs a handmade rug store called RugWeave, decided to bring in a different option for the shoppers. They have introduced a concept called Pheriwala (a person who goes from door-to-door), where they carry rugs to a buyer’s residence and give them an idea of how it would look in their environment. Since its launch in October, the siblings are getting a decent response from Chennaiites, who are slowly understanding the beauty of rugs in a home environment.

“Selling rugs by going door-to-door is an age-old tradition and we trying to revive it through Pheriwala. The buyer can try multiple options and find out what suits the space. Moreover, this concept gives us the option of educating people and makes them understand the value of carpets made by traditional weavers. Rather than looking at it as just a floor mat, people can admire it as a piece of art. We can reach more people and also get to understand them better. Earlier, the rug culture was centered among the elite and those who know about the art. But with pheriwala concept, people are understanding the value of hand-made products,” says Zeeshan Tariq.

The duo has a huge collection of rugs collected from all over the world, including Iran and Afghanistan. They sell rugs in two ways — either through societies or as and when clients make a call. “Our car carrying various models of rugs will be stationed at different apartments across the city. We have interactive sessions with the residents and educate them about different types of rugs. The second model is when a customer calls us directly and fixes an appointment to bring rugs to their place. Most people prefer the second model because they get to see how it suits their home,” he explains.

There are two types of rugs in the market now — one is made by city-based artisans/weavers and rugs made by tribals. “Tribals incorporate stories and designs from their culture on to the rugs. Whereas, city-based weavers focus on what type of fabric they use — silk, fine mulberry silk, pashmina wool, etc. But with machine-made rugs entering the market, there is a decline in the sale of both these rugs. We need to support their livelihood,” remarks Zeeshan.