As we celebrate 30 years of Mafi Rugs, we're looking back at some highlights and milestones over the years. This one is a reprinting of an article the News Tribune did in October of 2000. You can download the original article here.
Most positive thinkers agree that you get out of life just about what you expect to receive. But even with great expectations, you sometimes end up in a vocation that wasn’t really in the forecast. Cyrus Mafi is a perfect example. He discovered long ago that when life throws you lemons, you learn to make lemonade, or in the case, carpets.
Born in Tehran, Iran 36 years ago, Cyrus grew up in the Oriental rug making business. “My grandfather had been in the rug business his entire life,” shares Cyrus, the Imported Rug Manager at Selden’s Home Furnishings in Tacoma. “I had aspirations of becoming an aircraft engineer.” Cyrus didn’t disappoint himself.
After finishing high school and a two-year stint in the Iranian Air Defense, Cyrus moved, along with his family, to Norway in 1983. It was there he began pursuing his aircraft engineering degree at the University of Oslo. “At that time, my father was a race car driver,” Cyrus explains. “He had a contract with a Swedish company and thus our move to Scandinavia.”
Cyrus’ technical training included studying the Boeing 767, MD-80 and F-16. “I thought it made sense to come to the country that produced the aircraft,” says Cyrus. With a degree in hand, he moved to Seattle in 1990.
But as fate would have it, the Cold War ended shortly after his arrival in Washington state. “All of a sudden there was a glut of aircraft engineers in the Seattle area and I couldn’t find a job,” Cyrus recalls. But through his grandfather’s rug merchant connections in the States, he began working at a store in Seattle. He eventually came to Selden’s in 1996.
“I grew up in the Oriental carpet business and I never thought I’d be working this business,” he says. But Cyrus’ positive outlook and enthusiasm have resulted in a great deal of success over the past five years at Selden’s. “If you have passion about the business, then you’re going to be more successful.” The numbers don’t lie. When Cyrus began working at the high-end Tacoma furniture store the monthly Oriental rug volume was about $30,000. Today, that figure is in excess of $100,000 a month.
One of the main reasons for this success is that Cyrus does not sacrifice quality for price. By importing directly he doesn’t have to pay a middleman. Savings are then passed onto the customer.
“Cyrus has tremendous knowledge about the history of Oriental rugs,” says Selden’s Sales Manager Robert Borghesi. “He also has a fabulous rapport with our design team as well as our many customers.”
Rug-buying excursions take Cyrus overseas at least twice a year. Each trip usually lasts a month. And though he speaks an impressive five languages (English, Persian, Norwegian, Swedish and Portuguese), Cyrus usually uses an interpreter when overseas. While visiting rug merchants in China, India, Nepal, Turkey and Pakistan he tries to cut the best deals and fill customers’ special orders. He jokes that the rug merchants overseas are all qualified to work for the United Nations. “They are all very good negotiators!” he says.
Another player in the Oriental rug business just got back into the game in March. The 13-year-old U.S. trade embargo against Iran was eased to allow the import of rugs and some foods, like dried fruits, nuts and caviar. As a result, import regulations were established soon thereafter, allowing licensed importers to once again bring Persian rugs into this country.
“We just received our first shipment of rugs from Iran a few months ago,” says a proud Cyrus, who hasn’t returned to his homeland since leaving.
While looking over his plush inventory at Selden’s, Cyrus reveals that the cost of a six-foot by nine-foot Oriental rug will run from $1,200 to $18,000. He suggests approaching rug buying like any other major purchase. “Make sure you’re comfortable with it and that the carpet fits into your décor and lifestyle.” Because of Selden’s lifetime warranty and liberal exchange policy, 60 percent of the company’s rug business is from repeat customers.
According to Cyrus, styles and construction methods differ among countries and even among the regions or tribes within them. Rugs, he says, are named after the region they are produced in, just like wine. “Area rugs are a thing of art, like a painting you hang on the wall,” he says.
The Oriental rug manager feels that you can’t neglect customer service and quality of product. That’s why he works closely with the company’s 32 interior designers to meet their customer’s demands. “The name of the game is customer service, customer service, customer service,” he emphasizes. “You can’t be successful unless you’re around successful people. That’s why I work here at Selden’s.
Though the Tacoma store exudes quality and success, it also gives a little back to the community – both locally and globally. “We support a Pierce County program called First Place for Children,” says Cyrus. The money donated helps benefit needy children. A portion of Selden’s rug sale profits – about $6,000 annually – also goes directly to the international United Nation’s Children’s Fund.
Whether providing quality carpets for customers or donating dollars to help needy children, Cyrus Mafi is a success in his own right. Selden’s advertising director Lori Jerome can attest to that. “Cyrus works really well with our designers and customers alike,” she says. “He’s truly a team player.”
