©2018 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Susan E. Campbell
Lincoln Rug Gallery has opened at 1683 Route 9 at St. John’s Plaza in Halfmoon.
Sole proprietor Shiv Hari was the owner and manager of two gas stations in the area for the past six years, but decided to make a career change into retailing.
“Two years ago I visited an uncle in Australia. He has a rug business there,” Hari said. “I saw how he ran it and did research on the market.”
His research revealed a demand for hardwood flooring and area rugs of high quality, he said.
“There is a trend for hardwood floors in both new construction and renovation,” he said. “An area rug adds color and texture and designs the space, as well as absorbs noise.”
Hari learned from his uncle different types of rugs and what to look for in quality. Finding the right location was one of his biggest challenges, and again his uncle guided him.
Located near some large furniture stores and Home Depot, Lincoln Rug Gallery can easily be seen by homeowners and builders traveling on Route 9. Hari said he searched locations all over Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga.
Hari has contacted interior designers to offer their customers personalized designs in both wool and viscose carpeting for smaller areas or an entire floor.
“One customer wanted a leaf pattern flowing from room to room,” he said. “This pattern was designed exclusively to the designer’s specification and woven into the carpeting at the factory.”
The area rugs available at Lincoln Rug Gallery are unique, according to Hari, and unavailable online or at local big box stores.
“Rugs online may be a little cheaper, but those are mostly outgoing styles,“ he said. “And you cannot get advice over the internet on how to design a rug or place your furniture on it.”
Customers can avoid all the mistakes of buying the wrong product or the wrong size by coming into the shop. Here they can experience first hand the color, quality and texture of a product they will live with for years to come, said Hari.
“Once people come in they are mostly likely to come back if we offer value, service and an affordable price for the quality of what they are getting,” he said.
Lincoln Rug Gallery also sells household accessories such a throw pillows, bath mats and towels, and Egyptian cotton bedsheets.
There is a grand opening sale going on through December. Hari said, “Special pricing is available on two sizes of US-made, machine woven patterned rugs in classic Mediterranean, abstract, and traditional styles and lots in between.”
The phone number is 518-888-1744.