From Lebanon to the Living Rooms of the Midwest: The Story of Nassif Oriental Rugs

Some businesses are built on a business plan. Nassif Oriental Rugs was built on something older and more personal than that — a family tradition carried across an ocean and through three generations.

Doug Nassif's grandfather and uncles immigrated from Ain Arab, Lebanon, bringing with them a deep knowledge of and passion for hand-knotted oriental rugs. In the early days, they made their living the hard way — peddling rugs door to door, city to city, across the American Midwest. It was demanding work, but it built something invaluable: a reputation for quality, honesty, and an expert eye for exceptional pieces.

Doug grew up immersed in that world. He learned the craft as a young boy — how to read a rug's origin in its pattern, how to assess quality by the density of its knots, how to recognize the pieces worth seeking out. That education didn't come from a classroom. It came from his grandfather, his father, and his uncles, over years of handling some of the most beautiful rugs in the world.

Nassif Oriental Rugs has called Cedar Rapids home since 1972 — over 50 years of serving homeowners, interior designers, collectors, and estate professionals across Iowa and the greater Midwest. The inventory has grown and the services have expanded, but the foundation has never changed: find the most beautiful rugs available, and connect them with people who will love them.

In a world of mass-produced floor coverings and algorithm-driven online shopping, there's something genuinely rare about a store like Nassif. Every rug on the floor was personally selected by Doug. Every appraisal draws on decades of hands-on expertise. Every customer gets the benefit of a family that has spent three generations learning what makes a great rug great.

That's not something you can replicate at scale. And it's exactly what you'll find when you walk through the door.

Visit us at 1239 1st Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402 — or browse our current collection online. We ship anywhere in the United States.