When brothers Basil J. Couri and Aleer J. Couri opened a new import rug business in Brooklyn in 1926, they probably didn’t know it would have something many other companies only hope for: staying power.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of high-end soft surface supplier Couristan, a company that has remained privately owned and operated by the Couri family for a century and is now into its third generation. To put that in perspective, less than 1% of family-owned businesses successfully reach 100 years in business.
Led today by second generation George Couri, chairman, the Couristan story is a true illustration of the American dream. Immigrants to the U.S. from Tripoli, Lebanon, George, Basil and Aleer Couri—along with their siblings and extended family—followed the family patriarch, Jacob, to Brooklyn. There Basil and Aleer learned the business of rugs from their uncle until they went out on their own in 1926 to start what would eventually become Couristan.
Couri Brothers, New York
The two brothers, Basil and Aleer, would start the business with a focus on one-of-a-kind, hand-knotted area rug imports. Birthing Couri Brothers, New York—a name the business would go by until a new name emerged years later.
In the 1930s Aleer chose to pursue other interests, leaving Basil to take on a partner, David Murad. Murad had a Persian rug business in Baghdad, Iraq, before emigrating to the U.S.
The company moved forward as a direct importer of handmade Persian and Smyrna (Turkish) rugs, available wholesale. “They would sell to department stores, furniture stores, whoever carried rugs,” George Couri explained. “They did a lot of consignment, because that was big at the time. They negotiated some great in-store concessions, including Weiboldt’s, a big department store in Chicago, as well as all the Gimbels department stores in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.”
With the success of the business, Couri Brothers began placing trademark labels reading “Couristan” on every rug it imported. The trademark was a combination of the family name “Couri” and the frequently used suffix “stan,” referring to the region of small weaving villages from where the rugs were imported. Couri Brothers, New York was soon replaced by Couristan—a name known today across all high-end markets.
The mid century
Basil Couri and Murad continued to build the business until George Couri returned from service in World War II, where he would help take up the reins. With Couri brothers again leading the charge, the company evolved in the 1950s to import machine-made braided rugs from Japan and hand-hooked rugs from China.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, Couristan was one of the largest braided rug importers in the U.S. “We were also into Chinese rugs before the revolution,” Couri said. “And then during the 1970s, when China opened back up, we got back into hand-knotted rugs and started importing machine-made Oriental rugs from Belgium. We were one of the first in that category. And then we got into broadloom and the hospitality business around 1968.”
From the start, Couristan focused on higher-end goods, and that focus never changed. “At the outset it was the one-of-a-kind rugs,” Couri said. “As time passed, we moved from one-of-a-kind Persian rugs to machine-made, programmed rugs—the same rug in different sizes. And we added braided rugs and hooked rugs, which were very popular back in the 1950s.”
In 1964, the company was able to produce a power-loomed area rug collection inspired by original handmade Oriental and Persian designs at a fraction of the cost due to breakthroughs in weaving technology. Kashimar, one of the company’s best-selling collections, was born from this technology. Today, Couristan’s power-loomed assortment now includes collections imported from such countries as Belgium, Turkey, China and India.
That evolution to machine-made rugs, initially exclusively from Belgium, was a significant step for Couristan. “We saw there was more volume there,” George Couri said. “Not many other countries made machine-made rugs. There was a special section of Belgium called Flanders, the weaving capitol area of Belgium. And they were historically known for their Flemish tapestries, and so evolved the Wilton face-to-face machines in the 1960s. We had the exclusive with the largest and most creative mill in Belgium for a long time.”
Being able to provide designs inspired by classic Persian patterns at value prices opened new markets for Couristan. They soon added machine-made, power-loomed residential broadloom—and that business took off. “We were doing really well with the machine-made rugs,” he said. “Macy’s was one of our biggest accounts, as were B. Altman & Co., and Bloomingdale’s. We were among their largest suppliers for many years. We offered a wide variety of price points and sizes. The business really grew, and it was all out of Belgium.”
Soon Couristan started bringing in products from different countries—Wiltons, Axminsters, machine-tufted products. “A lot of wool products not made in America,” he said. “We’re still 80% wool today.”
Switching hands
The business remained in the hands of those three partners until Murad passed away in 1976, followed by Basil Couri in 1977. “So, it was just my father from 1977 until he passed in 1989,” Couri said.
Prior to the three partners’ passings, George Sr.’s four sons had joined the business in various capacities. George Couri joined the company in 1972 within a week of graduating college. Ron Couri, who would eventually head up the area rug division and serve as president and CEO, also entered the business upon graduating college. The two younger brothers, Bob and Steve Couri, sold out in 1990 and 1998, respectively, forming their own companies.
“Ron knew everything about rugs,” George Couri said. “He spent 40-something years in rugs. It was his idea to come out with indoor/outdoor rugs in 2003. We were pioneers in that category.”
That first outdoor line, the Recife Collection, helped put the company’s name back on the map as an industry innovator. Power-loomed of 100% polypropylene, UV stabilized and mold and mildew resistant, the launch of Recife was a major turning point for the company. Ron Couri passed away in 2023.
Couristan today
Today, Couristan is well positioned within the markets it plays in, namely high-end residential and the commercial market. “I think our residential broadloom line is one of the best in the industry, well diversified,” Couri said. “We carry a lot of stock. Our service is exceptional. And on the hospitality side we have a great sales force, assisted by a large number of very creative designers who work on individual projects—Ritz-Carlton Four Seasons, JW Marriotts, Intercontinental hotels. Just four- and five-star hotels, lodges, country clubs and high-end restaurants. We have a great team on both the hospitality and broadloom sides. Even with many hotels using LVT in guestrooms now, we get custom-sized area rugs for each room. But you still get the wall-to-wall carpet in bedrooms in many of the higher-end hotels.”
The decision to remain 80% wool plays itself well in the hospitality arena. “It’s not unusual for us to get big orders in hospitality,” Couri said. “Our custom product does not go into Fairfield Inns or Courtyards, just the full-service, higher-end brands. That’s what we know. People don’t come to us for lower-end product. It’s also why we’re not involved in the office commercial sector.”
Couri estimates residential broadloom price points range from $40 to $140 a square yard, “at least. We have products that wholesale for $100 a yard and more.”
Tariffs remain a challenge, although that issue has lightened up a bit, Couri said. “2025 was a very stressful year because they were changing tariffs every couple of months,” he said. “We didn’t increase our prices at all in 2025, even though our competitors went up two or three times. We absorbed everything and are just now coming out with our new price list, so we’re playing a bit of catch up. The reason we didn’t raise prices was the indecision about how long it was going to last. Once you raise prices, it’s very hard to go backwards and reduce prices.”
The next generation
Going forward, Couri said he is excited about the third generation, his daughter Georgia and possibly his two sons, carrying on the family legacy. Georgia represents the first Couri female to have a leadership role within the company. “I’m hoping my daughter can get more involved on the rug side and help build that division back up,” he said.
As a young female, Georgia Couri brings a different dimension to the company. “She talks about getting together with [social media] influencers,” he said. “I would never think of that. She also has a good feel for color and design and is working very closely with our very talented designers.”
