HOW I BOUGHT ONE, MAKE THAT TWO, RUGS IN MOROCCO

When I think ‘Morocco’, in addition to the rich culture and desert adventures, I think RUGS! I knew I wanted to do some serious rug shopping, logistics-be-damned. What I didn’t expect was this would be one of my top experiences from the whole vacation. I’ll go ahead and say I found it thrilling!

I prepped by researching what I could find about different styles of Moroccan rugs (different regions create rugs of different aesthetics) and what to expect for pricing. And perhaps the history of styles and patterns isn’t that big of a deal for you. Whether it’s from the High Atlas region might not matter a bit. You know what you like and you’ll know it when you see it, right? But I do think knowing what to expect for pricing in advance is helpful. My general expectation (hope) was to pay around $800 USD for something like a 5×7 area rug. Also, I was expecting it to be handmade, wool and one of a kind. I wasn’t looking for antique or “vintage” rugs either. As I understand it, Moroccan antique rugs are a whole different world and deserve more research.

A tip: Rugs are measured in centimeters in Morocco so you could do some math in advance. But it’s also likely the shop will have a tape measure on hand. Also, take a pic of the room you are shopping for before you leave home. It’s nice to refer to if needed.

Marrakech is known for being the place to shop for rugs so on day 1 of our Moroccan adventure, we set off to the souks! ***If you like Moroccan décor, prepare yourself. You will like it here.*** Small stalls exist everywhere with rugs and other items on display but I was looking for a very large store specializing only in rugs. I had some store names on hand but, again, I knew I would know the store when I saw it. Sure enough, with stacks of rugs taller than me, we found our rug paradise.

I approached the store owner straightaway and let him know what I was looking for: a little bigger than 5×7, orange and green preferred, minimal blue. As if by magic, two young men appear and begin unfurling rugs everywhere! It was magnificent. I even told them to slow down because I couldn’t keep track of the rug extravaganza appearing at my feet. Rugs on rugs on rugs. The owner told the men to pause and instructed me to look over the rugs and then point and say “maybe” or “take it away”. This went on for 30 min until I had found not one, but two rugs I was in love with.

“OK, what is the price for these two?”

The owner smiled. He explained in Morocco we haggle, and we want to find a price that makes both of us happy. I felt like I was entering an arena or walking onstage for the main event. Heart racing slightly, I was ready. And then he wrote a number more than 4x what I was wanting to pay!

What do I do? Do I play it cool? Do I show him my ‘sticker-shock’ face? Are all my Moroccan decor fantasies crashing down upon me?

I went with a little bit of a sticker-shock face as if this was totally out of the realm of possibility (which it most definitely was). I then offered back the saddest, lowest counter offer I could muster without having to be so embarrassed as to have to leave the store. He naturally seemed shocked, although didn’t seem truly insulted, and explained his price was to include 2 rugs and shipping. He implied my offer was sweetly naïve. But… he did come back with a lower offer. So we were off to the races. This back and forth went on for another 30 min. What I did notice was that as I only increased my offer a slight bit, he was making larger decreases with each of his offers. He had already told me shipping could be as much as $400 USD so I asked him to take the cost of shipping out of the negotiations. As to how we would deal with two rugs for the next 8 days…more to come on that.

One thing I noted was the haggling never felt adversarial. In truth, I was having a great time and neither party appeared upset. It was more like friendly banter or a stage act. He even paid me some of my favorite compliments, lol. Not only was I told I have “champagne taste” but at the end of it all he said I was a good businesswoman. And whether that was flattery or a sales tactic, I don’t care. I’m happy to accept those compliments.

After walking in 90 minutes prior, I was now the proud owner of two new Moroccan rugs that I’m in love with! And the final number came in only slightly above my goal budget. I did have to tell my husband that no, these rugs aren’t being shipped to our house as planned but the store will deliver them to our riad tonight and then I have a plan. His face? Genuine concern…