Persian Rug Galleries, Inc. Named #1 National Retailer
1999 National Retailer of the Year Award
Oriental Rug Specialist
Nashua, N.H. (August 22, 1999) -- Persian Rug Galleries, Inc. owner Sy Mahfuz has just been named the national oriental rug Retailer of the Year (ROY) by his industry peers.
It's the second major award this year for Mahfuz and his Nashua company, which was named as N.H. Business of the Year earlier this year by Business NH Magazine and the New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce Executives.
Mahfuz, whose father started the business in 1953 after emigrating with his family from Lebanon to Watertown, Mass., said he and his employees are grateful to be honored with AmericaSmart's Sixth Annual Rug Retailer of the Year Award. In giving the prestigious award for innovation in retail rug sales, AmericaSmart, an Atlanta-based rug exhibition company, cited the high quality of the Persian Gallery Inc.'s displays, the attractiveness of its stores, its advanced marketing efforts, and Mahfuz's hard work on business and consumer protection issues, such as his work on state legislation tightening going-out-of-business laws.
The honors will spur Mahfuz and his employees to provide even greater customer service and products, he said.
"This can only increase our commitment to our customers," Mahfuz said. "After 46 years in the oriental rug industry, it's very exciting that the oriental rug industry itself has acknowledged Persian Rug Galleries as an industry leader. My staff and I will continue to deliver the kind of service and expertise that New England has come to expect, and that each of our customers deserve. This is really the beginning of greater things to come."
AmericaSmart presented the sixth annual rug Retailer of the Year award to Mahfuz in a July ceremony. Created in 1993, the awards are based on nominations made by AmericaSmart exhibitors and rug dealers.
Companies are chosen for ROY awards for their innovation in business operations. Criteria include demonstrated success in sales training, store promotions, customer service and visual display presentation. This year's ROY Awards featured six categories: creative selling, department store chain/mass merchant, furniture store, oriental rug specialist, outstanding merchandising, and two awards for floor covering specialist.
The national ROY award was announced a few weeks after Persian Rug Galleries, Inc. was honored as N.H. Business of the Year for 1999, an award given yearly by Business NH Magazine. In winning the award, Mahfuz was cited for his dedication to the business community in Nashua, including his work with the city's chamber of commerce, the city's downtown revitalization committee, and his active commitment to nonprofit organizations.
1999 Business of the Year
NH Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives
and Business NH Magazine
"This is my neighborhood," says Sy Mahfuz, owner of Persian Rug Galleries. This family business got its start in Boston, but Main Street in Nashua has been home for 46 years. The Gate City is clearly where the company's heart is. Name a local cause — from the symphony to education to downtown revitalization — and the store's name is associated with it. "If every downtown had a Sy Mahfuz they would succeed; and if every city had one, they could have hopes of a number one ranking," read one letter of nomination.
Persian Rug Galleries draws customers from all over the Northeast and New York for both quality of its handmade rugs and the expertise of its employees; among new customers, the store also counts those who are the grandchildren of Mahfuz's grandfather's and father's customers. But in an era when Nashua's outskirts are bursting with new retail outfits, this shop chooses to remain local. The company recently renewed its commitment to downtown by renovating its building inside and out, adding a new design center in the basement and purchasing a second facility downtown.
Every decision Mahfuz makes is rooted in a sense of responsibility to his family and the community. "My father always said it's about the name you leave behind... I', hopefully leaving a foundation for my children, my family, my business and my community," he says.
– © Business NH Magazine, May 1999. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
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