Dallas’ Vintage Rug Queen on Social Media Storefronts and the Magic of Handmade Home Goods

When Anayah Sarkar’s father gifted her three rugs, her 12-year-old self was not sure what to make of it. Two decades later, Sarkar is Dallas’ rug aficionado, sourcing and curating vintage pieces that honor her Middle Eastern and Indian heritages. Kyoreder of Rugs began as an exploration of the aesthetics and history of rugs, but Sarkar’s eye for design soon caught the attention of clients beyond her friends and family. Her Instagram quickly blossomed into a virtual storefront and showroom, where followers can not only purchase vintage oriental rugs but pick Sarkar’s brain for interior design insights. While Kyoreder of Rugs has shipped as far away as Switzerland, it’s the community Sarkar has built here in Dallas (through DMs and living room chats) that have put this female-run business on the map as a go-to niche home goods store.

Sarkar (who simultaneously maintains her job as a local pediatrician) sat with PaperCity to discuss sourcing trips to Turkey, the new era of social media storefronts, and the artful magic of rugs.

What is the cultural significance of rugs for you?
It represents family time because we used to sit on the rugs, we used to eat on them – they were functional for us, they weren’t just decor. We always sat on the floor whenever we had family time. When it was the entire family eating together, we almost never sat at a dining table, we used to have a rug, and then we would put all the food down on it and we would sit down and eat and chat and tell stories and laugh and bicker. I just remember every moment. I remember laying in my room on this rug and doing my studies on the floor. It was just very much part of our home.

Then I went to Turkey and I watched how they made a rug at a factory. They have this artisan-based business in Turkey where they are trying to empower the women to have their own looms. You watch them picking the wool, dying the wool, drying the wool, and then each knot that they have to make. Not only is this someone’s hard work and time, but it is a true art. It’s exactly like wall art. It’s like magic. They tell stories while they’re doing it, they’re singing songs while they’re doing it, they put in their signature and you have to find it.

So that is healing – that inspirational moment that I had there is what I want someone else to be inspired by. I want them to receive it and be like wow, she was right. This is the history behind it, I cannot get this off Amazon Prime. 

There is a growing trend of Instagram being used as a virtual storefront – can you speak to your experience with that?
For me, Instagram is not just a business; it feels like a whole bunch of friends chatting. What I love about it is I can be authentic, and they get to know the real me. My stories are me; they are my everyday life. If you go to a storefront, yes, you can get everything, but it’s very impersonal. And nowadays I think the culture is more like – “I’m not just buying your product, I’m buying what you’re representing.”

Because Kyoreder of Rugs is an online business, they can’t really see and feel the product, they have to go based off something else. And the something they can go off of is if they trust me. 

Who are some of your favorite Dallas Instagram accounts to collaborate with?
Lena of @shopoffbeatcollective and I have done multiple giveaways and collaborations together, and we have just naturally become friends.

Mel of @melremmers is such a big account but she is very open and warm. She sent [a painting] to me as a present, and then I purchased a bunch of prints of that and that’s the thank you cards of my business.

How have you enjoyed Dallas as a market and the aesthetics of its homeowners?
I would say 90% of my clients are Dallas-based. Dallas has more homes, more family base who are buying those homes and looking to furnish them. And it makes [the space] more different – it’s not your typical [furnishing] that you see everywhere all the time. How can I make my space a little bit more unique? I think both of those things Dallas is into.

What are some unique elements of the Kyoreder of Rugs shopping experience?
Initially, we did a test out where I would go in and bring the rugs with me and test it out on the space. It’s weird when I say this, but it’s almost like I’m a matchmaker. I can see your home and I can see the rug in my head and I try to marry the two based on your personality. It’s a lot of fun for me. Now we do the rug trial where you can come pick up the rug of your choice and you can take it home. If you love it, you keep it, if you don’t love it, you return it.

How can a rug impact the aesthetics or ambiance of a home? Why is it essential?
It’s essential. I have a saying – Rug Makes the Room. 100%. You don’t have to have a single piece of art up, you don’t have to have a bunch of fancy furniture, but I dare you to argue with me that the rug does not make the room look more complete, more finished, more cozy, more comfortable, and inviting.