The Manoukian Story

The Manoukian Brothers

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.

Helping Fellow Washingtonians

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.

United States Congress

The U.S. Capitol

Library of Congress

The Blair House

The Kennedy Center

U.S. Supreme Court

The National Cathedral

Architect of the Capitol

Foreign Embassies

Private Clubs

& MANY FINE HOMES ACROSS THE NATION’S CAPITAL

A tradition of Excellence

Paul Manoukian, the son of Moses the youngest Manoukian brother, worked as a civil engineer for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA); however, throughout his lifetime, he could be found in the rug shop assisting his father and uncles in the evenings and on weekends. As his father and uncles aged, he became the lead buyer and manager. Today, that wholesale market has diminished in importance as it has become common for individual businesses to buy directly from importers. Eventually, Paul retired from WMATA, and evolved into a full time rug professional. For twenty five years, Dona, his wife, also worked in the rug business. It is also worth mentioning that several of our employees stayed with us for many, many years. One of many such valued employees was Handy Sawyer, who worked at Manoukian Rugs™ for over 40 years.

Today, Paul’s family operates the business. His wife, Dona, and their son Mikael now lead the rug store into its second century. Manoukian Rugs™ has a spacious new home on Langston Boulevard (formerly Lee Highway) in Arlington, conveniently located immediately across the river from Washington, DC. Furthermore, we have diligently developed and expanded the Manoukian Rugs™ website and digital brand. Regardless of all the changes afoot, the constant we carry into the next 100 years is Manouk Manoukian’s original mission: to offer our customers, old and new alike, quality handmade rugs and excellent rug cleaning service — just like our father, grandfather, and great uncles did before.

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MANOUKIAN RUGS IS THE OLDEST ORIENTAL RUG STORE IN THE WASHINGTON AREA. WE HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE 1922.

Welcome to Manoukian Rugs™, the DMV's oldest purveyor & cleaner of handmade rugs. Est'd 1922. Dismiss