Barrier Island rug company offers lighter styles

A quick look at Buckhead retail history: Those familiar with the local shopping scene may recall when the 79th Street Rug Co. opened for business in the Garden Hills center on Peachtree Road, back in 1978. Through the years, the business thrived on Atlantans’ enthusiasm for Persian carpets, but in the last few years owner Martin Jennings noticed a decided shift.

“People wanted a change from those dark colors of the antique Persians,” he said. “So we started carrying five designs in wool and cotton in just a handful of colors.”

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H.M. CAULEY/Special

Buyers can pick their favorite geometric pattern, then custom order carpets in colors and sizes that fit.

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H.M. CAULEY/Special

Southern buyers like tone-on-tone shades for their primary residence, two colors ‘close together, but not too bold,’ said Martin Jennings.

Barrier Island Collection
• 425 Peachtree Hills Ave., Suite 32-A
• Info: 404-231-2108; www.barrierislandrugs.com
• Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays

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In the last few years, those rugs, named for some of the world’s most well-known barrier islands, became the bulk of the business. On Sept. 1, Jennings shifted gears and opened the Barrier Island Collection, a store devoted to expanding the line he started years ago.

Buyers will now find lighter, brighter colors in various geometric patterns in a new store that is part of the Galleries of Peachtree Hills.

“We have customers from New England to Florida,” said Jennings. “Our primary customers have always been from the Southeast, particularly the coast, but now we also sell lots of rugs to people who live intown. This is a product that will go well in a second house at the beach as well as a house on Peachtree Battle.”

What you’ll find

The first attraction to the Barrier Island Collection is the rainbow of colors. The pastels come in a range of designs and sizes to brighten any room. In-stock rugs are as large as 9-by-12. There’s also a modest selection of small and midsize area rugs, priced from $130 for wool and $110 for cotton.

But the chief selling point is that they can also be custom ordered to fit the room and the decor you have.

“You can order a 20-by-30, if you want, and we can deliver it quickly,” said Jennings. “If you like our designs but you want the colors of your room, we can do that, too.”

The custom factor allows buyers to purchase several rugs to use throughout the house while no two look exactly alike.

Trends

The more monochromatic, tone-on-tone designs are favored by buyers in the South, said Jennings. “They like two colors that are close together, but not too bold, such as light and dark taupe or taupe and ivory. The pastels they keep for the beach house.”

Best-sellers

Wool rugs outsell their cotton counterparts. “It’s because they wear so well, particularly in high-traffic areas and on stairs,” said Jennings.