Handmade Rugs With a Social Conscience

For some people, the rugs in their home or business are as important as the furniture. Enter Jaipur Rugs, a company based in Norcross that sells handmade rugs from India and is winning one award after another for excellence and design. 

The company also is working to increase wages and improve standards of living of people in India. The Jaipur Rugs Foundation improves conditions of the 40,000 artisans it works with. And to provide jobs to the poor, Jaipur is training another 10,000 people in India in advanced carpet-weaving techniques and providing them with access to global markets. 

While Jaipur Rugs only is sold wholesale, it has made a home in Norcross and is looking to expand. 

What is your business and when did you open?

Jaipur Rugs is a vertically integrated manufacturing and sales organization providing retailers with lifestyle-driven products that are both stylish and socially responsible. 

The company was started by my father, N.K. Chaudhary, in Jaipur, India, in 1978 with a vision of creating beautifully designed, well-crafted handmade rugs. Our operation in India has grown to employing over 40,000 artisans, and we have become a leader in our industry. 

We opened our U.S. sales office in 1999. We relocated from Atlanta to Norcross in January 2011. We also have showrooms in the Atlanta Mart, Las Vegas and High Point, N.C. 

What makes you unique? 

Our business is unique in two ways. One is that we offer a complete range of fashion-forward offerings in a variety of styles, constructions and price points. We thrive on innovative product design and focus on enhancing the entire customer experience. 

The second and most important way that we are unique is that we actively focus on social initiatives in India as our way of giving back. We have created the Jaipur Rugs Foundation to improve the welfare of the over 40,000 artisans that work with us. We actively work to provide a better quality of life for them than is available in the villages where they reside. We have created specific programs that promote healthy living, literacy, personal empowerment and financial stability for the artisans that work with us. So when you buy a rug from us, you are also contributing toward the efforts of the Jaipur Rugs Foundation. 

What is rewarding about owning Jaipur? 

We sell all of our products on the wholesale level so we work every day with other small businesses to create offerings that enhance their product lines. I love working with these customers, and I like to think we contribute to their success, as well. 

At Jaipur we have assembled a group of very talented, creative and hardworking employees that are genuinely dedicated to producing the finest quality products in the industry. I really enjoy the design process and working with them to bring new products to market.     

Of course, the final and most important reward is knowing how we are improving the social position and standard of living of so many people in my home country.  

What is challenging about owning Jaipur?  

Our revenue in the U.S. has grown almost 50 percent in the last year. This has created more demand for good people, larger inventories and significant improvements in our infrastructure. We are currently in the process of creating 10,000 more square feet of office space and have recently expanded all three of our showrooms in Atlanta, Las Vegas and High Point. We are also focused on improving our management reporting systems in order to better manage our costs and be more responsive to our customers.

What do you like about being located in Norcross? 

We made the investment in our Norcross operation because of the availability of commercial real estate at competitive prices, ease of access, lower taxes and the availability of a dependable work force. Due to our growth, we are already close to fully utilizing our 72,000 square-foot facility and may be looking for more space soon.

For more information on Jaipur Rugs, visit jaipurrugs.com.

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