Paramount Rugs

Even though Roshan Bhattarai of award-winning Paramount Rugs grew up in Katmandu where the carpet industry flourished, rugs were off his radar. He left home for New Delhi to study software engineering and then worked in a digital animation and 3D studio. When his father and brother, however, decided to switch the family business from importing women’s fashion to manufacturing carpets, he jumped right in. Roshan’s love of photography and the digital arts, as well as family loyalty, made the choice easy. And there was another reason. The Bhattarai family knew that the rug business was a chance to create jobs and serve their community. “My father was an orphaned child and we learned from him always to ask ourselves, ‘What can we do for others?'” And so, working with a manager who was already involved with GoodWeave®, the Bhattarais set out to make beautiful rugs and help educate the weavers’ children.

From a mere 5,000 square feet of factory space in Katmandu more than two decades ago to more than 5,000 employees, and showrooms in both New York and Atlanta today, Paramount Rugs is a powerhouse in the industry. Winner of both the Buyers’ Choice Award and America’s Magnificent Award, Roshan attributes much of their success to quality control. “We do everything in house,” he says, “from spinning to sales.”

Roshan holds down the fort in New York while his brother oversees the company in Katmandu. Neither has much down time, he says, but sometimes, even on the busiest days, he is struck by the sheer beauty of the products he sells. “Certain rugs are magnets. I can’t stop looking at them.” One such “magnet” is a wool and hemp piece of Central Park in the winter. Another is a solid turquoise rug made of 100 percent wool. “At first the color was so surprising, we weren’t sure we could sell it, but customers were fascinated by it.” Rugs are beautiful, Roshan says, and when made well they last for years. But, he points out, nothing is more enduring than doing good. “We learned from our parents that if we do good, help others, and hurt no one, we will be successful.”

Learn more about Paramount Rugs at www.paramountrugs.com.