The Rural We: Joanna Mahserdjian
The owner of Upstate Rug Supply in Hudson will drive anywhere for a good antique rug.
If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between an antique and vintage rug, Joanna Mahserdjian is the person to ask. In her fifth year as a rug dealer, and now owner of Upstate Rug Supply, she shares a space at 557 Warren Street in Hudson called The Shop with two other women who sell furniture and lighting. Although she studied public policy and worked as a lobbyist, it was antique rugs that captivated her in school and eventually led her into the rug business.
I’m a native of North Carolina, and live in Albany with my husband. But we’re keeping our eyes on houses here; we’re looking to move to the Hudson Valley.
Despite studying public policy in college, I was always going to flea markets and reading about design. I was buying rugs and learning about them, drawn to the history associated with antique rugs. I got to know a couple people in the industry who encouraged me and saw that I had an eye for it. I was already buying rugs for myself and friends, so I decided to do it full time as an online business, working from my dining room.
We — Hannah Khachadourian, Jackie Flansberg, and myself — opened The Shop the week that everything shut down. But we were able to reopen in June.
Photo: Christian Harder
The difference between antique and vintage is: antique Turkish and Persian rugs are from the 1920s and earlier, and are vegetable dyed. Around World War Two, synthetic dyes became part of the market in rugs. Vintage rugs, from the 1960s and later, are synthetically dyed and typically made for western aesthetics. Antique and vintage rugs also age differently. As antique rugs age, the dye softens in a way that vintage rugs do not.
I provide a mix of conditions. Some rugs are patina distressed. My clients use them for daily use, especially in historic Hudson Valley houses. They’re not hard to care for: you can use diluted vinegar to spot clean them. For the smaller pieces, you can hose them down in your driveway and let them dry in the sun. I have three little boys and the antique rugs at home hold up better than manufactured rugs.
I handpick each rug. I don’t import them because I like to touch and feel them. And I love the hunt. It’s been harder to travel during COVID, but within New England the U.S., collectors contact me, or someone may be settling their family’s estate. I’ll drive to another state for a good rug in a heartbeat.
So many people are coming up from the city, renting, and then buying homes upstate. Part of the fun in this business is helping people navigate the kind of rug they need.
I’m one of the only dealers who specializes in rugs in Hudson. People here have given me a warm welcome. Local residents and designers have been very supportive of The Shop’s opening; it’s meant so much to us.
