Antique Rug Interviews

So today I embarked on a new project to see what the general opinion is on antique rugs. It's not really a topic that people tend to think about all that often, if you think about it, but I bet that if you ask, you'll find some pretty interesting takes. With this possibility in mind, I set out to ask as many people as I could about their views on rugs and carpets in general. It's always good to start with a sort of general opening question, and then move to more specific interrogation, if you will, later in the conversation.

But that opening line can, in itself, garner some interesting reactions. (Mostly it's that people don't know quite how to respond at first, but then eventually they warm to the question.)

"What do you think about Persian rugs?" I asked one young woman as we were waiting for a stop light.  She looked at me, surprised.

"Um? What?" I had to repeat the question. After she got over the initial shock of my asking her anything at all, she looked thoughtful.

"Well, I guess... I suppose... hmm. I guess I'm pretty neutral on them, really." Then she crossed the street.

Well okay. Not everyone is super cooperative.

But I found if I carried a clipboard around instead, and tried to look more official, I got more positive reactions. Some people waxed poetic n the topic, in fact. For example, one guy went on and on aout a Persian rug he had in his childhood home and how much he loved it. Another woman turned out to be from Iran and had some very strong political arguments about production and factories in her home country.  One young man seemed to be an expert. Their responses and more will be in posts to follow.