A beloved rug cleaner and retailer is packing up and heading to the other side of the Mississippi River after more than 100 years in Minneapolis.
American Rug Laundry, a business that sells, cleans and repairs rugs, will soon leave its sprawling East Lake Street building for a new address and showroom in St. Paul’s Macalester-Groveland neighborhood.
The relocation will bring the business closer to its St. Paul customers, which make up more than half of its clientele, and allow the business to operate more efficiently in the new building, said owner Sam Navab.
American Rug Laundry, which was founded in 1885, is owned by Iranian immigrant brothers Sam and Far Navab. Passionate about rug conservancy, the brothers launched Navab Bros. Rug Co. in 1988, took over American Rug Laundry in 1999 and founded Legacy Looms, a custom rug company, in 2012.
Leaving Minneapolis
The beginning of the end for the historic storefront at 4222 E. Lake St. came about six years ago when the brothers expanded the business to the suburbs.
Just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Navab brothers moved their rug cleaning operations to a 14,000-square-foot warehouse at 8043 Lewis Road in Golden Valley.
As a result, only a fraction of the East Lake Street building, which spans 12,000 square feet, is currently being used. “We really don’t have much use for it anymore,” said Sam Navab.
The historic building sold for more than $1.6 million to Kamaro Omer Ali last month, according to real estate records filed with the state.
When reached by phone, Ali told the Pioneer Press that the building’s future is undecided, but it could serve several uses including warehouse storage.
St. Paul store
At 4,500 square feet, the new St. Paul storefront is smaller, but it will have more inventory, Sam Navab said.
The new building, which will be leased by the Navab brothers, will have the front half devoted to rug sales with the back half serving as storage and office space.
Although the footprint is smaller, the St. Paul shop will offer about 500 additional square feet of rug inventory compared to the Minneapolis location, Sam Navab said.
An opening date for the St. Paul store has not been set, as a remodel is currently underway to construct the showroom and office spaces.
Out of fear of confusing their customers, the brothers have not publicly revealed the address of the new location, though they’ve hinted that it will be near the corner of Fairview and St. Clair avenues.
“We have reservations about losing our Minneapolis customer base, but we are not going far,” said Sam Navab, who also noted that the new store is a less than 10-minute drive from the old one.
“I’m surprised to see how many customers come and buy a rug and (say), ‘I’m so happy you’re moving to St. Paul,’” he said.
American Rug Laundry is currently offering discounted rug cleaning services and rug prices ahead of the move, which is planned to wrap up by Jan. 1.
