Heritage
Since 1917.
From a rug store on the shores of Manhasset in 1917 to two New York studios today: four generations of one family, one standard of care, and a practice that has never taken a shortcut it could not reverse.
The hand does the work.
The Megerian family came to America from Armenia in 1917 and opened its first rug store on the shores of Manhasset, New York. The shop sold new and antique rugs, but it was the repair bench that made the family's name: a thorough understanding of wool, natural dyes and Old World knotting, applied to customers' Persians, Aubussons, Savonneries and oriental rugs. That repair bench grew into the cleaning and restoration practice the family still runs in New York today.
Today the practice is trusted with pieces that predate the country they now live in, and with the rug in the front hall. Collectors, designers, estates and institutions send work to the same family, and the neighborhood still brings in its runners. See our institutions page for how we work with collections.
"A rug is never finished. It is only better kept."
Dates in the family record.
Timeline
- 1917
Manhasset, New York
The Megerian family arrives from Armenia and establishes the first Megerian rug store on the shores of Manhasset, selling new and antique rugs.
- 1920s
The repair bench
Customers begin bringing the family their antique Persians, Aubussons and Savonneries for repair. The Megerians gain a reputation as artisans accomplished in antique restoration, and start buying damaged antique rugs, restoring them completely and selling them on.
- 1965
Rug cleaning becomes a business of its own
The family's rug cleaning operation is established, growing over time into the largest rug cleaning facility in the Tristate area.
- 1970s
From the bench to the loom
The family takes its knowledge to the loom, producing its own rugs: antique designs delicately modified for contemporary rooms, each design signed and copyrighted. Manufacturing expands to Egypt, then Pakistan, Afghanistan, Romania, China and India.
- 2000s
The return to Armenia
The family acquires and modernizes the Hye Gorg rug factories in Armenia, reintroducing the traditional Armenian double-knot technique, renowned for its strength and longevity. Megerian production grows to 22 weaving facilities across Armenia, with showrooms in New York, Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany.
- Today
Two New York studios
The fourth generation of the family cleans, repairs and conserves rugs from studios in Williston Park, Long Island and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, for collectors, designers, estates, institutions and the neighborhood's front halls.
What the work involves.
The work
The practice has always done two kinds of work side by side. There is the careful end: antique rugs stabilized, rewoven and recorded so they can be used or handed on without losing what makes them valuable. And there is the everyday end: the hallway runner, the dining room rug, the fitted carpet on the stairs, washed and repaired properly so it lasts. The same family does both, and the habits of one inform the other.
Those habits are simple to describe. Look at the rug front and back before touching it. Write down what you see. Test every color before any water goes near it. Secure the edges before you wash. Replace only what has been lost, and do it in a way a future conservator could undo. Those rules sit behind every service on this site, from conservation and restoration to hand washing.
Where the work is done depends on the piece and what it needs. Cleaning, repair and restoration are carried out at our Williston Park workshop or in your home, and our Greenpoint studio in Brooklyn is there for city clients to bring a piece in and meet us.
What to send us.
What to send us
Many of the rugs we see come with a family story, and the story often matters as much as the rug. If you know where a piece came from, who bought it, or when it was last cleaned or repaired, tell us. It helps us date the rug, understand earlier work, and decide what it needs now.
Beyond that, send a photograph of the whole rug, one of the back, close-ups of the ends and any damage, and the approximate size. If you are settling an estate or dividing a family collection, our estate and moving services page explains how we survey several rugs at once.
The whole rug, front and back
Close-ups of ends and damage
Approximate size
Anything you know of its history
Timelines and pricing.
Timelines and pricing
Every job is quoted in writing before work begins, and nothing is added without your agreement. Our pricing page explains how cleaning and restoration are priced. Workshop rug cleaning takes about two weeks on average; every rug is different, and any repairs needed will extend that time.
Pickup and delivery are free. You are also welcome to bring a piece to either studio: 275 Hillside Ave, Williston Park, NY 11596, or 649 Morgan Ave, #1C, Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Frequently asked.
Questions
- How long has the Megerian family been working with rugs?
- Since 1917. The practice has passed through four generations of the family.
- Is the work done by the family or sent out?
- The work is done by our own family and team, never by a subcontractor. Depending on the piece, it is carried out at our Williston Park workshop or in your home.
- Do you only work on antique rugs?
- No. We conserve antique and collected pieces, and we also wash and repair everyday rugs and fit and clean wall-to-wall carpet.
Related reading
Antique rug restoration steps, from intake to return
What actually happens between the day a rug leaves your floor and the day it comes back: seven stages, in the order a conservator works them.
Searching for rug repair near me? What to ask before you hand it over
Not every shop that says rug repair does the work in house. Six questions that separate a conservator's studio from a drop-off counter.
Inquiry
Begin with a conversation.
Tell us about the piece, its origin, size, and condition. We advise on care and quote the work in writing.