231027 Collection Digital Cover 1 - Flipbook - Page 106
“Times are tough, but I think
the specialists will survive.”
“Ron wasn’t interested in trends and neither am I. Trends destroy quality
as well as tradition, which is the really sad part,” Bruce says, citing the
rise of Berber rugs from Morocco. Before 2020, he used to sell 600 of
these pieces every month but he refused to stock them when high street
retailers entered the market. “They were mostly selling knock-offs made
in India… H&M was doing some with printed designs rather than woven,
for God’s sake. Now the trend has moved on, the original Moroccan
weavers are left with nothing because their ancestral product has been
completely devalued.”
Back on the fourth floor, we stand in front of an exceptionally rare silk
from Keshan, Iran, with a price tag of £78,000. The intricate design
represents an Islamic garden. A central medallion suggesting a lake is
surrounded by a constellation of flowers in peach and blue. Bruce tells
me it’s from 1900, which he knows because certain dyes have oxidised
over time. “That isn’t wear and tear by the way, kid,” he grins. “That’s
how you know you’re dealing with the cream of the crop.”
So, who buys these treasures? Customers range from the shipping
magnate who continues to buy houses for each member of his family
and staff and asks Bruce to furnish every one, to the teacher who recently
purchased a set of Moroccan mint tea glasses for £35. What they all share
is confidence and a love of travel. “They’re drawn to the quirkiness of
the whole operation and know that beautiful things enrich their lives.”
The ‘whole operation’ includes Rabia Khan, Illir Lleshi and Matthew
Wilson, who have been running around constantly throughout our
visit looking after customers. A new range of bags and purses made
in Uzbekistan is proving particularly popular, while an Arabic man
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has been making detailed enquiries about the Keshan silk. In the brief
hiatus between the afternoon and after-work rush, the team perches
on the piles of rugs that teeter around the shop. I ask how they would
sum up their approach.
“I think for me it’s mostly about inspiration,” says Khan, a BurmeseAfghan born in Yorkshire, who has worked at Liberty’s since 1989.
“I’ve fallen madly in love with rugs over the years and I think customers
enjoy that passion.”
“I never try to sell anything,” says Wilson, an actor by trade who has
worked at Liberty Oriental Carpets for 15 years. “I ask the customer
about themselves – their life story, colour palette and style – and then
help them think about their space in a new way.”
A recent report from the Centre for Retail Research shows that 17,000
high street shops closed in 2022, an average of 47 per day. One imagines
that figure will only increase given today’s unpromising financial
climate. So, is Bruce worried?
“Times are tough, but I think the specialists will survive. My knowledge
is my protection, it’s what gives us our edge. Thankfully there are a lot
of people who want to live amongst art. Why shouldn’t that include their
floors as well as their walls?”
