S.F. shop closes after Iran sanctions ban rugs
San Francisco Chronicle
06-Sep-2010 (12 comments)

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.

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MOOSIRvaPIAZ

Thanks Ari

by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Tue Sep 07, 2010 02:18 PM PDT

I completely missed that part of the article.

 

 


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Bavafa

is Fred on PTO (paid time off) today?

by Bavafa on Tue Sep 07, 2010 01:48 PM PDT

MOOSIR jan,  

you are clearly out of line to ask Mahmoud or any of those who are calling for Iran to be bombed to sacrifice any?

I mean, come on… get with the program. Our job in the West is to cheer for the Americans and Israelis to flatten the home land, get rid of IRI for us so we can go back and be some body's arbab again.

Go go, bomb Iran surgically, if it didn't do the job, then completely.

Mehrdad

P.S. Thanks Ari jan for providing the except


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Roozbeh_Gilani

So let us look at "who it really hurts", really!

by Roozbeh_Gilani on Tue Sep 07, 2010 01:04 PM PDT

It is very good to hear the concerns of the respected Bay Area shop owners for the "Iranian workers". Maybe the shop owners in question would take this concern one step further by contrasting the price they charges their rich Bay area customers vs what the "Iranian worker" gets paid for his/her hard work.

To make the point crystal clear, my concern is with the carpet weavers who lead a misreable life under the Islamist regime, sanctions or otherwise. I know this is a strange sort of loyalty in iranian.com circles,  but so be it.....


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Ari Siletz

Excerpt: who it really hurts.

by Ari Siletz on Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:43 PM PDT

"While it is devastating for my husband, my assistant and I to lose our jobs, this will be more difficult for the Iranian workers who have large families to support, no other market for their beautiful rugs, and no other jobs to go to. One of our employees supports an elderly mother and is terrified at finding herself unemployed. She calls us every day to find out if anything has changed. Jasem Sadeghi, a feltmaker, supports a disabled father and three sisters. Some of the others talk of the uncertain prospect of going to Kuwait to find work as low-paid laborers."

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maziar 58

..,

by maziar 58 on Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:00 PM PDT

there are 32 pcs. in chess game and and 1000000's in politique

And, But it's all about CHECK - MATE .

I'm against sanction where it hurts ordinary and subserved Iranians.

American foriegn policies are only for their OWN gains .  Maziar


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MOOSIRvaPIAZ

Roozbeh

by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Tue Sep 07, 2010 11:28 AM PDT

Who said anything about the carpet folk?I was making a general argument that sanctions hurt ordinary people.

 

But lets assume that I did, the carpets are not made by themselves. some poor iranian in a village in iran is making them. sanctioning are now preventing Iranians shops from exporting them where there is good market for them, which in turn hits the pockets of anyone in iran who is dealing with the carpets.

Do you want the entire Iranian economy to come to a stand still because of your selfish interests?  a great patriot you are!


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Roozbeh_Gilani

My heart is bleeding for you indeed!

by Roozbeh_Gilani on Tue Sep 07, 2010 09:31 AM PDT

All this time I thought that the key objection to sanctions was that supposedly Iranian children would go hungry, without medicine , and so forth. Now I understand that the "hardship" caused to a Bay Area carpet Merchant is the prime concern for the sanction objectionists!

Thank you again for under scoring the real agenda. 


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MOOSIRvaPIAZ

you're not paying it mahmoud

by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Tue Sep 07, 2010 07:39 AM PDT

you keep recommending policies that dont effect you in any way. how about you give back and show solidarity by donating everything you have to independent charities inside iran?


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mahmoudg

small price to pay

by mahmoudg on Tue Sep 07, 2010 07:20 AM PDT

first, how can one work with Iran, knowing full well what it has done to its people in the last 30 years.  No tears shed here.  You made your bed now sleep in it.  I bid you luck to find another respectable line of work than working with the government of Iran.  yes the governmnet, invariably part of the fees you pay goes straight into the government coffers nd directly to support terrorist griups around the world.


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Sargord Pirouz

This is sad. Thank our

by Sargord Pirouz on Tue Sep 07, 2010 04:38 AM PDT

This is sad.

Thank our President Bush-Lite (Obama), or as I like to put it: "Where is my vote?" 


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MOOSIRvaPIAZ

in the name of fighting the regime!

by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Tue Sep 07, 2010 02:32 AM PDT

isolating iran further!


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Q

Yes, meanwhile Israel still imports from Iran

by Q on Tue Sep 07, 2010 02:27 AM PDT

//iranian.com/main/news/2010/09/07/israel...

You see, to AIPAC on it's hate-filled cheerleaders, it is not a problem if Iranians or Iranian American suffer, lose business, go bankrupt, lose jobs and investment, which they definitly will by these sanctions policy: mostly inside the country but occasionally outside too.

This sacrifice has been ruled "acceptable" by those who don't have to do it.

So, long as Israeli's aren't made to pay an extra 10cents/kilo for California Pistachios. That's what really matters.

//www.modbee.com/2008/01/12/177951/lobbyists-...


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