ARCS's First Quarter Newsletter 2020

Greetings Everyone!

ARCS Courses are now on demand!
By: Mike Jensen, Starr Rug Cleaners

If you haven't seen, we've added some amazing and effective education opportunities to our website! ARCS already convenient and affordable online classes are now on-demand. I recently had the opportunity to take advantage to this new platform, and I wanted to take a moment to share with you just how easy and awesome it is.

The two online classes offered, Effective Communication and Introduction to Rug Care, can be utilized in the on-demand platform under the Learning Opportunities tab. It's as easy as selecting your class and registering. Once you complete the registration you immediately receive an email with your class and a password to access the content. Simply click on "View your order" and you will be taken to a set of videos. Each will require you enter the password provided in the email and are available for you to watch at your convenience and can be started and stopped if needed.

As a small company, I have always found it difficult to effectively schedule my hiring and training around when professional classes are available. For many classes my employees would have to travel and stay multiple nights which became costly, and for a new higher is was even more difficult to justify the cost. Association of Rug Care Specialists have had some great online courses for some time now, which has eased the travel cost, but now they have made their online classes even more convenient by having them on-demand.

Repairing Ends: A Simple & Affordable Repair
Meg Walker, Aladdin Cleaning & Restoration

Rug cleaning and rug repairs go hand in hand. Whether you're just starting out or are a 3rd generation cleaner, chances are you've been asked to fix a rug. Rug repairs are not uncommon and, if done correctly, will not de-value a rug. Repairs range in price depending on the damage and how time-consuming the repair.

One of the most common repairs requested at our shop is securing the ends of rugs. It can be called a variety of things: securing/stabilizing a rugs end, end-stitching, ravel and stay or overcasting. Basically, this is a repair that will keep the rug intact. The technical explanation, defined in Oriental Rug Repair, by Peter Stone is "end stitching is often used to lock the wefts and stabilize the end of the rug."

Most often, for end secure, heavy-duty cotton or linen thread similar in color to the end knots and wefts is selected. As shown in the photo below, the most common stitches used are the whipstitch and the buttonhole or blanket stitch. Normally, the stitching is done from the back of the rug, and the secure thread is worked a minimum of two rows of knots behind the end weft. Keep in mind, the very end of the rug must be weft only. All knots should be removed which are outside of the end weft, as the secure thread will not prevent them from sliding off.

Today, Lori Gonzalez, an Aladdin repair specialist, will show the blanket stitch technique. Lori has been the studio assistant at the Southwest School of Art Weaving Department for 8 years and is a graduate of the Master Rug Cleaners Repair Course.

THE Seichor Rug
Jennifer Colaco, Oriental Rug Cleaning Co.

Adding an old Seichor to a very comprehensive rug collection felt illusive. For years and years, we searched and scouted and scoured looking for just the right one. We would see one, and though pretty, it would be in various states of disrepair due to its age and wear. Finding the perfect one just felt like looking for Big Foot... there would be a potential sighting, but upon closer examination it would really just be a big old bear. That is, until Craig Bale of Haliden Oriental Carpets in Bath, UK and ARCS member ( www.haliden.com ) worked his magic and found THIS SEICHER. This beauty is in excellent condition. Look at that design, those colors and that abrash! This one now happily lives at Oriental Rug Cleaning in Dallas, Texas.

Name: Seichor
Origin: Caucasus Mountains
Date: Circa 1920
Construction: Wool Pile on Wool Foundation, Symmetrical Knot, Triple Corded Side in Wool
Design: St Andrews Cross

Member Spotlight - Kansas City Rug Cleaning
Interview with owner and Rug Consultant, Travis Briar

Where did you grow up? How long have you lived in the area? Tell us about your family.
Born and raised in Kansas City. Married with a four-year-old daughter. Another daughter on the way, due in April!

Tell us about the events that led up to where you are now (i.e. education, career path).
After high school at the age of 18, I applied for a job at Dupont Flooring. They had a cleaning division that cleaned commercial carpet, mostly low-moisture carpet in high-rise buildings. After working at Dupont for a year, I took a carpet cleaning technician position at a small carpet cleaning company that primarily provided carpet and upholstery cleaning in homes. I worked there for five years until starting my own carpet cleaning company in 2006 at the age of 24. We have steadily grown every year. Although we had been offering rug cleaning through our carpet cleaning company since 2006, 2014 is the year Kansas City Rug Cleaning was established as a separate business.

Please give a brief history of your company (i.e. how, when, who started it)
In 2014 we wanted to expand our business from just carpet and upholstery cleaning to Oriental and fine rug cleaning and restoration. We surveyed the market here in Kansas City and quickly noticed there was a lack of quality rug cleaning companies with a modern sense of customer service and marketing. We literally started by washing rugs in our driveway with a garden hose and squeegee. Each year we got a little better and expanded our business. For example, in 2018 we purchased our spinner. This year we purchased a tumble duster. We are now in our third space, and just moved into a nicer facility that meets both our needs for rug washing space and provides good curb appeal to our customers.

What is unique about your business (what sets you apart from the rest)?
Our priority is to make the experience for our client as positive and seamless as possible. Meaning, we offer free pickup and delivery. We move furniture in the client's home both at pick up and drop off. We provide small windows for pick up appointments and are always on time.

Given your business expertise and the nature of what you do, what advice (whether general or specific) can you offer to other members?
Appearance is extremely important and should be a priority. We believe we provide the best cleaning service in Kansas City, but the biggest contributing factor towards our growth is our positive interaction with our clients.

What else should we know about you, your family or your business?
Jordan and Seth have been vital to our growth. They have the most interaction with our clients, whether in their home or on the phone and always represent our company with professionalism. If it weren't for their hard work and dedication, we would not be as successful so quickly.

Motifs: Cintemani (Chinese Cloud)
By: Meg Walker, Aladdin Cleaning & Restoration

On the recent ARCS Turkey Trip (November 2019), we had the pleasure of visiting the Carpet Museum in Istanbul. This museum houses a stunning collection of carpets from the Ottoman-era, most of which were originally donated to mosques as part of an old Islamic Tradition; to allow the deceased to acquire merit in their afterlife.

The collection of carpets exhibited are some of the rarest pieces in the museum's collection and range from the Early and Classical Ottoman Eras (14-17 century) to a range of Eastern Anatolian carpets and prayer rugs (15-19th century) to large size Usak (Oushak) carpets (16-19th century). As part of the collection, the Museum highlights design motifs used in these carpets.

Today I'd like to discuss the Cintemani or the Chinese Cloud. The symbol was first used in Buddhist art but is seen throughout the Ottoman Empire, whether it be in paintings or decorative designs it's seen in dishes, vases, clothing and also rugs. The motif's design is usually seen as three dots with two wavy lines. It signifies three leopard spots and two tiger stripes. The motif symbolizes power, might, noblesse and good fortune.

The following rug is an exemplary piece showcasing the Cintemani motif. This carpet is an Usak Cintemani carpet from the Rise of the Ottoman Empire, 16th/17th century. The motif repeats against the navy field. If you are ever in Istanbul, this is a must see for rug lovers!

Intermediate Course @ ACS - Ayoub Carpet Service - January 2020

In January, Ayoub Carpet Service hosted ARCS Intermediate Wash Course in Washington, DC taught by Armen Dohanian. The class went off without a hitch, we cleaned, we dusted, we brushed up on our rug ID and Tom Monahan even made an appearance! Dan and his team couldn't have been more hospitable, we can't thank them enough! Here are a couple photos from the class.

If you are a member of ARCS, please join our ARCS Member page on Facebook for great information and sharing!

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