Manoukian Brothers Oriental Rugs

Manoukian Brothers Oriental Rugs, aka Manoukian Rugs, is the oldest family-owned handmade rug store in the DC area. Fleeing the Armenian Genocide in Turkey in the early part of the 20th Century, five Manoukian brothers and their families immigrated to the US through Ellis Island before settling in Washington, DC. In 1922, one of the brothers, Manouk, opened the first family rug store called A&P Rugs in Washington, DC. His store’s name was a new American’s homage to another successful company of the day, the Atlantic & Pacific Company.  The remaining brothers soon followed suit, opening two other separate rug stores. In 1957, the brothers decided to merge their businesses under the Manoukian Brothers name.

For over 100 years, Manoukian’s has been selling and servicing hand-knotted rugs in the DC area. The business has moved several times over the years, from Washington Circle to Adams Morgan, and finally to its home today on Langston Boulevard. This century-old family-run business has made it through three pandemics, major economic downturns, world wars, and riots, yet they persevere. They have earned generations of loyal customers through their quality products and thoughtful service and have furnished rugs to everyone from local homeowners to Supreme Court Justices (along with some politicians and ambassadors). Rugs that they have sold or serviced can be found in the US Capitol, the US Congress, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, and the National Cathedral, to name a few.

Manoukian Brothers, aka Manoukian Rugs, is now in its third generation of family ownership, with grandson Mikael taking the reins. Mikael’s father, Paul, was a long-time WMATA civil engineer before he took over the business from his dad, Moses, and the uncles. Mikael was born, grew up, and attended local schools in Arlington, so moving the rug store to Langston Boulevard was a bit of a homecoming. Like his father, Mikael initially took a different career path, earning a degree in business, then working in video production for many years. In 2018, as the shop’s lease expired after 96 years in DC, Mikael and other members of his family from the second & third generations stepped in to make decisions about its future. Mikael decided that the business could be modernized and continue operations, so he stepped in to fill his father’s shoes. He is often joined in the store by his mother, Dona, who has worked for the business intermittently over the past four decades.  

Dona married into the rug business, never thinking that it would play such an essential role in her life. Born in Oklahoma, Dona pursued a degree in nursing before joining the Peace Corps and serving in Malaysia. After she completed her service, she settled in Arlington, where she met and married Paul Manoukian. Dona started working at the store to fill in for an aunt when she needed to go away for a couple of weeks. It was around this time that she first evolved into doing the company’s books. Through the years, she has learned all the aspects of the rug business and continues to be an asset for both Mikael and their customers. 

Both Mikael and Dona greatly appreciate the loyal customer base they have inherited from the earlier generations with many of their DC clients following them to the new location across the Potomac. The Langston Boulevard community has welcomed them as part of the many home furnishing stores along the popular North Arlington corridor. Mikael also appreciates the newer customers they have earned by modernizing the company. New styles of rugs and an online presence have brought in new clientele, many experiencing the quality of hand-knotted artisanal rugs for the first time. They hope that dedicated legacy and new customers, along with their continued commitment to quality products and services, will usher Manoukian Rugs on to the next 100 years of success.