A jaw-dropping selection of rugs on the outskirts of town!

 

The Flying Carpet is the creation of Bill Wright, a man who served in World War 2, earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from Alabama Polytechnic Institute/Auburn University and then a degree in Automotive Engineering from the Chrysler Institute of Engineering. His career with Chrysler brought him back to Huntsville, Alabama where Chrysler and NASA needed engineers for all the space and missile programs in progress. He utlimately led a team of engineers in a "secret" project to help Chrysler compete in NASCAR.

 

In 1971, Chrysler requested that Mr. Wright return to Detroit. Instead, he began assisting his mother, Inez Wright, with her antique shop, Cabin Antiques. Not being satisfied with antique furniture, Mr. Wright began tracking down sources for oriental rugs. What had up until then been just padding for furniture or decor to position under the furniture to sell became a much sought-after item for the homes of the Tennessee Valley and surrounding area. As the demand for rugs increased, Mr. Wright needed more space than just the back porch of the antique shop, and so relocated to his own shop. Just a few years after that the rugs numbered in the hundreds and required relocation yet again to a purpose-built building on property the Wright family had purchased during the Depression. This is where it remains today!

 

Sadly, Bill Wright passed away on April 16, 2015. His sons Paul and Neal Wright will continue the "family business" and look forward to sharing their love of oriental rugs and knowledge gained from a lifetime of learning about them and appreciating them.