After nine years, my husband, Dodd, and I will end what we consider to be our life’s work. Our thriving San Francisco felt rug business, Peace Industry, is a casualty of recent U.S. sanctions that include a ban on the import of rugs and other goods from Iran.
When Dodd and I set off to his homeland in 2001 in search of felt rugs, we found an Iranian tradition on the verge of extinction with virtually no written history. Within several months of that first trip, we found a handful of individuals who were still making small felt rugs. We opened a tiny shop on the outskirts of Point Reyes, which doubled as our home and supported us as we put together our workshop in Iran. It was hard work but very rewarding.
