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Fred Kaoud, Jr. always knew that he'd follow his father into the family rug business. He grew up playing with his siblings among the piles of carpets and used to help flip rugs for customers on weekends when he was still at school.
Together with his brother Isam and sister Joanne, Fred is now at the helm of Kaoud Carpets & Rugs, the company his father Fred Kaoud, Sr. founded in Wilton, shortly after having moved his family to Connecticut from his native Jordan in the early 1950s.
"My dad loved collecting antique Orientals," Fred says. Noticing a void in the quality rug market in Connecticut, Kaoud, Sr. enlisted his two brothers and launched a family importing and retail business.
"We're still very much a family business," says Fred, who runs the store's design center. There are several other rug companies in Connecticut, also called Kaoud. Those are the uncles and cousins, Fred Jr. says.
Kaoud's has evolved over the years and no longer sells only traditional Orientals from Iran. Modern designs and wall-to-wall carpeting are the biggest sellers these days, Fred says. Customers shopping for an Oriental prefer "washed" rugs with faded colors rather than the vibrant hues of classic styles.
Fred enjoys working with his family. "We all get on," he says. His dad still runs the antique Oriental department. Isam Kaoud is the buyer and monitors the village looms in India, Pakistan and Turkey where many of the rugs are made by hand. "Most of our rugs are woven from 100 percent New Zealand wool, which is considered the finest wool available," he says. He advises customers to feel the density of the pile when buying a carpet. The thicker the pile, the longer the rug will wear.
The next generation of Kaouds, Fred and his wife Cindy's children, Isabella and baby twins John and Neil, will soon be playing among the carpets. Does Fred hope they'll work with him one of these days. "Who knows," he says with a smile.
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