RugNotes: Alan Marschke's Oriental Rug Gallery Inc. at 20649 Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe : "Thursday, May 26, 2005
Alan Marschke's Oriental Rug Gallery Inc. at 20649 Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Woods.
CAROL CAIN / MACOMB: Family's business is planted in Sterling Heights: "Grosse Pointe Woods: All Oriental rugs are not created equal, Alan Marschke likes to explain.
He should know -- he's spent decades studying them. Marschke is a nationally certified appraiser with the Oriental Rug Retailers of America Inc. There are about 200 such appraisers in the United States.
Since October, he has run Alan Marschke's Oriental Rug Gallery Inc. at 20649 Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Woods.
Marschke says his goal is to offer customers the best collectable handwoven Oriental rugs made from hand-spun wool and natural vegetable dyes.
"A true Oriental rug possesses millions of colors," he says, explaining "that's why the rugs have such a soothing effect on people."
Rugs have been an obsession of Marschke's since he grew up in Mt. Clemens.
There was a rug dealer named Hodge Magerian who ran a rug store on Jefferson in Detroit. Marschke spent time there and learned about the nuances of Oriental rugs.
About that time, Marschke began subscribing to Oriental Rug Review, a trade journal, and became a member of the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. He later moved to Alexandria, Va., in 1983 and opened a rug store there in 1988.
In July 2004, he moved his store to Grosse Pointe Woods to be closer to family. He spent a few months preparing and opened on Oct. 1.
His rugs aren't cheap.
An 8-foot-by-10-foot rug would run in the $7,000 -$10,000 range. He has more than 250 rugs in his collection at his 1,400-square-foot store.
Admittedly, sales have been slow, but Marschke is in for the long haul.
His biggest challenge is letting people know he's open for business.
Contact Alan Marschke's Oriental Rug Gallery Inc. at 313-884-1455""
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