What You’ll Learn
- Shabahang Rug Gallery has sold and serviced handmade Persian and Oriental rugs since 1885.
- Our Waukesha rug gallery carries thousands of hand-knotted rugs in antique, traditional, tribal, transitional, and contemporary styles, in sizes as small as 2x3 and as large as 10x14, plus runners and rounds, along with custom rug weaving to your exact specifications.
- Owner Bruce Shabahang personally travels several times each year to hand-select rugs directly from master weavers.
- Persian, Oriental, wool, silk, tribal, contemporary, and antique handmade rug cleaning at our Waukesha rug gallery is done by hand with a full submersion wash and a six-point inspection, with three Certified Rug Specialists on staff.
- Take a rug home first with our free in-home rug trial before you buy.
- Visit 160 Kossow Rd in Waukesha Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or call (262) 717-1111 to book a Sunday appointment.
Start Here
Most people walk into a Waukesha rug gallery with the same handful of questions. What is this thing actually worth? Can the wine stain come out? Is a hand-knotted rug worth the money compared to something off a big-box shelf? We hear all of it, and we would rather answer plainly than sell you something you are not sure about.
Below are the questions our handmade rug appraisal and cleaning team at Waukesha’s Shabahang Rug Gallery gets asked most often, grouped by topic so you can jump to the part you care about. If your question is not here, call us at (262) 717-1111.
About Shabahang Rug Gallery
How long has Shabahang Rug Gallery been in business?
Our family tradition of weaving rugs dates back to 1885. Bruce Shabahang, our present owner, is the fourth generation to carry the business forward, and our Waukesha rug gallery has been serving the greater Milwaukee area for decades. Bruce personally travels several times each year to hand-select rugs directly from master weavers, so every piece on our floor has been chosen firsthand rather than through a wholesaler. Our history means the person selecting the rug on our floor has spent a lifetime looking at rugs, and Bruce reviews hundreds of pieces for every one that ends up in the showroom.
Are you a family-owned business or a chain?
Family-owned, four generations deep. We import and manufacture handmade rugs directly to our Waukesha store rather than buying from a domestic wholesaler, which is why our floor looks different from what you see at a furniture chain. It also means you are talking to the people who chose the inventory. Ask why a piece is priced the way it is and you will get a real answer.
Do you work with interior designers and trade professionals?
Yes. Interior designers, home builders, architects, and other industry professionals are welcome in the showroom, and we regularly work on residential and commercial projects. If you are sourcing for a client, call ahead, and we will set aside time to pull pieces that fit the palette and dimensions you are working with.
Buying a Rug
What kinds of rugs do you carry?
Our Waukesha rug gallery holds thousands of hand-knotted rugs, and the selection changes constantly since almost every piece is one of a kind. Many are hand-selected by owner Bruce Shabahang on buying trips, directly from master weavers. Here is what you will find:
- Persian Rugs: Handwoven with deep color and layered pattern work, including Tabriz, Serapi, Bijar, and Gabbeh weaves.
- Antique Rugs: Older pieces with real history behind them, sourced from markets across Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
- Tribal Rugs: Woven by artisans working in traditional village and nomadic patterns, with bold geometry and strong color.
- Contemporary Rugs: Modern designs and materials for rooms that lean current rather than classic.
- Silk and Wool Rugs: Silk gives the sheen, wool gives the durability, and together they hold up to daily use.
- Transitional Rugs: Softer palettes and simplified motifs that sit comfortably between traditional and modern decor.
- Custom Rugs: Woven to your exact size, colors, and design when nothing on the floor is the right fit.
What sizes are available?
We stock standard sizes including 2x3, 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, 5x8, 6x9, 7x10, 8x10, 9x12, and 10x14, along with runners for halls and stairs and round rugs for entryways and breakfast nooks. If nothing on the floor of our rug gallery in Waukesha fits your room, we also offer custom rug weaving, built from the ground up to your exact dimensions, colors, and design.
Do you offer custom rug weaving?
Yes. If nothing in our showroom is the right fit, we work directly with master weavers to create a custom rug woven to your exact size, color palette, and design. This gives you the flexibility to create a piece specifically for your room rather than compromising on dimensions, colors, or pattern. Custom pieces are made to order and take longer than a showroom purchase, but the result is a rug designed specifically for your space.
Why do hand-knotted rugs cost more than machine-made ones?
A hand-knotted rug is built one knot at a time by a weaver, and a single large piece can take months or years to finish. That labor, plus hand-spun wool and natural dyes, is what you are paying for. The tradeoff is lifespan. A machine-made rug wears out and gets replaced. A good hand-knotted wool rug can be cleaned, repaired, and passed down, and many antique rugs on our floor are older than the houses they will end up in.
Can I see a rug in my home before I buy it?
We offer a free in-home rug trial, so you can bring a rug home and see it in your own space before committing to buy. Rug color reads differently under showroom lighting than it does in a north-facing living room at four in the afternoon. Ask us about scheduling your free in-home rug trial, and we will help you narrow down a few pieces to test in the rooms where they will actually live.
Rug Cleaning
How do you clean handmade rugs?
Our handmade rug cleaning team in Waukesha washes them by hand, in our shop. Nobody drags a machine across your living room floor. Every rug is inspected before anything touches it so we can identify the fiber, the age, the country of origin, prior damage, and the source of any staining. From there:
- We build a cleaning plan specific to that rug.
- The rug is dusted to pull out accumulated dry soil.
- It is prepared and fully submerged for the wash.
- Soap is rinsed out through repeated washing until none remains.
- The rug is hung to dry in a controlled environment.
- A final inspection happens before pickup or delivery.
We use WoolSafe certified products and organic shampoo agents matched to fiber type, and natural pH stabilizers to protect the dyes.
Can you get pet urine out of a rug?
Usually, yes. Our enzyme wash was developed for pet accidents, and it is the process we reach for when urine has soaked into the foundation. Urine is one of the worst things that can happen to a handmade rug because it causes color run and hardens the foundation and pile, so the sooner you bring it in, the better the outcome. Do not soak it in store-bought cleaner first. Harsh chemicals set the damage and make our job harder. Hire our handmade rug cleaning professionals in Waukesha and we’ll be sure to get the stain out.
How often should a handmade rug be professionally washed?
For most homes, every three to five years is reasonable. High-traffic rooms, or houses with pets and kids, may call for it sooner. A good tell is the "grit test". Press your palm into the pile and rub. If you feel sand and hear a faint crunch, dry soil has settled into the base of the pile, and that grit cuts the wool fibers every time someone walks across it.
Is professional cleaning safe for antique rugs?
It is safer than the alternative. Fragile and valuable antique and Persian rugs get our most gentle hand-wash process, handled by our certified rug specialists rather than passed to a general carpet cleaning crew. The same careful, hand-wash approach applies to delicate silk, tribal, and other fine handmade rugs, not just antiques. There are only a handful of Certified Rug Specialists in the country, and three of them work here.
Repair, Pads, and Appraisals
What kinds of rug repair do you do?
Fringe repair and replacement, reweaving holes and worn areas, edge and selvage binding, moth damage, pet damage, and color restoration. Bring the rug in, and we will look at it, tell you honestly what it takes, and quote the work before starting. Sometimes the answer is that an antique rug repair at our Waukesha store is not worth the cost relative to the rug, and we will tell you that too.
Do I really need a rug pad?
Yes, and it is the cheapest thing you can do to extend the life of a rug. A pad keeps the rug from sliding, cushions the pile against the compression of foot traffic, and lets air move underneath so the foundation is not sitting flat against a hard floor. It also stops the rug from creeping and rippling, which is where a lot of premature wear comes from. We carry pads cut to fit.
How does rug appraisal work?
Bring the rug to our gallery in Waukesha, and our team examines the weave, knot count, materials, dyes, condition, age, and origin, then provides a written valuation. People come to us for insurance coverage, estate work, and simple curiosity about a piece they inherited. We will give you a straight assessment and rug appraisal at our Waukesha store, even when the number is lower than you hoped.
Visiting and Service Area
Where are you located and what are your hours?
Shabahang Rug Gallery is at 160 Kossow Rd, Waukesha, WI 53186. The showroom is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays by appointment.
Which communities do you serve?
We are based in Waukesha County and serve customers across southeastern Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, Brookfield, Pewaukee, Delafield, Bayside, Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, Wauwatosa, and Elm Grove. We also ship rugs nationwide through our online store for people who are not close enough to visit in person.
Can I shop your inventory online?
Our website carries a rotating selection of hand-knotted rugs with photos, dimensions, and construction details for each piece. That said, rugs are worth seeing in person when you can. Color, sheen, and pile depth all read differently on a screen than they do on a floor.
Visit the Gallery or Call Us
Whether you are hunting for a Persian rug for the dining room, need a family heirloom washed before the holidays, or want to know what the rug in your grandmother's attic is worth, the experts at our rug gallery in Waukesha are glad to help.
Stop by Shabahang Rug Gallery at 160 Kossow Rd in Waukesha, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or call (262) 717-1111 to schedule a Sunday appointment or a free consultation.